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Mass media have become the vital part of the present day society and these are playing an important role in shaping the world in our minds. Democracy is flourishing in most of the countries of the world and it has a close relationship with media. Democracy and media both have become indispensable for each other. This paper discusses the role of media in a democratic society. It also elaborates different factors influencing the media content as well as media effects on the society. The paper concludes that the well informed citizens can play more important and effective role in strengthening democracy. There is a great need of media freedom in the developing countries so that the media organizations could play a significant role in establishing democratic atmosphere in the society.
Key Words: News Media, Democratic Society, Media Organizations, Developing countries
We are living in a global village and the people are aware of the issues and events taking place in the world. In a society experiencing the information revolution, the mass media have become a vital part of the social system. Media organizations have a powerful role of setting the agenda of their readers and audience. These are considered as unelected power centers in setting the agenda for discourse in the society independently of those who are elected to govern. Media present a picture of the world through selective construction and representation of the events and issues providing a frame of reference to the Citizens of the country. But these frames of reference vary depending upon the organization of political institutions and dominant political ideology of the nation and the role assigned to mass media in social life.
Media and Democracy
This is necessary in a democratic society to have well informed citizens having deep knowledge of the political issues. According to the classical model of liberal democracy, the biggest responsibility for information and discussion lies with the mass media. Of all the ingrethents that constitute democracy, information is a key component. In an ideal democratic society, information is essential in order to make critical decisions such as choosing a government. In this regard, the mass media, especially the news media, have been found to be one of the major sources of knowledge...