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Do You Think Mainstream Media In The United States Today Supports Or Undermines American Democracy?
Do you think mainstream media in the United States today supports or undermines American democracy?
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School or Institution Name (University at Place or Town, State)
Do You Think Mainstream Media in the United States Today Supports or
Undermines American Democracy?
Democracy grants the essential meaning to the legal and political structure of self-determination within the social, cultural and economic paradigm. It is a state of government established after fair voting system by the citizen either indirectly directly to elect the representatives. The United State of America (USA) is a democratic state which aims at strengthening the fundamental principles of freedom, equality and freedom of expression. Media plays instrumental role to deliver information to the people in the political, economic and social context. However, the relationship between media and the incumbent president of the United States, Donald Trump, remained contentious since the very beginning of his presidential tenure. A wide range of critiques have abashed the manner wherein Trump treats the media and other groups have abashed the attitude of media towards the president. Amid these controversies, it becomes imperative to assess the impact of media on democratic development in the contemporary age. Irrefutably, the freedom of the press is an explicit illustration of the strengthened structure of democracy in the United States. Since media has been offered the rights and privilege to report and investigate the matters independently, it ought to advance to strengthen the democracy rather than bashing it. The relationship between Trump and the media must not desecrate the fundamental principles of democracy. Media does not undermine democracy in the United States but there exist certain element which cast adverse impacts on the spirits of democracy caused by the radical confrontation with the policymakers.
To begin, it is essential to underpin the fundamental principle of democracy which is accountability. It calls for the accountability of not only the individual politicians but also the decision making entities and political parties. A similar notion of democracy is cherished in the United States. Free media casts a significant impact to ensure the credible flow of information to the public pertaining to the advancement in political and institutional sphere. Besides, media is always deemed to present subjective view and refrain from highlighting the objectivity. The philosophical comprehension and the inclinations of media personnel are reflected in the publications and reporting to some extent ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"N9hEq69U","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(\\uc0\\u8220{}Media in the United States \\uc0\\u8212{} Global Issues,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)","plainCitation":"(“Media in the United States — Global Issues,” n.d.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":131,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/yvjivw9i/items/XPW44ZQK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/yvjivw9i/items/XPW44ZQK"],"itemData":{"id":131,"type":"webpage","title":"Media in the United States — Global Issues","URL":"http://www.globalissues.org/article/163/media-in-the-united-states#MediaPowerisPoliticalPower","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",4,30]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“Media in the United States — Global Issues,” n.d.). The primary purpose of the free press is serving as a discriminator of truths in a democratic society. However, media has assumed a critical role in the United States which transcends the democratic paradigm.
Besides, media is termed the fourth branch of government. The role of media is dominant in maintaining the balance of power in the American political system. Since the very first full day in the office, Trump radically criticized media by terming them the most dishonest beings on the earth. One of the prominent instances the mentioning of the news outlet as the hub of generating fake news. The interest of the public has remained fragmented where the perception of political affiliation and the credibility of the media has essentially remained the same. The trends in media can enable the political actors to amplify distrust and polarization which has been the case with Donald Trump ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"AV2kHKqu","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(\\uc0\\u8220{}How Democracy in America Can Survive Donald Trump,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)","plainCitation":"(“How Democracy in America Can Survive Donald Trump,” n.d.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":133,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/yvjivw9i/items/NGH369H2"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/yvjivw9i/items/NGH369H2"],"itemData":{"id":133,"type":"article-magazine","title":"How Democracy in America Can Survive Donald Trump","container-title":"The American Prospect","source":"American Prospect","URL":"https://prospect.org/article/how-democracy-america-can-survive-donald-trump","ISSN":"1049-7285","language":"en-US","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",4,30]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“How Democracy in America Can Survive Donald Trump,” n.d.). In the past, none of the American presidents reflected such an immense extent of resentment and bold treatment of media similar to Trump. He has proved willing to utilize the distrust in media to impugn he media organizations and reporters as the enemies of the public. These radical views irrefutably harm the democratic culture where the institutions of the state are being blamed blatantly without the provision of evidence. Several liberals are now seeking to emulate Trump’s approach thinking they will gain benefit by bashing the media outlets as Republicans did. These trends desecrate the harmonic development of society and urge the mainstream media to depict a discriminatory attitude toward such persons.
Furthermore, Trump has exacerbated and accelerated the degradation of liberal democratic institutes. His views have delivered the message to the public that objective truth has almost perished from society. The media outlets have been portrayed as the potential sources of maligning the democratic progress in the United States. The radical and excessively negative attitude of Trump toward the media has cast a detrimental impact on the public perception of mass media ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"hDY3JdIf","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(\\uc0\\u8220{}Trump and the Media; A Test for Democracy,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)","plainCitation":"(“Trump and the Media; A Test for Democracy,” n.d.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":135,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/yvjivw9i/items/6AG86QI9"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/yvjivw9i/items/6AG86QI9"],"itemData":{"id":135,"type":"webpage","title":"Trump and the Media; A Test for Democracy","container-title":"Common Cause","abstract":"1","URL":"https://www.commoncause.org/democracy-wire/trump-and-the-media-a-test-for-democracy/","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",4,30]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“Trump and the Media; A Test for Democracy,” n.d.). For instance, even the valid and rational questions of the media outlets have even shunned by the President in an imprudent manner which is an explicit illustration of the distrust, resentment and hostility toward the media. All of these instances are harmful to democracy where media is a fundamental pillar. Moreover, the deliberated instances demonstrated the abashment of media subjected by Trump and the political stakeholders. It is essential to manifest the discriminatory role of media toward the political stakeholders, especially Trump, and the consequences on democratic principles.
A critical appraisal of the matter reveals that democratic advancement lies at the very heart of ensuring accountability across the board. Media assumes a potential role amid these circumstances to identify and highlight the forces that ought to be held accountable. If the political stakeholder exhibits a radical attitude which aims at persistently abashing the mass media and terming their information and news as fake, mass media struggles to contribute toward sustainability of democracy. However, the media organizations ought to introspect their role and adhere to the values of honesty, integrity and truth. It is evident that various media outlets have established grievances with political stakeholder which are apparent in their reporting. It is one of the most detrimental aspects of democracy because media is the pillar of democracy. When the information is forged and manipulated as per the inclinations rather than the truth, accountability becomes elusive. It then creates a distorted state of events as depicted in contemporary American society.
Likewise, the fundamental element which advanced democracy in society is a cohesive means of interaction and collaboration between the institutions of state and political stakeholders. Both the print and broadcast media are the essential organs of democracy and their credibility and validity directly or indirectly cast an impact on democracy. For instance, when the mass media publishes and broadcasts a fake or contentious new, the citizens tend to believe they live in a society devoid of equality, truth and democracy. Irrefutably, the media should not adhere to credible news and information for the sake of democracy only. It was created in the first place to propagate the truthful flow of information and enlighten the public. Moreover, the role of media is also essential to be assessed in the paradigm of social development. The social constructivism is vested by mass media in the contemporary era. The social, economic and cultural values nourished by the public are shaped as per the demonstration of the state of affairs from the mass media ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"hDY3JdIf","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(\\uc0\\u8220{}Trump and the Media; A Test for Democracy,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)","plainCitation":"(“Trump and the Media; A Test for Democracy,” n.d.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":135,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/yvjivw9i/items/6AG86QI9"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/yvjivw9i/items/6AG86QI9"],"itemData":{"id":135,"type":"webpage","title":"Trump and the Media; A Test for Democracy","container-title":"Common Cause","abstract":"1","URL":"https://www.commoncause.org/democracy-wire/trump-and-the-media-a-test-for-democracy/","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",4,30]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“Trump and the Media; A Test for Democracy,” n.d.).Media manipulation, scandals and political propaganda challenge the inaccuracy, bias and reliability in the United States. The public faces the adversity after news channels and print media are entitled to be representing a specific political entity. Consequently, the views of the public are concentrated and manipulated which undermine the democratic structure.
Primarily, the media enterprises in the United States are divided into three types as mainstream media, media conglomerates and several small companies. The press is assigned the role of watchdogs of democracy and further termed as the fourth state in the democratic system. The timeline of the historic events reveals media has always remained a powerful force strengthened by institutions and the support of the public. It is evident from the deliberation that the political system is dependent on media and media is dependent on the political system. The First Amendment of the constitution advocates for a free press and freedom of speech in America. The citizens of America also take profound pride in the freedom exercised by the mass media. Amid these developments, the news propagated by the media can never be termed blatantly as fake. It will cause the public to lose the trust in journalist and refrain from believing the news which is published. It is the prominent menace of abashing media regardless of the need and paying heed to the consequences.
All of the deliberated instances above explicitly illustrate the relationship between democracy and mass media. The mass media is a source of informing the people about the developments and offering a rational and just critique devoid of any bias. The press conferences held at the White House makes the president questionable in front of journalists. In the contemporary era, journalists are not afraid of asking harsh questions and the onus lies on the policy makers to listen to them with patience and refrain from targeting them as a response. Both media and politicians have to collaborate to rejuvenate the spirits of democracy in society. However, it is an accepted reality that their relationships can never be amicable. Mass media will continue to unleash the scandals and frauds in addition to asking harsh questions and printing harsh realities. It will resultantly cause the politicians to establish a defensive and ruthless attitude toward the mass media. Besides, the addition of fabricated and manipulated news further aggravates the issue. Democracy receives the grave impacts amid these radical developments. However, media is, to a significant extent, responsible for strengthening democracy as not all the media outlets are keen to propagate the fake news ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"Yh5K8IY4","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(\\uc0\\u8220{}Trump Punks the Media Once More | The American Spectator,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)","plainCitation":"(“Trump Punks the Media Once More | The American Spectator,” n.d.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":137,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/yvjivw9i/items/MVMC7Q38"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/yvjivw9i/items/MVMC7Q38"],"itemData":{"id":137,"type":"webpage","title":"Trump Punks the Media Once More | The American Spectator","URL":"https://spectator.org/trump-punks-the-media-once-more/","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",4,30]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“Trump Punks the Media Once More | The American Spectator,” n.d.). There exist certain news channels which have maintained a committed and integrated attitude while spreading the news and information.
To conclude, media is an important organ of democracy and deemed as the fourth branch of the government. In the United States, the confrontation between media and the political stakeholders has aggravated which was primarily initiated by Trump in the first place. Mass media should never be termed as the propagator of the fake news as it desecrates the belief of the public. It further leads to dismantling the sustainability of democratic principles. Since media is a potential tool to highlight and investigate frauds, the distrust of the public can cause it to lose its credibility and the fundamental responsibility. Thus, the onus lies on the politicians to keep account of the words and terms they utilize to target the media personnel and outlets. Likewise, the mass media ought to adhere to the primary responsibility of spreading information and offering a critical analysis of the current state of affairs without discrimination or bias. A democratic society is established under the influence of these values in true letter and spirits. The American society advances on the primary values of democracy and the mass media and politicians should exhibit reverence by limiting themselves in their domains and striving for the welfare of the public. To sum up, the mass media does not desecrate democracy in the United States but possesses elements which can shake the basis of democracy.
References
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY How Democracy in America Can Survive Donald Trump. (n.d.). The American Prospect. Retrieved from https://prospect.org/article/how-democracy-america-can-survive-donald-trump
Media in the United States — Global Issues. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2019, from http://www.globalissues.org/article/163/media-in-the-united-states#MediaPowerisPoliticalPower
Trump and the Media; A Test for Democracy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2019, from Common Cause website: https://www.commoncause.org/democracy-wire/trump-and-the-media-a-test-for-democracy/
Trump Punks the Media Once More | The American Spectator. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2019, from https://spectator.org/trump-punks-the-media-once-more/
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