PAD 510

Week 5 Discussion 1

Unofficial Actors. Please respond to the following:

Many members of the news media say that they are just a "mirror" of society and that they simply reflect what happens in society. They would argue that their influence is relatively small. Take a position on whether you agree or disagree with this position.

I disagree. Members of the news media have a big influence on how society will react to certain situations. According to the book, important group of unofficial actors is the news media, which enjoy firt amendment press freedoms because of their "watchdog" role. New outlets illuminate the actions of government. Under certain conditions, such as matters of national security or personal privacy, the media have been denied access to policy-making...