The Media in a Democratic Society

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the way the media operates in the states of Canada, Mexico and the United States, highlighting the problematic issues in each country. The author looks at media bias, issues of balance and equality and Government control and concludes that fairly dramatic steps need to be taken in all three countries.

From the Paper:

"The background of the media in all three lands is quite intriguing. Beginning first with Canada, it is clear that the Canadian media has sometimes (perhaps even often) been negligent in its treatment of minorities and of minority views - a state of affairs which calls into question its ability to serve as an accurate "watch-dog" of Canadian politics. For instance, Gidengil and Everitt have found that political utterances by female political leaders have been (at least in recent elections when female political leaders actually began to emerge in Canada) subjected to greater "interpretation" by the media and described in much more "negative and aggressive language" than the language used to describe the campaign-trail utterances of male counterparts. The intimation here is fairly clear: women leaders are generally the victims of a "gendered mediation" (certainly in television news coverage) that diminishes their standing and credibility ("Talking Tough," 209-220; for further evidence of gender bias, please see Gidengil & Everitt, "Conventional Coverage/Unconventional Politicians," 559-577). Suffice it to say, if this sort of mediation is unfolding in Canada, then the media can reasonably be expected to seize upon the failings of parties or governments run by women while simultaneously paying less heed to the failings/shortcomings of parties dominated by men."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bryden, Joan. "Running for Coverage." Maclean's 12 Dec. 2005: 22.
• Dautrich, Kenneth, and Hartley, Thomas H. How the News Media Fail American Voters: Causes, Consequences, and Remedies. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999. Questia.com. 12 Mar. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99514772>
• Dillon, Sam. "Mexico's New Press Boldness Stops at Leader's Desk." New York Times 15 Aug. 1996: A16.
• Geddes, John. "Out for Blood." Maclean's 21 Nov. 2005: 30-32.
• Gibler, John. "Pistol Policy: State Denial and Repression in Oaxaca." ZNet. 16 Aug. 2006. ZMag.org. 12 Mar. 2007 <http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=10769>

More papers on The Media in a Democratic Society:

• Argumentative Essay # 132077 : "Media in a Democratic Society"
• Comparison Essay # 101946 : "Media in a Democratic Society"
• Analytical Essay # 69507 : "The Media Monopoly"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: