Political Science 2230E Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Maurice Duverger, Party System, Multiple Choice

• School: Western University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: Political Science 2230E
• Professor: Alcantara

Document Summary

The media is our main source of images and information about politics, events, issues and personalities. The contours of modern political discourse are largely determined by the media as they process and report on reality. The power of the media is not that they determine what we think, but instead what we think about. Free and independent media are a necessary ingredient of democratic politics. Only the media has an interest in reporting the facts objectively: all of the players in politics, such as politicians, the parties, governments and interest groups are self-interested and present information selectively. Individual media outlets have their own biases, but competition ensures all points of view to the public. Advertising is a main product of the media. The estimated amount of money spent globally on mass media advertising exceeds the value of ca(cid:374)ada"s gnp. Industry structure: the daily newspaper industry in canada is characterised by local monopoly.