Media and Society: Ideological Struggles and the Role of the Media

This article will justify that there is no clear dominant ideology in the contemporary news media content. It discusses various theories to understand the significant role of the media and highlights the gap between the ideal responsibility of the media and the role that the significant media performs.

Running Note: RESEARCH AND CULTURAL STUDIES
Research and Cultural Studies
Name of the Student
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Author Note

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Executive Summary:
This article will justify that there is no clear dominant ideology in the contemporary news
media content. This is only the set of thought of indication of ideological struggles. This article
have discussed various theories in order to understand the significant role of the media. The
article will also highlight the gap between the ideal responsibility of the media and the role that
the significant media performs. It can be suggested that this article highlights arguments of the
journalists that their role for the sake of the society and culture is to provide content that
basically replicates realism. The acute philosophies concerning the media’s responsibility in
society however denote that the media are transferors of leading ideologies.

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Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................3
Discussion:.......................................................................................................................................3
The relation between Media and the Society:..............................................................................3
Framing and Naming the News Reality:.....................................................................................5
The operative approach of media:...............................................................................................5
Role of the Audience:..................................................................................................................8
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction:
This is notable that what society can perceive as reality is actually the manipulated
interpretation presented by the significant media in number of cases. However, there are always
counter arguments regarding the role of media in terms of important ideologies. It can be said
that there are a gap between what specific roles media should serve to society according to the
media ethics and what media actually serves to the society out of certain political manipulation.
This can be said what the contemporary media actually does can be termed as the yellow
journalism instead of journalism. According to Denis McQuail, there is always a little yet serious
confusion if the manipulators or the mirrors of the particular society are being the actual
messengers of this society (Singer 2014). The earlier role of the media was to help the people of
the particular society with the honest and transparent piece of information. However, this can
only be an illusion in terms of the role of contemporary media. It is to be mentioned that the
media to the significant extent help to develop the point of the view of mass regarding the real
circumstances of the society. The mass can think, analyze and reach to one particular point on the
basis of the messages that the media have provided to them.
Discussion:
The relation between Media and the Society:
According to the McQuail, society can be observed as the substantial sources to the social
relation, the social responsibilities and the jobs that are performed by the particular society
(Hodkinson 2016). However, one may state an argument here that the society gets formed on the
basis of regular experience and the drapery of human existence. This can be said that one may
observe that the number of media actually creates a connection amid the contemporary

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community and its realism. It require to translate the multiple accounts of the specific events
which culture’s residents cannot recognize by themselves. This significant hypothetical ‘bridge’
has a solid grounds rooted in the significant society. However, it is notable that like media
organizations custom the portion of the construction of culture and the significant technical
substructure of it is part of the commercial and influence base. It is evident that the images and
data distributed by the significant media as reality are playing the role important elements to the
society. The idea of media that can be perceived can be changed as per the location of the
particular society differ.
Materialist View:
This particular view is being founded on the basis of the Marxist philosophies. It includes
the multiple feature of the particular culture. These aspects are completely liable on the different
economic and power constructed by the society (Olien, Tichenor and Donohue 2018).
Idealistic approach:
This primary focus of this particular approach is the manipulators of society. According
to this approach these manipulators have the ideal potential to create impact on various level.
Another approach:
This particular approach treats the media and society as symbiotic. It continuously
communicating and manipulating another aspect.
Other perception:
This perception contemplates media and society as the different and independent identity.
This have a little potential to create impact on the society.

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Framing and Naming the News Reality:
The method of selecting data can be an essential example of the procedure of the
transmission of fractioning reality to the society. The number of important and relevant events
and circumstances can be shaped into news once the data get selected. It can be said that the
news is basically fabricated resulting a choice method utilizing the classic news morals like the
immediacy, eminence and human attention. The complete unit of these three segment are non-
biased. These sort of news offer values to the impact of the understanding of a particular society.
It also can determine the differentiation between news and the piece of other information.
Therefore, this can be assumed that the selection of the news actually plays the pivotal role in
terms of the relation between media and mass. The news employees are the people who use
different methods to transform a piece of raw data into a news after the selection get done
properly. Therefore, it can be said that the reality the mass are being perceived are actually the
organized or the framed reality by the media people. The elementary construction slabs of this
choosy paradigm of realism are linguistic (Giddens etal. 2016). Therefore, News is not only a
replication or mirror of a portion of this entire world. However, this can be considered as a
representation of the significant portion of the entire world in the significant language. It is
essential to understand that the language can be any particular thing. However, there is only
requirement they need to meet that the news have to be nonbiased. Language do not ensure the
mirror realism. According to Wasserman, the meaning of a language is random, unfixed,
determined on the basis of society and the context of it.
The operative approach of media:
The operative attitude to the mass media’s responsibility in the substantial culture
performs from the core. It is notable that the media continues to meet the basic requirements of

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the particular society by doing different actions. This can be said that the influential socialization
mechanisms they should operate to the incorporation, synchronization and interrelation if it is
through the data, performance and/or training they offer. The dominating perception can be
considered along with the challenges that the media can experience in the significant effort to
practice their hypothetical purposes. Siebert, Peterson and Schramm have written number of
suggestions regarding the ideologies of media in their significant book named ‘Four Theories of
the Press’. They have mentioned that the media usually takes significant shape and pattern of the
social and political constructions inside which it functions. It can be termed as the structure of
social control. These three authors have described four various media systems in terms of
international aspect. This description later got elaborated on by two newer philosophies that can
fit in recent modifications. According to the ‘Normative philosophies’ of the mass media, the
‘Authoritarian theory’ overcomes in autocratic cultures or in civilizations where liberty of the
media does not owe much security. The ideal responsibility of the mass media is to depiction and
to propagandize the noteworthy philosophies and movements of the precise government and
activities as per this particular philosophy. There was only one instance of contemporary severe
media would be Zimbabwe, and South Africa even till few years back. The ‘Libertarian Theory’
standardizes from the position the media requires to liberate from the noteworthy effect,
predominantly from that of the management. This significant attitude cannot always be
understood accurately, in the context of South Africa where contradicting privileges and desires
have to be considered in contradiction of individuals. It may take time as preferences over the
freedom of the press as per the1996 Constitution. The social responsibility theory involves the
idea of media accepting number of accountabilities to the society, and accomplishes
accountabilities (Sundstrom and Henry 2016). The media takes the responsibility to represent the

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society.
The Soviet communist media theory mirrors a predominated perception of the significant
role of the media, where the media replicates the desires of the labour class (Ngai, Tao and Moon
2015). This is to be mentioned that the other things are required to be accomplished and viewed
in terms of Marxist-Leninist ethics. The improvement theory is a fresh theory that relates to
advancing republics where the press can be utilized in order to encourage the general
advancement, self-government and national identity. This theory can be preferred if the
democratic attitude definite freedoms occasionally gets priority.The constitution of South Africa
can assume the opportunity that number of major human rights can clash. The assessment
practice is needed to be exercised during this occurrences. The privacy right is one power that
can often be clashed with the power to liberty of expression.
This can be said that in the previous year a prohibition was approved in contradiction of
the Journal named Huisgenoot from exposing the name of popular singer Robbie Klay’s uncle
for allegedly abusing her as per the basic right to confidentiality (Getz and Page 2016). The
democratic-participant theory can be illuminated by Fourie as the significant response to the
tendencies to capitalization and monopoly formed in personally manipulated mass media which
is being developed in the significant countries. This theory sponsors number of communication
and advancement between communities and the press. It can be stated that a horizontal in its
place of vertical communiqué takes place. This is how the correspondent and receiver can be
placed on equivalent balance. The normative perception of the media’s part in civilization can be
interpreted by dissimilar roles for the press in a society. It depends on the precise social and
political conditions of a republic. The detail that cultural and political conditions have a
consequence on the diverse roles that the press should perform in a specific society in itself

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designates that the media will never be able to basically accomplish the role of field up reflect to
society. This can easily be said that the media cannot transform the real situations but can
translate realism related to political or social conditions.
The method in which the press offers number of pictures of the world with the aim of
adding a significant meaning to the world was highlighted in Stuart Hall’s research. This
approach which procedures part of the social education discipline. This can permit the
development of the analytical research attitudes over its unique job with philosophical power.
According to the acute research method, the press have the control to offer meaning to number of
events in specific ways. Therefore, the dominant ideologies and expectations can be predicted. It
can be stated that the press does not act as a glass replicating the creation and reality. According
to Hall, the ‘depiction is a very dissimilar idea from that of replication (Couldry, Livingstone and
Markham 2016). It suggests the lively work of choosing and offering, of arranging and
modeling; not only the communicating of a typical meaning. However, the significantly active
labour of creation offer meanings.
Role of the Audience:
This can be said that the press places a mirror of the society instead of rejecting the idea.
It can be the literature gap for the cultural studies’ scholars. They may focus on the methods in
which manuscripts are understood by viewers. It is where mass spectators were initially labelled
as the one who was an object of influence. It can be practiced for itself. However, it can be
replaced upon. This is to be mentioned that Stuart Hall highlight the control viewers own. It can
easily be said that the power of audiences deceits in the method in which they can understand the
media copies, which are polysomic that they have multiple potential results. As per Hall, copies
may marked as read in one of three ways. The prevailing or favored method, the copies can be

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acknowledged as it is prearranged. However, there is a way of negotiation in reading the features
of the data that have been presented, and the substitute method of studying counter the preferred
meaning. Accotding to McQuail that even if the majority of mass in a particular class community
are subordinated. It can be said that they have a degree of semiotic power. This can be said that
the power to shape meanings to their own desires (Carillo, Scornavacca and Za 2017). The power
requires to actually be practiced can be a different crisis. McQuail stated that there is less
experiential assistance for the significant study that mass media versions are decrypted in parallel
method. It can be comprised of the potentiality survives that can be replicated by the mass media
will be practiced by the significance associated to it by spectators. This time can be observed as a
time when mass media pervades daily life to a massive degree. It can be succumbed by the
number of audiences who will become significantly crucial to analyze the realism replicated by
the mass media.
Conclusion:
This can be stated that the reporters and journalists can place their argument that they
only position a mirror to culture. It can be said that the different studies denote the media’s
responsibility in the significant community highlight that the press exhibits in front of the
common people to the significant extend. One may argue that the representations are not real but
fabricated. The diversity in the character of media takes the central position in the significant and
essential studies. It can also be stated that the studies need to have a strong media subject in
order to prove that the responsibility of a dedicated media is not only to reflect the images of the
society or the community. The actual responsibility of media is far beyond. They need to
understand the significant potentiality of a particular incident to get converted into news. The
researchers may place an argument regarding the multiple studies that pronounce and

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recommend the media’s actual responsibility in the significant society have devastated the
media’s mirror glass on realism.

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Giddens, A., Duneier, M., Appelbaum, R.P. and Carr, D.S., 2016. Introduction to sociology. WW
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Hodkinson, P., 2016. Media, culture and society: An introduction. Sage.
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