17.5.2 Politics in the media Traditional media outlets such as radio, television and newspapers offer lots of coverage of important political moments like elections. Because an important part of the democratic process is giving citizens access to politics, it is a good thing that politics get media coverage. However, it is important to note that the media is often biased , meaning that the opinions are not neutral. Public attention towards media coverage of politics changes over time. In recent years, the level of engagement in politics has started to increase, but the focus is shifting from traditional media to other media outlets such as blogs and social media. 17.5.3 Politics and social media The rise of social media has had two main impacts on citizens’ electoral decisions. Firstly, the speed of communication has increased. This means that political ‘gossip’, damaging reports about politicians, interviews and other news stories can be published and spread very quickly. The second change is the rise of ‘fake news’. Because of the rapid nature of social media and internet, it is difficult to stop stories from spreading even if they are false. FIGURE2 below shows a recent survey of voter trust in various outlets. As you can see, scientific bodies like CSIRO are very well trusted, but digital news platforms are not trusted by the public.
FIGURE2 A survey of voter trust in various outlets
How much trust do you have in the information you receive from the following institutions?
Government
Digital platforms (e.g. Facebook)
Traditional news and media
Scientific bodies (e.g. CSIRO)
Business groups and peak bodies
Have a lot of trust
12%
3%
7%
30%
5%
Have some trust
31%
16%
32%
37%
27%
Have little trust
33%
33%
36%
20%
42%
Have no trust at all
18%
42%
18%
6%
16%
Unsure
6%
6%
6%
7%
10%
Have a lot of trust + have some trust
43%
19%
40%
67%
32%
Have a little trust + have no trust
51%
75%
54%
26%
26%
SkillBuilder discussion Investigating contemporary civics and citizenship issues
1. Suggest why the rise of social media has impacted the speed of political communication and the spread of ‘fake news’. 2. Explain how opinion polls are conducted, and what kind of information polling companies seek from respondents. 3. Discuss the different strategies that governments and political parties use to influence voters’ decisions.
TOPIC17 Australia’s government and democracy 515
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