It is undeniably true and quiet obvious that the media has a profound influence on the elections and political campaigns run over the whole world. Decisions taken are usually influenced by the media role and therefore it is held accountable for any bias. In addition, the mass media plays an important part of the political process and this is very evident when we look at what happened on election day in the United States.
In the 2005 Presidential election, both candidates had mass exposure to the media. They used their resources to get their issues and views heard. But, the incumbent, President Bush, had an advantage. He always had the media at his disposal. He already had name and face recognition. They have been with him since he was elected in 2000. For this reason, I think he had adequate coverage and time to get his agenda heard and get voters interested in voting for him. In election campaigns, the media is particularly important. However, there is this rather outdated notion that once Election Day comes, the role of the media fades; the idea being that election day is when ‘the people’ speak, and the media simply reports.
Firstly, the media displays results of what happens in all the parts of a country. Voters in almost all locations could see how different races are being called, and could decide if they would bother voting. Secondly, the media documents what goes on in the campaign headquarters, and broadcasts what candidates say. In the extremely close Senate race in Virginia for instance, all the announcers picked up on Incumbent George Allen’s comment that this had been a long election, and continued to be so. They then went over to his Democratic challenger’s headquarters, where he, Jim Webb marched in to bagpipes and proper naval protocol, and promptly declared victory. He raised his hand in the air and claimed that he had won a race that was still very much far from over. However, once Americans saw this image of Webb claiming victory, it...