Belarus and Lithuania: Politics in the Media
Comparative Politics: Analysis
In America, why do so many people take for granted the resources that are given to them? Would there be more interest in what is going on in the now if suddenly those resources were made unavailable? In today’s political media, access to a wide range of hometown news to international news is available with the ease of button of a remote, a turn of a dial, a click of a mouse, and a turn of a page. Media plays a very influential role in the politics of today. Not only can the media expose truth, but it can skewer the vision of the audience. But what about those countries that are unable to exercise free will when it comes election time or the inability to support particular candidates? These people are made to have no voice and no debate over the hand-selected or successful over throwers that are now in a much coveted seat in power.
Media is in the form of television, radio, the internet, newspapers, magazines, and many more alternatives. There are countries that exercise extreme free press with almost no limitations and there are also countries where every piece of material is strictly censored, such as publication, distributions, and public support. The countries with these strong censorship implications are primarily those who practice dictatorship and do not recognize opposition nor do they recognize criticism.
Before 1991, the countries of Belarus and Lithuania were both a part of the USSR and even before that, were common under the Russian empire. Both countries share a lot of common interests and also share many backgrounds, as well as a border. These two countries even have a friendship treaty amongst them, so why are their governmental policies and the views about the media so different?
Belarus is formally under the governmental policy of a presidential republic,
meaning that the country is governed by an elected president and also a National Assembly is...