The role of mass media in a democratic society


In order for the people of a state to partake in self-government, they require a communications system to distribute and exchange ideas and messages among the people. 
A large and complex society such as our own requires a complex and expansive communications system to facilitate this need.  We have come to call this system “the media”.  The media are the instruments of communication (such as books, newspapers, TV, film and the Internet) and also the people and organizations that support the production and distribution of the messages.
Media are often acclaimed as the “fourth power” in a democracy. They are hailed as the
“watch-dogs” of democracy. As an integral force of civil society, the mass media is
expected to play a prominent role in controlling the parliament, the government and the
judiciary, in investigating whether private industrial and financial interests respect the
law, sounding the alarm if the environment is polluted, and engaging in conflict
prevention and resolution. Mass media are omnipresent in modern times. Perhaps,
therefore, people expect omnipotence from the media.
Democracy (demos: people, kratia: rule) depends upon information. Media facilitate information flow.
If people are going to make the right kinds of decisions in governing themselves, they need a wide array of information.
We rely on the media to tell us what’s going on. We are simply unable to experience everything of importance to us in the society. Media provide a valuable way of finding out what’s going on.
Media tell us what’s going on and what should concern us -- problems facing us or things that are going well.
Media, at least when they operate optimally, don’t just give us a pile of facts. Instead, they try to tell us what’s important. They interpret facts; they provide context so that we might make sense of the issues.
The best thing the media can do is to induce people to debate -- to