ASSIGNMENT
ON
COURSE CODE: MAC426
COURSE TITLE: POLITICAL COMMUNICATION
BY
EDEH COMFORT ADIYA
MAT NO.: 2020/139556CM
HND II
DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY
THE FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC BIDA
P.M.B. 55 BIDA NIGER STATE.
SUBMITTED TO:
DR. C.C. UCHEANYA
JULY , 2022
1. Definition of Polling.
Polling involves gathering information by asking people to report their beliefs, attitudes, and
behaviors.
First, it is one of the most widely used techniques in social science research, of particular interest
to political scientists, who use surveys to analyze relationships between political attitudes and
other attitudes, voting behavior, and participation.
Second, polling has numerous applications in business through market research studies to assess
customer satisfaction, identify new markets, and identify new prospective customers.
2. Explain Survey
What is a Survey?
A survey is a research method used for collecting data from a predefined group of respondents to
gain information and insights into various topics of interest. They can have multiple purposes,
and researchers can conduct it in many ways depending on the methodology chosen and the
study’s goal. In the year 2020, research is of extreme importance, and hence it’s essential for us
to understand the benefits of social research for a target population using the right survey tool.
The data is usually obtained through the use of standardized procedures to ensure that each
respondent can answer the questions at a level playing field to avoid biased opinions that could
influence the outcome of the research or study. The process involves asking people for
information through a questionnaire, which can be either online or offline. However, with the
arrival of new technologies, it is common to distribute them using digital media such as social
networks, email, QR codes, or URLs.
3. World media system
World media system is referred to the entire media in the world, the ownership, structure, interest
groups and other influences that give the media sector an identity.
World media system is used to describe the coordinated set of principles, laws, ideas and
procedures relations to the media sectors in the world.
It also consists of the nature and operations of the media in the world, including the media
landscape ( that is, the kind and number of media that exist in the world, where they are located,
nature and structure of ownership) relationship between and among the media in a system and
with other institutions in the world.
The term world media system look at the number and spread of the mass media in the society_
Newspapers, Magazines, Radio and Television.
4. Explain Mass Media
Mass Media refers to the media technologies used to disseminate information to a wide audience.
The key functions of mass media is to communicate various messages through television,
movies, advertising, radio, internet, magazine and newspaper.
Functions of Mass Media
Mass Media in written, spoken or broadcast forms has a significant impact on the message.
Commercial on TV, billboards, and social media platforms allows brand to build brand
awareness.
Mass Media inform, educate and entertain in a wide variety of ways.
5. Explain Democracy
Democracy, literally, rule by the people. The term is derived from the Greek democratia, which
was coined from demos ("people") and Kratos (" rule ") in the middle of the 5th Century BCE to
denote the Political system then existing in some Greek City-states, notably Athens.
The word democracy most often refers to a form of government in which people choose leaders
by voting.
In democracy, we have democratic system of government which is a form of government in
which supreme power is vested in the people and exercise by them directly or indirectly through
a system of representation usually involving free election.
It is also a system of Government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state,
typically, through elected representatives.
6. Relationship Between Media and Democracy
In modern societies, it is impossible to talk intelligently about democracy without considering
the role played by the media in disseminating political messages to the public. Especially
following the creation of electronic media in the twentieth century, the connections between
democracy, political campaigns, public opinion, and journalistic practices have become the focus
of great attention and anxiety among communication scholars.
Societies in the past were relatively small and citizens were able to engage face-to-face or via
handwritten messages in their deliberation and decision-making process. As populations grew
larger, participation in a democracy required mediation, i.e. communication is now mediated.
The earliest mass media was the newspaper, followed by the radio and television, and today, the
Internet.
The relationship between democracy and the media remains complex. Many citizens of
democratic societies do not want any government control of major media because they fear that
governmental regulation of media would be incompatible with democracy, yet these citizens
very much hope that media will restrain themselves voluntarily and act in a responsible fashion
that facilitates and promotes democracy.
The media have allowed politicians and political candidates to address large audiences, the
power to persuade has become increasingly spontaneous, with presidents and other politicians
acquiring more and more channels through which to reach their constituents, in addition to their
normal interactions with other appointed and elected policymakers.
Because of its emerging function as a watchdog that monitors the running of the nation by
exposing excesses and corruption, and holding those in power accountable, the media was
regarded as the fourth estate, supplementing the three branches of government by providing
checks and balances.
The media also plays a more basic role as a provider of information necessary for rational
debate. A healthy functioning democracy is predicated on the electorate making informed
choices and this, in turn, rests on the quality of information that they receive.
The media, as an institution, has for a long time enjoyed the position as a trusted primary source
of news and information. Due to the enlarging population, it has become no longer possible for
every citizen to participate directly in the democratic process. This led to the representational
form of democracy where representatives speak and act on behalf of individuals. The media, in
this environment, took on the role of being a voice of the people to those in government.
7. DEFINITION OF PROPAGANDA
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to
further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to
encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded language to produce an emotional
rather than a rational response to the information that is being presented.
Propaganda can be found in news and journalism, government, advertising, entertainment,
education, and activism[2] and is often associated with material which is prepared by
governments as part of war efforts, political campaigns, health campaigns, revolutionaries, big
businesses, ultra-religious organizations, the media, and certain individuals such as soapboxers.
In the 20th century, the English term propaganda was often associated with a manipulative
approach, but historically, propaganda has been a neutral descriptive term of any material that
promotes certain opinions or ideologies.
8. WHAT IS MIND MANAGEMENT?
Mind management is a way to control one's mind. To do this, we need to be cautious about our
thinking process and also need a high level of understanding and meditation as well.
Understanding is wisdom — 80 per cent of people are knowledgeable while 20 per cent are wise.
Knowledgeable men take sides without reason. They feel sad seeing deprived people but jealous
when they see happy people.
They work in the guidance of others' inspiration, take unnecessary responsibility to keep
themselves disturbed.
9. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROPAGANDA AND MIND MANAGEMENT
Some experts believe propaganda works because people want it to. Think about it – when you
see a story that already aligns with your beliefs, you're less likely to question it. You might even
feel comforted, because now you have even more evidence to support your existing beliefs.
Chances are, it'd never occur to you to check if it's true, because it already feels "right."
But there's a deeper psychological process going on, too. See, your brain has an "executive
control network" – regions of your brain responsible for higher-level functioning, like thinking
analytically. Research shows that fear – including fear of immigrants, fear of foreign countries or
fear of people unlike you – can suppress that executive control network.
10. EXPLANATION OF FRAMING IDEOLOGICAL CLOSURE.
In the social sciences, framing comprises a set of concepts and theoretical perspectives on how
individuals, groups, and societies organize, perceive, and communicate about reality.
Framing can manifest in thought or interpersonal communication. Frames in thought consist of
the mental representations, interpretations, and simplifications of reality.
Frames in communication consist of the communication of frames between different actors.
Framing is a key component of sociology, the study of social interaction among humans.
Framing is an integral part of conveying and processing data on a daily basis. Successful framing
techniques can be used to reduce the ambiguity of intangible topics by contextualizing the
information in such a way that recipients can connect to what they already know.
In social theory, framing is a schema of interpretation, a collection of anecdotes and stereotypes,
that individuals rely on to understand and respond to events.
Framing involves social construction of a social phenomenon – by mass media sources, political
or social movements, political leaders, or other actors and organizations. Participation in a
language community necessarily influences an individual's perception of the meanings attributed
to words or phrases. Politically, the language communities of advertising, religion, and mass
media are highly contested, whereas framing in less-sharply defended language communities
might evolve[citation needed] imperceptibly and organically over cultural time frames, with
fewer overt modes of disputation.
One can view framing in communication as positive or negative – depending on the audience
and what kind of information is being presented. The framing may be in the form of equivalence
frames, where two or more logically equivalent alternatives are portrayed in different ways (see
framing effect) or emphasis frames, which simplify reality by focusing on a subset of relevant
aspects of a situation or issue.
11. CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY
The term Social Construction Of Reality refers to the theory that the way we present ourselves to
other people is shaped partly by our interactions with others, as well as by our life experiences.
How we were raised and what we were raised to believe affect how we present ourselves, how
we perceive others, and how others perceive us.
In short, our perceptions of reality are colored by our beliefs and backgrounds.
Our reality is also a complicated negotiation. What is real depends on what is socially
acceptable. Most social interactions involve some acceptance of what’s going on. While we
12. EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT OF FOURTH ESTATE OF THE REALM
The “Fourth Estate” refers to the news media, especially with regards to their role in the political
process.
The phrase has its origins in the French Revolution, where the church, nobility and commoners
comprised the first, second, and third estates.
The media was first called the fourth estate in 1821 by an essayist who wanted to point out the
press’ power. The term is now somewhat dated, but is used to stress journalists’ importance to
politics.
The term Fourth Estate of the Realm, a descriptive term for the Press, is almost unanimously
agreed to have been coined by Edmund Burke, a 19th Century British statesman and orator, who
championed many human rights causes and brought attention to them through his eloquent
speeches.
By this description the Press is regarded to be the fourth of the traditional three estates of the
Parliament namely: The Lords Spiritual, the Lords Temporal and the Commons.
In medieval Europe, the three estates depicted the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners – each
of whom sat in designated dais of the Parliament. Representing the Fourth Estate then were the
press men/women who sat at the Gallery of the Parliament to cover proceedings. Each estate had
a very distinct social role and a certain level of power. Although, society is far more egalitarian
today, the idea of the estates of the realm became so entrenched in European society.
Today, in the modern democratic set up, the three estates of the realm are depicted or given
meaning by what is now referred to as the three arms of government namely:
The legislature, elected representatives of the people for the purpose of law making;
The executive, cabinet of ministers that take decision policies of government; and
The judiciary, judges who interpret the laws and uphold the sanctity of the constitution.
The fourth of these three arms, albeit without any constitutional or statutory footing as an arm of
government, is still the Press up till today. The Press, no doubt, plays a very important role in
most societies, reporting on a wide variety of topics and creating powerful personalities who are
relied upon for sources of information and informed commentaries.
Now, What Does The Law Says About This Nfourth estate of the realm in Nigeria?
Constitutionally, Section 36 (1) of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution guarantees freedom of the
press. It stipulates that: “(1) every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including
freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference”.
Section 39(2) guarantees that “…every person shall be entitled to own, establish and operate any
medium
for the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions”. It suffices however to state that section
39 is not an absolute right as section 45 of the same Constitution permits its derogation “…by
laws reasonably justifiable in a democratic society”.
In Section 22, the responsibility of the media to hold the government accountable to the people is
defined. It provides thus: “the press, radio, television and other agencies of mass media shall at
all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter and uphold the
responsibility and accountability of the government to the people”.
13. EXPLANATION OF CONSPIRACY THEORY
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by
sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more
probable.
The term has a negative connotation, implying that the appeal to a conspiracy is based on
prejudice or insufficient evidence.
A conspiracy theory is not the same as a conspiracy; instead, it refers to a hypothesized
conspiracy with specific characteristics, often which oppose the mainstream consensus among
qualified scientists, historians and journalists.
Conspiracy theories resist falsification and are reinforced by circular reasoning: both evidence
against the conspiracy and an absence of evidence for it are re-interpreted as evidence of its
truth, the conspiracy becomes a matter of faith rather than something that can be proven or
disproven.
Studies have linked belief in conspiracy theories to distrust of authority and political cynicism.
14. EXPLANATION OF COPYCAT EFFECT
The copycat effect is the alleged tendency of sensational publicity about violent murders or
suicides to result in more of the same through imitation.
The term was first coined around 1916 due to the crimes that were inspired by Jack the Ripper.
Due to the increase of replicated crimes, criminologists soon began to believe that media
coverage played a role in inspiring other criminals to commit crimes in a similar fashion, and
even for non-criminals to begin committing crimes when they otherwise might not have done so.
There is also a book written by Loren Coleman called The Copycat Effect that describes the
effect that the media has on crimes and suicides, which are inspired by crimes that have been
widely covered across the media.
Coleman's view on the media is that the constant coverage of these events, rather than the events
with a positive message, gives these criminals a type of fame. The five minutes of fame, book or
movie that is dedicated to these criminals provokes individuals with a tendency to behave in a
similar way. Due to this type of fame, the "copycat effect" takes place.
REFERENCES
Ellal, Jacques(1965). introduction by Konrad Kallen in propaganda: The formation of men's
attitudes.
Christians, Clifford(2009). History of communication normative theories of the media:
Journalism Democratic Societies.
Loren Coleman, (2004) The copycat effect: How the media and popular culture trigger the
mayhem in tomorrow headline.
Barking, Michael (2003). A culture of conspiracy: A pocalyptic visions in contemporary
America.
