3. Describe both the symbiotic and adversial aspects of the relationship between media and politicians. Why is their relationship so important to the functioning of American government?

Answer 1

Hi Christian,

The simple answer to the first part is:

(1) Politicians get things done by exercising power, and you often have more power if you know more and everyone else knows less - so there's a built-in bias against openness. But the press want to sell a story about what's really going on, so they "rake muck" in the old expression - they have a built-in "bias" if you like towards openness.

(2) However ... politicians need publicity, which the press is eager to provide because the press needs a story to sell. Donald Trump is in the news all the time not just because he's the President, but because he's a master of generating story. (When you read media, remember that the writer's bias is always towards the "Wow" of a good sticky-eyeballs story as much as to the perhaps more boring truth ... "Slightly revised tax bill passed without controversy" is not a good headline.)

Re the second part: the media are not necessary to government: the government in places like North Korea and China do very nicely without any real media - though they have propaganda organs disguised as media. American government, though, is supposed to be "by the people, for the people," and it's a given that a free democratic electorate needs information-finders who are independent of the politicians.