Politics and Media

Media, Politics and Agenda Setting.

In Trinidad and Tobago as with many other countries, politics seems to occupy a particular realm with society. Politicians and the institutions they align to have operated with the sole purpose of attaining and maintain power over the society in which they exist.

Media involvement with politics has been a long and storied relationship. Many politicians have risen on the backs of media and many have fallen from grace at the hands media. The allure of media to politics is that it has the ability to reach a large audience simultaneously without restriction of geographical or national boundary lines. Political institutions need votes which are used by society’s members to elect whom they wish to govern.

Whether it is propaganda or bias politics has been joined to media at the hip as it allows for the disseminating of political ideology to those whom they attempt to woo.

The politician uses media as an amplifier in insuring that its message reaches potential supporters of their ideology. The truth however is sometimes, or most of the times lost somewhere in all the fan fare in attempt to present the most appealing proposal for the unsuspecting voter.

There is overwhelming evidence to support the fact that after attaining office the politician soon develops amnesia, becomes out of touch with reality and  the voter who put them there. Strange enough their allegiances shift to the smallest segment of the society, who by their lack of numbers could muster enough votes to place them in office.

An example can be found in the last four years within the politics of Trinidad and Tobago. The former administration which was led by Patrick Manning was blitz by an aggressive media campaign paid for and assisted by the present regime and its agents. The content was damaging to say the least as the manning administration lost an election and now sits in opposition. For a moment in time the media was a friend to the peoples partnership, now however this government has turned away from the media who also by some indicators has return the favor.  Just today the Prime minister who in her first official media exercise wanted to be open and frank with them. She however has issued a pre action protocol letter to media house for an article which she has deemed as slanderous.

Do you believe that media and politicians can have a long term relationship?

Should media be fair and unbiased about what they report on governance?