Media’s Influence on Democracy

Almost everyone in America has seen commercials urging him or her to vote for a specific governor, not to trust a certain senator, or to support one of the presidential candidates. Every two years, whether it be election time for one's state, or two years later when the Presidential election rolls around, the media bombards us with ads, billboards, commercials, and news specials about political candidates. The media heightens people's awareness of when it is election time, and enforces the importance of voting and making a choice to better one's own life through the political system. Although many of these media tactics negatively portray candidates, it essentially enhances the prospects of Americans freedom to choose, which is what democracy is all about.

Most media portrayal of any type of governmental action or program is a negative portrayal. For instance, the media plays the "watchdog role" in that it informs citizens of the wrongdoings of government officials and candidates. The United States' Freedom of the Press Amendment makes it possible for people in the news to provide Americans with any information about scandals and other secretive