Media and democracy: The role of media in the relation between political power and society

This study deals with analysis of the process of media?s developmentto be the fourth power from the beginning to present and aims to explore thedeterminative role of media in the communication of political power andsociety, efficiency on nature of politics. This study focuses primarily onTurkey, in the frame of the relation between political power and society and ofthe economy policy of media, to detect the quantifiable effect of media onpolitical life. Our basic hypothesis is that media, in the relation betweenpolitical power and society, has a strong power to change political life itselfand democracy.The first chapter presents an analysis of the relationships betweenpolitical power, democracy and media. This chapter also shows the media isessential to keeping the system working as sustainable democracy. Thesecond chapter presents a theoretical framework to understand the mediaaffects on the components of political life. The third chapter provides a pictureof the current media structure in Turkey, in regards to both economics andlaw. The fourth chapter has two parts: media analysis and the survey. Theempirical validity of the claim was tested by subjecting 5 Turkish newspaper?sfirst page news to content analysis, on the consideration of political parties inthe parliament and their leaders, political movements, General Elections and2007 Presidential Elections. The results indicated that: (a) media contentsdiffer due to ownership; (b) ownership defines which events are newsworthy;and (c) media makes superficial politics over political leaders, and determineswhat to talk about and how. The survey results revealed empirically: (a) mediais the main political source, however, the least trust-able one; (b) the left orthe right media strengthens settled political attitudes meanwhile mainstreammedia sways voters and so it enhances the media cartels' political bargainingpower; and (c) readers' political tendencies and attitudes are congruent withmedia source(s) they follow.This study concludes that political communication between politicalpower and society throughout media in mass societies accompanied bycapitalism effects leads to mutual dependency and power balance betweenmedia cartels. Media as fourth power puts the political system into theprocess of transforming democracy into mediacracy.Key Words: Media and Democracy, Mediacracy, Political Communication,Political Power, Public Opinion, Political Manipulation.