Political Science

The role of the media in elections is very evident, particularly in established democratic societies in the U.S. Generally, the media has the power of reaching millions of Americans through TV, radio, print and digital media, at the local and national level. In fact, according to Lynda Lee Kaid and Ann Johnston (1991), the US has the highest number of election advertisements than any country in the world, and regulations are relatively minimal. As a result, politicians and their parties have used this medium to reach millions of Americans in an effective way. However, there has also been a rise in negative campaigns against opposing politicians that can influence voters in a different way. As opposed to political rallies, media campaigns tend to reach more audiences and politicians are have embraced this as a way to communicate their views quickly and efficiently.

Media regulations concerning elections are very minimal in the U.S. stemming from the fact that the history of broadcasting has lain in private enterprise and not government (Media Regulation). Medias role is to ensure free and fair reporting for all candidates but in the U.S. some media houses almost openly support one party over another e.g. Republican versus Democratic. This is observed in the fact that a candidate from a certain party would get more coverage than another.  Furthermore, candidates from the non-mainstream parties tend to get minimal coverage leaving them at a disadvantage. Negative campaigns have risen with questions raised on the accuracy of the accusations slain on candidates.

The role of media in elections is to communicate to the public information that is accurate and fair regarding the candidates. However, this has not been well regulated as media houses have taken stands for one party over the other, negating the whole affair of free and fair.