Highlight the relationship that exists between the news media and foreign policy (formulation and acceptance) and discuss with contemporary instances.
Please note
To give a well articulated response to the preceding question you must have read the lecture note on the "news media and foreign policy"
31 comments:
The issue of media and foreign policy relationship is quite a vast on although not commonly discussed. This relationship is influenced and nurtured by various factors such as Communication Technology because the news media perceive that their primary job is that of reporting the most important news and events of the world; Economic and Trade because diplomatic and trade relations increases both the traffic and significance of messages carried by the mass media and so much more. It must be noted that while the media are bound by many institutional, technical and cultural factor for in the coverage of foreign affairs and foreign policy, their influence in the foreign process is undeniable.
On the relationships is that the media can act as catalyst, indeed clarify or distort issues and accelerate government policies in foreign affairs. For example in the present case of Osama, the media coverage has affected the relationship between Pakistan and the United States. Also America broke so many laws by going into Pakistan and so many other things without the permission of the Pakistan government but still the media makes the whole thing look good and right. Instead their media say that it is either the Pakistan government was involved or they were incompetent.
Another relationship is that the media also serve as an alternative source of information for diplomats when government channels are closed off during crisis and conflicts. For example in Syria now there is a woman giving CNN information on what is going on but is in hiding. This is a case where journalists are not allowed into the country so they are relying on citizen journalism for the diplomats and the rest of the world to be informed.
news media are primary source of information about international affairs. the rise of the mass circulation press and the expansion of foreign news coverage have brought the public at home and abroad closer to international affairs.
In my own view, three approaches would be taken to examine the relationship between foreign policy and news media. the 1st is the annalysis of news content, the 2nd is the characteristics of journalists and their news gathering practices and the 3rd is the nature of relationship between the mass media and foreign policy. therefore, the news media and the foreign policy have different forms of relationships depending on the angle its taken from; The media can act as catalyst and can, indeed clarify or distort issues. The media can also impede or accelerate government policies in foreign affairs. The media can also serve as knowing or unknowing tools for propaganda in foreign formation and execution. however,the media can also contribute to the success of negotiation in the foreign policy by helping to ensure that each side is truly familiar with the other slide’s position.
In conclusion, it must be noted that while the media are bound by many institutional, technical and cultural factor for in the coverage of foreign affairs and foreign policy, their influence in the foreign process is undeniable.
Democracy requires that citizens' opinions play some role in shaping policy outcomes, including in foreign policy. Yet, although the literature on news media and foreign policy has made great progress in recent decades, scholars have reached no consensus concerning what the public thinks, or thinks about, therefore newsmedia and foreign policy have different differnt kind of relationship depending on how it was presented. for example the case of bin ladin, somone actually went to study his mansion that was why the could build exactly the same mansion in the US in order to get bin ladin. they relied on their plans which is still citizen journalism and they achived their aim. therefore if media r been denied access to some particular area there should still be somtin important they can do. in addition to considering the relationship between leaders and the public, we incorporate a third strategic actor, the mass media, which we believe plays a critical role alongside citizens and elites in shaping the public's attitudes about, and influence on, foreign policy. Our goal is to clarify the multifaceted relationships between these actors and foreign policy outcome.
The media are bound by many institutional, technical and cultural factors in the coverage of foreign affairs and foreign policy. Their influence in the foreign process is undeniable, thus, the media can, and do perform several major functions in the foreign policy process. A foreign correspondent cannot report outside his/her country’s foreign policy concerning that country the correspondent wants to report from. For example, US relationship with China is mainly business oriented. That is why most of their reports on China slant toward business. The news media is indeed connected with foreign policy in the ways discussed below:
First is the role of the elite and trans-national media in agenda setting and legitimizing of events and personalities. This agenda setting happens through the degree of prominence given to news items as well as the credibility of the news organization giving the information. For example, one of the major roles US media plays is that of participating in an exchange of information and interpretation with national decision makers. Although they believe in some kind of “neutrality” syndrome, “fair treatment” or simply journalistic “objectivity” they are directly involved in subjective social realities. Christiane Amanpour once accused President Bill Clinton to his face of delaying the necessary action on American foreign policy on Bosnia during a CNN "global forum," an interactive public meeting with journalists around the world in May 1994. As an international media outfit, CNN’s opinion on that issue was highly regarded. And though CNN may not have stated in definite terms that the US government should think about Bosnia, the degree of prominence given to Bosnia at that period naturally got the people and the government thinking about it.
Second, the media can impede or accelerate government policies in foreign affairs. CNN’s Backstory on the 16th of April 2011 gave a story on violence in Bahrain. It was reported by Amber Lyon. In that report, ‘majority’ said the issue in Bahrain was about human rights, and not about being Shia or Sunni. The US government official interviewed was asked how the whole problem was going to affect US foreign policy with Bahrain and he said the issue of human rights will become more of a priority in US foreign policy with Bahrain. Here we see the media deliberately giving the news item a slant towards foreign policy so as to influence and accelerate the government policy. Furthermore, this illustrates the role of perception of journalists and news media personnel and the perception of their functions in the political decision making process.
08BE07289
That there is a relationship between news media and foreign policy (which includes the decision making process as well as the methods of enforcing said policies) cannot be denied. The news media of any nation greatly affects the foreign policy of that nation, likewise the foreign policy of a nation affects its news media. For instance, the relationship between Japan and the United States is mostly business inclined and the coverage Japan receives from most US media is business inclined. In fact, during the recent earthquakes in Japan, CNN and other news media emphasized the economic effect of the quakes on Japan. Ideally, no government should go against the mandate given to it by the people and the media is the loudest 'voice' of the people. This is why opinion polls conducted by the media play a role in the decision making process.
According to Mónica Peña (2003), two conflicting theories have arisen to explain this relationship; the "CNN effect" and the "manufacturing consent thesis". The CNN effect is the capability of the news media (television in particular) to shape the policy agenda, to move governments. It is the idea that real-time communications technology could provoke major responses from domestic audiences and political elites to global events. The manufacturing consent theory claims that not only does the media not create policy, it is mobilized and sometimes manipulated into supporting government policies. Peña also notes that in the international coverage of news there is bias against peaceful news.
Nkechi Nwabudike, 08BE07328.
AKINKAHUNSI TIMILEHIN -08BE07302
The news media are relevant in our socities and will continue to remain significant; no nation, or even the world can do without the news media.
Foreign correspondents require the knowledge of foreign policy in order for them to be able to function well in their field.
The interrelation between media and foreign policy is controlled by chance; the relationship between the media and foreign policy is hardly mentioned because of the lack of integration between the political science as a field and mass communication as regards to foreign policy.
According to Bullion the media are scarcely quoted in foreign policy; literature and the number of media focusing on foreign policy is also limited.
The culture of foreign policy consists of all the historical, linguistic, social and psychological elements that make up the formulation and execution of principles that are adopted by a state in its ideal form, in its dealings with other states to promote its national and global interest.
Foreign policy uses the media to promote a preferred national identity and a complimentary international image. The international image of a nation as communication in the international media is not an important assessment of the acceptance or impart of a nation’s foreign policy in the global arena.
For example: In the US the news media performs roles like:
It is an observer of the world situation; the news media perceives their primary job as reporting the most important news and events of the world; they also set agenda, they participate in an exchange of information and interpretation with decision makers.
AKINWUMI ADJUA 08BE07305
Propelled by communication technology which enables mass reach and a very large audience base the news media has an undeniable relationship and also influence on foreign policies.
Christine Amanpour once said and I take liberty to paraphrase that because she wanted to be at the helm of affairs, because she wanted to effect change... she became a foreign correspondent. Amanpour I believe knows how influential the media can be when it comes to affecting foreign policy. Just look at what she did in the early 90's concerning the Bosnian war. By attacking the lackadaisical attitude of President Clinton’s administration towards the situation and giving so much media attention to the people's plight she got the United States to get involved in the Bosnian war.
I strongly believe one cannot deny the relationship and influence of the news media has on foreign policy at least in a democratic society where the government doesn’t feed the media what to say as it is done in most communist states e.g. Russia.
The relationship between the news media and foreign policy can have its positive but also its negative features. Take for example the case of international image. The international news media gives each country a national identity on the global scale and this affects the international relations such a country would have with others. The plight of most African nations is that they are constantly misrepresented by international media and this continues to affect their diplomatic relations with the rest of the world.
Also the cases of propaganda; for the sake of selfish and personal interest people use the media to create and promote selfish ideas and policies. Hitler is a typical example his idea of the perfect Germany and the perfect world (without any Jews) led to 2nd world war. By using the media he was able to brain wash allies who fought and died for his cause.
The news media is a powerful tool that can define distort or clarify global issues that affect foreign policy.
folu-ojo justina 08be07322..
it is important to know that the media is bound by many factors amongst which are cultural, technical and institutional
in the coverage of foreign affairs and foreign policy, their influence in the foreign process is undeniable, thus, the media can, and do perform several major functions in the foreign policy. the media can make something happening either look good or bad depending on the slant they choose to follow. for instance, lets look at CNN's back story of last week Saturday that talked about the crisis in Bahrain, it is important that we know that the reporter focused mainly on the fact that they were not allowed to do their job and how they were forced to report false stories to the world. also a foreign correspondent would report based on the relationship its country has with the other nation.
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The news media refers to the section of the mass media of the mass media that focuses on presenting current news to the public. While foreign policy can be defined as a policy governing international relations. A country’s foreign policy can also be called the foreign relations policy and it consists of self interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and achieve its goals within the international relations scene. The relationship/rapport between news media and foreign policy has almost always been irregular and complex. Questions on these issues have continually been asked such as: are the media truly influential enough to sway not only public opinion, but foreign policy? Or is it the government that only manipulates but also controls the media’s every statement about foreign policy.
There has been an integration of the news media and foreign policy: in the area of the culture of foreign policy—the historical, linguistic, social and psychological elements that make up the formulation and execution of principles which are adopted by a state to protect its national and global interests.
Communication and media strategy is now a vital aspect of foreign relations policy in the following ways: media diplomacy and foreign diplomacy, media policy and international image, modern communication technology, economic and trade as foreign policy, culture and information and foreign policy.
Contemporary instances
When NATO began attacking the Taliban BBC was there to bring the story to their viewers. Also the Somalia humanitarian crisis and the conflict in Darfur were not on the agenda of international politics until the media started paying attention. The media here served to mobilize the conscience of the international community. Most recently we saw the role the media played in resolving the issue of exposing the pictures of Osama Bin Laden’s killing.
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The international media was used by the United States to explain to the rest of the world why it would be detrimental to the good of many nations if the pictures were revealed. The news media played the role of media diplomacy and people’s perspective of the United States is not tainted because of the way the media handled the issue; they were not judgmental about the decision of the United States government. To a large extent, the perception the world has about third world countries is created by the news media.
Several news media such as CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera and the likes have been used to foster the economic and trade relations between for example CNN’s Business Traveler in April 2011 examined the impact of the global economic downturn on the travel industry's efforts to go green, in March they looked into “World Airports”, looking into the economies and trade relations of various countries of the world. The list goes on and on.
08BE07333
The Relationship between The News Media and Foriegn policy is one which I beleive is based on the Agenda setting function of the media... Many things happen in different societies but it is the media that determines which issues are seen as importsnt or not. It has been observed for instance that over the years foriegn media has porteayed the African Continent Negatively this has resulted in the kind of foreign policy that the western states (North) have towards the southern states e.g Bad treatment at airports, difficulty in aqcuiring Visa's. In other words it is obvious that as a result of the News media coverage of the African continent the western world's forieghn policy in the direction of the south is one that utterly lacks respect and dicretion of action.
08be07292
the relationship that exist between the news media and foreign policy is a two sided one, its the foreign policy of a state or country that initially influence the news media in the first instance. foreign policy is a set of lay down rules or ideas governing a country in his relationship to other countries across the world. the foreign a policy of a country with another country would definitely determine the kind of news report reported of such country. likewise the kind of news report reported of a country could influence the foreign policy of such a country. now this could either be positive or negative. looking at the relationship between the US and the Arabian nations, e.g Iran, i wouldn't even know the name to call the relationship that exist between them, whether terrorism, Islamic extremism or Qaeda. all we know that is not a positive one, its one filled with great contempt and a sense of superiority of one party. this we can see as affected the reportage of news event coming from that region, what we see every day on CNN about the Arabian country is either terrorist attack or about war, nothing, absolutely nothing positive. looking back, we can see that what constituted to this bitter relationship between this two countries was the attack on the world trade center(September 11) by the late Osaman, a one time the world most wanted man. ever since then, their has never been anything positive reported by either countries on each other
therefore a countries foreign policy would determine and influence the light in which it sees news events coming from another country, vice-versa.
08be07339
I quite agree with rebecca. Like she said,it is the foreign policy of a country that'll influence its news media. Therefore, one cannot expect a media organisation to say anything against the country or state it is established in. It can also be said that how a nation is reported in a news story is dependent on the kind of relationship that nation has with the country the media organization is established in. It can therefore be said that these two terms or concepts are dependent on each other.
During the 1980s the proliferation of new technologies transformed the potential of
the news media to provide a constant flow of global real-time news. Tiananmen
Square and the collapse of communism symbolised by the fall of the Berlin Wall
became major media events communicated to Western audiences instantaneously via
TV news media. By the end of the decade the question was being asked as to what
extent this ‘media pervasiveness’2 had impacted upon government—particularly the
process of foreign policy making. The new technologies appeared to reduce the
scope for calm deliberation over policy, forcing policy-makers to respond to
whatever issue journalists focused on.
the issue of foreign policy and the media, is indeed an uncommon one,Review of International Studies (1999), 25, 301–309 Copyright © British International Studies Association. but we must know that this media organisations operate are affected by several factors in the nation they are reporting from, and this also lies on the kind of relationship that exists between the nations involvedA reporter for the UK’s Guardian has been denied re-entry to Russia after a two-month absence.
Luke Harding, who is the Guardian’s Moscow correspondent, was told he could not enter Russia after two months away reporting on Wikileaks.
According to the Guardian, Harding’s reporting on Wikileaks included “allegations that Russia under the rule of Vladimir Putin had become a “virtual mafia state“.
The Guardian also says that they believe it is the first expulsion of a journalist from Russia since the end of the Cold War. The newspaper further reports:
After spending 45 minutes in an airport cell, he was sent back to the UK on the first available plane – with his visa annulled and his passport only returned to him after taking his seat. Harding was given no specific reason for the decision, although an airport security official working for the Federal Border Service, an arm of the FSB intelligence agency, told him: “For you Russia is closed.” The tightly controlled nature of Russian politics means the expulsion is likely to have been ordered at a very senior level, but the British government has so far been unable to find out any more details about the decision.due to the kind of reltionship that exist between this two countries, it affected the slant the news wa reported, which has caused a kind of distortion in their relations, usually US will pick the nagative things and cross out the positive things about third world countries, which has caused this problem, so a countries foreign policy affects the way news media report news about other countries.
A countrys foreign policy cannot be acheived without the media, because that is the only means through which they can relate their principles and set of actions to another country. A coun try's foreign policy is usually aimed at preserving or promoting its economic and political interests abroad and its position in the world , the media of that country does this by portraying itself from the lighter side through the use of slanted stories to the other countries.
The media can also contribute to tthe sucess of negotiation in the foreign policy by helping to ensure that each side is trully familiar with the other sides position. Eg, Aljazeera in reporting Libya's crisis made NATO and Gadaffi familiar with each side of the story.Libya crisis, the media can serve as a mechanism for peaceful solution remindind the people( Libyans ) that such channels are availble to them. In conclusion, the media serves as a mirror that reflects the policies of its country to another.
08BE07337- The news media has an indisputable relationship and also influence on foreign policies, impelled by communication technology which enables mass reach and a very large audience base.
This fact could be explained using the spiral media theory which states that the media influences the society and so does the society influence the media.This influence however, could either be positive or negative.
The media can not report outside its country’s foreign policy. For instance, US relationship with Japan is basically, business oriented. That is why when the earthquake hit Japan, most of the reports from CNN were slanted toward business.
Another is the Lybia revolution. The Lybians were very aware of Ghadafi's reign for 42 years and did not protest before now-until the media highlighted on issues such as democracy. Aljazeera Network has been mentioned as a revolutionary tool for media as it reports accurately the on-goings.
In summary,the media are bound by many institutional, technical and cultural factor for in the coverage of foreign affairs and foreign policy, their influence in the foreign process is undeniable.
1. the media is like a mirror, reflecis its societies, its policies, its rules and regulations.whatever the media gives out is what will be received by those who watch it.
2. the media also helps in distributing information, policies to the various nations of the world. it helps to make or mar foreign policies
3. the foreign policies determine how the media projects its news. seeing a media will make one understand their kind of policies.
IZUAKOR 08BE07325
To me the media play a major role within and outside a nation, this point can also be taken to mean that the media can make or mar a nation or its relationship with another nation. This point can be seen in the situation of the Rwandan genocide where the media caused the death of about 800 people. This is to show the power of the media.
The media can also be used as a weapon for agenda setting and legitimizing events and personalities. By agenda setting I mean when the media give more priority to a certain event or news more than others to give it preeminence or importance.
pls ma my Google Account has been disabled due to suspicious activity, really cant understand what the problem is bt would try and get someone to inbox me the note on facebook so I can comment later today. Hope everything is fine ma, Miss u. Akinnawo Taiwo. 08BE07303.
UDEME AKPAN
Like Amaka Udeagha rightly defined "news media are primary source of information about international affairs. the rise of the mass circulation press and the expansion of foreign news coverage have brought the public at home and abroad closer to international affairs."
There has constantly been so much debate concerning these two (2) and I shall herein consider the impact that news media may have on foreign policy. Although this impact is yet to be ascertained especially by journalists, it still remains a possibility.
Gowing and Cohen in 1994, described the "CNN effect" as the capability of the news media(television in particula) to "shape the policy agenda" and "the power of the news journalism to move governments. But Livingston in 1997 argued that the 'CNN effect' has been used imprecisely to support the impact of the news media on foreign policy.
On the other hand, Robinson in 1999 argued via the 'manufacturing consent theory' that the news media does not form policy, but is rather manipulated int supporting government policy.
In conslusion: the so-caled "CNN effect" appears to promote the fact that the news media ride on foreign policy.On the other hand, the "manufacturing consent" counters this and implies that the media is an entity too passive and parallel to affect the formation and stability of policies. Just as news media coverage is not limited to foreign events, foreign policy making is also not limited to the foreign events orchestrated by the media. For now, the news media may not have the power to modify policies via events covered, but it sure has the potentials to do so in the near future.
The foreign policy influences the media system. the foreign a policy of a country with another country would determine the kind of news report they give about the country. For example the relationship between china and us is business so all that us reporter would be saying about china is strictly on business basis. The media is surrounded by some factors including cultural, technical and institutional. The media can be used as an agenda setting were they determine the information to be given to the public. For example CNN has never reported anything productive about Africa even if they do it is usually rare rather they make Africa look ancient.buzugbe nkem 08be07315
the relationship between foreign policy and news media; news media feed us with things happening arund the world...if a foreign policy is negatively passed it affects the content of news gotten by the news media. foreign policies should be adequately passed to ensure good performance of coverage of news and justification of every information.
the media can act as catalyst or re-iterator of the policies of the government. the media is also seen seen as another medium to the government. the media mediate or check excesses of the government, the media is seen as the fourth estate of the government, after the legislative, executive and judiciary arm. therefore foreign policies and mews media around the globe should be tied in a knot to work in accordance and produce effective results..citizens are also involved in this primary civic responsibility..that is why the west highly encourages citizen journalism.
Foreign policy refers to the elements that make up the processes involved in formalizing principles which are to be practiced by the state in dealing with issues concerning other states in other to preserve a positive image of their country amongst other nations. Hence news media refers to he use of any communication media to effect the desired changes of a nation as regards foreign policy.
These nations use the media to serve as a means of promoting the economic, social, cultural, technological structures of these nations to neighboring nations.
The foreign policy of a nation is the basis on which it operates with other nations. The media serves as a means thru which information on a particular issue in a country is released; the foreign policy of a nation therefore outs a ban on the kind of information to be released to journalists and the likes. This is a strong point for people who have good government systems as they get to restrict information which will project them in a bad light from reaching neighbors while producing positive information on development and the likes. The government system of a nation also determines the foreign policy which would be put in place as well as the information aired by media houses. The information projected by nations is also determined by the economic stance of the nation and the economic system which it practices though in a small measure. Also the relationship between one nation and another determines the kind of news which the parties would aire about themselves and the slant in which such stories would go.
Basically in my opinion, the above are some of the relationships that exist between the news media and foreign policy of a nation.
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Deola 08BE07310 says
The news media is needed in every country. It is a means by which news organizations get information from across the world. Because the news media also deals with international news it has to follow the foreign policy of the nation(s) it covers. Although it is very important for foreign correspondents to know their relationship in other to disseminate news effectively, this topic is neglected.
A major relationship between the two is media diplomacy. This is the use of media to promote foreign policy. The news media is supposed to promote the policies of the countries it carries their news to the world.
The news media should also be able to tell its audience about the economy of the countries it airs their news and that is why we see media organizations airing business news of other countries because this also deals with foreign policy.
viator victoria (08BE07356) first of all, sorry my comment is late. the media serves as the watch dog of every government in any society in the world, for example if the the media buttresses on a particular issue in a country, the government must give it attention, the media affects foriegn policies that are made across the world, it bulids or destroys these policies, it also helps in the disemination these policies, without the media the world will not go round as information will not spread.
It is the foreign policy of a state or country that will influence the news media. Foreign policy is a set of laid down rules or ideas governing a country in his relationship to other countries across the world. The foreign policies determine how the media projects its news. Seeing a state’s media will make one understand their kind of policies. A country's foreign policy is slanted to preserving and promoting its interests and its image to its foreigners. As Bimbo said, one cannot expect a media organisation to say anything against the country or state it is established in…..so it means this all balls down to NO freedom of information. 08BE07336...AT LAST! AV BEEN ABLE TO POST!
Akinnawo Taiwo 08BE07303.
Foreign Policy deals with strategies chosen by a state to safeguard its national interest achieve set goals, however the mass media comes in the interaction/international relations mieu.
This interaction which is supposed maximize benefits of international co-operation is determined by the relationship between these nations on media diplomatic terms.
The relationship therefore looking at the situation earlier was a wide gap but has been paid more attention on now due to the positive impacts of the media infusion with the foreign relations.
The media can serve as an observer, influence and catalyst to the non-govt, interest groups and general public.
The media can also perform major functions, impede govt policies and serve as an alternative source of information for diplomats.
However I must say that in most African countries for example, the govt has a great influence on the activities of the media such as the case of Nigerian politics.
However the relationship of the news media and foreign policy can be greatly applicable in developed countries and contribute to the success of negotiations in the foreign policy. But then brings about the issue of imbalance and communication technology.
Akinnawo Taiwo 08BE07303.
Foreign Policy deals with strategies chosen by a state to safeguard its national interest achieve set goals, however the mass media comes in the interaction/international relations mieu.
This interaction which is supposed maximize benefits of international co-operation is determined by the relationship between these nations on media diplomatic terms.
The relationship therefore looking at the situation earlier was a wide gap but has been paid more attention on now due to the positive impacts of the media infusion with the foreign relations.
The media can serve as an observer, influence and catalyst to the non-govt, interest groups and general public.
The media can also perform major functions, impede govt policies and serve as an alternative source of information for diplomats.
However I must say that in most African countries for example, the govt has a great influence on the activities of the media such as the case of Nigerian politics.
However the relationship of the news media and foreign policy can be greatly applicable in developed countries and contribute to the success of negotiations in the foreign policy. But then brings about the issue of imbalance and communication technology.
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