Commercialization of media Influences political discourse

Every industry that exists out there serves a specific purpose for its customers. Organizations in the mass media industry offer their own content. Producing and offering content is the basic mandate of the mass media. The media deals with producing content for the electronic channels, print, and the internet. One of the main functions that the media does in its delivery of services is the selection of the content to be delivered. This is because time and space are limited resources to the media. It is a difficult decision-making process to decide what they will include and exclude from content coverage. Therefore, it means that there are some stories that never make it to the audience through mass media. Both internal and external factors influence what is to be included in the content to be covered by mass media houses. The first and most conspicuous one is the economics factor. Advertising constitutes and important part of the programs offered by the mass media and will also play into the planning and timing of the content offered. Advertisements contribute towards the revenue raised by private media houses. They are also key components of the economic sustainability of internet services. It is the size of the audience and accompanying demographic factors that influence the pricing of the adverts churned out by the mass media (Fortunato).

Paddy Scannel (2007) says in his highly-regarded book titled Media and Communication that was published early this year that the media concept was born in the 190s. He notes that the work by Marshall McLuhan’s was the most important starting point in the development of the media as an industry. Scannel refers to Hans Frederick Dahl who says that aggregating disparate communication media into the whole that it is “the media” is a remarkably recent development which may have emerged at the same time as the advent of the television in the early parts of the 1960s. The television emerged as the main entertainment and information dissemination medium. In my view, the idea of the media is understood well and connected to a part of a history period in the process of analysis of its existence starting from the 19th C up to the 20th C. The media concept is commonly used in the literature and debate on power and the media. Such debates as to whether their power of the media is on the rise or fall, whether the media influences democracy in a positive way and whether the media and political institutions are powerful entities are commonplace (Ekstorm).

The understanding of the media, in general, has been localized around a few media organizations as similar entities representing the media in general. The spread and flow of information and news are meant to be presided over by the media institutions. They commonly set the agenda that the increased marketing of news and activities related to lobbying revolves around (Ekstorm). A host of internet related operations is driven by a consumer culture. These are focused on consumption. These are preoccupied with such aspects of life as entertainment and people’s lifestyle than the common well-being and politics.  As time whiles away, new forms of communication technologies emerge. They trigger fresh public orientation forms and widespread public participation in such forms as blogs campaigning cyber protests, cultural jamming and sharing data and information that are significant, politically. (Dahlgren & Olsson 2006; Kahn & Kellner, 2007; Loader 2007).

A Section of research as pointed to a form of social withdrawal because of the explosion of these new forms of communication. There is yr contradicting research that points out how the new developments have opened up channels for social sharing and enhanced connectedness between individuals and groups. They have cited an increased participation by the public in politics because of access to these forms of communication. There is a hot debate simmering with regard to the role played by the internet in political awareness and socialization. There are the expanding thesis and the normalization one (Ekstorm). Studies show that online-based activities help to bridge the gap created because of engagements in other areas of life and normalize political participation. People that have interest use the internet to increase their levels of awareness in political matters. Yet evidence still shows that those who are not interested use the same internet platform to alienate themselves in political participation. There are researchers that have emerged to put the normalization thesis on the spot. These studies suggest that different sections of young people participate in politics online and the traditional forms of the same. It states that the internet holds the potential to increase the number of people who are politically active (Couldry et al. 2006, Krueger 2002; Norris 2001; Gibson et al. 2005).

UNESCO (1980:152) joined the debate when it stated that news has evolved into commercial products. They pointed out that important events that occur in the countryside are displaced by the news that is relatively trivial or unimportant just because it relates to urban activities and its people. 

It is evident that news is not about reporting events and occurrences in a timely manner. It has more to do with broadcasts that are packaged or sponsored by parties with vested interest. This has made it possible for public and private entities to gain access to the time that is primarily allocated for news at a specified fee. Their message is then somehow conjured up and infused into the news time and communicated to the public in a subtle way. According to Willie Nnorom, (cited in Ekwo 1996), news commercialization as a report by electronic media being news or its analysis is a message of commercial nature posted by an anonymous sponsor and gives the audience a false impression that it is timely, fair, accurate and responsible, socially. It must be pointed out that although the aforementioned definition seems to exclude the print media, commercialization of news also happens in that segment (Omenugha and Oji).

The broadcast station has been caught in the act of surrendering its integrity and that of its newscasters by affirming the claims of the supposed sponsor. When it accepts to include such paid up items in its broadcast, to cover annual conferences of these sponsors, their wedding functions, funerals, festivals in small and major towns, seminars and workshops, they prostitute the integrity of their existence and primary mandate to disseminate information. Indeed, it is a breach of the National Broadcasting Code (Adaba 2001:110).