The relationship between politics and the media is an issue that has received a lot of attention from the public. In a democracy, the public, represented by the media, is often presented as the fourth pillar to control the political system. If you follow this idea, it becomes clear that politics and the media have to occupy different places, although they should not be far from each other:
This necessary, clearly visible distance between politics and the media is imperative, and both must not lose sight of each other at the same time. If there were no media, politics would be difficult to convey to the public and to the citizens and voters. But when politics and media mix and possibly make common cause, politics lacks the corrective. The media are then neither independent nor neutral, two attributes that we associate in our democracy – certainly undisputed and cross-party – with a functioning press.
Politicians need courageous and honest, impartial media – even if they are inconvenient. Applied to the media, this means that it is their task to provide an accurate picture of reality and the spectrum of opinions as a whole. On the other hand, the media are commercial enterprises that – probably even have to – choose their information according to attention characteristics. Mass media in particular are therefore accused of selecting their information according to political or cultural proximity or of preferring prominence and negative events such as scandals, conflicts and others.
Almost everyone will probably be able to support the principles between media and politics. Regarding the influence of the media on the political system, there are indications that the media are gaining more and more influence. It is argued that political decisions are no longer only made according to the political situation, but also according to how well the decisions can be conveyed to the public in the media. It must be noted that some people are checking political reviews regularly.
Independent and neutral media are supposed to act as mediators in public communication and create a diverse opinion market. Public relations and political PR at government, party and organizational level are becoming increasingly important.