The Media as an influence on Parliament.

What is the Media?

• The media includes television, newspapers, radio and journals and they play a powerful role in bringing issues to the attention of the government.
• Newspapers in particular promote specific issues or causes. For example, the Daily Mail has often ran headlines on immigration issues to try and achieve tighter controls, and the Sun has consistently campaigned against what it sees as the growing influence of the EU on British life.
• Another example of media influence was the campaign run by the new defunct News of the World in 2000 following the murder of Sarah Payne by a **********. It published details of known peadophiles in order to force the government to take action. The result was a register of sex offenders and the promise of much closer supervision of those released into the community.
• Investigative journalism can also be influential. For example, TV programmes like Panorama have often drawn attention to abuses or scandals and the Daily Telegraph played an important part in bringing about reform of the expenses…