The media can play an important role in the international system. The media has the ability to keep states connected and informed about issues such as security threats, economic trends, sickness, weather, and anything else that can have an effect on a state. The media also helps states maintain communication between each other; through the internet states are able to monitor new developments in the international system essentially every few minutes. For example, when Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, it was almost instantly listed as breaking news on televisions as well as on every internet news website. This just shows how fast the news media can obtain information about states and how fast they can relay the news through broadcast and web-based media. The media is also used as a propaganda tool in the international system. States use the media to possibly sway the population of a neutral area towards their side over another. During times of war, for example, the media usually discusses the number of deaths that have occurred in order to persuade its viewers internationally to be against the war. Overall, the media proves to be an extremely useful tool in the international system because of its ability to distribute news rapidly.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Good post. What would realists say about the impact of the media in international politics? What about radicals?