Political, Cultural, Economic and Legal/Administrative Factors Affecting the Process and Structure of Mass Media in Kenya

Media is everywhere. Television, newspaper, cell phones, movies, as well as numerous other sources. Today, just about everyone depends on information and communication to keep their lives moving through daily activities. We need to be aware that the values we hold, the beliefs we harbor and the decisions we make are based on our assumptions, our experiences, our education and what we know for a fact. Mass media is relied on for the current news and facts about what is important and what we should be aware of. Media is considered a trustworthy source for news, information, education and entertainment. Though someone has to have thought behind an issue to write it.

We are living in information age, where quick access to all types of information is a way of life. People around the relay on media, for information related to politics, culture, sports, technology, economy and various other factors. Although media is applauded for its role in transforming our life by providing relevant and accurate information, there is increasing exasperation about current media practices. Many people believe that current media practices are not aligned with the objective of providing correct information to public. In doing so, media portrays a picture that is favorable to its own objective and may contradict the reality; consequently these practices are termed

The media has played a significant role in American culture. It has influenced our political, social, and economic beliefs for centuries as well as our democratic values. The objective of the media is to provide audiences with fast and reliable news while informing citizens with the latest news coverage. The majority

The media has played a significant role in American culture. It has influenced our political, social, economic beliefs, and democratic values for centuries. The objective of the media is to provide audiences with fast and reliable news while informing citizens of the latest news coverage. The majority

Society has to influence media in order for media to influence society. Both sides influence each other but media-influencing society is a stronger side. Granted the media needs to have a topic to talk about to have media. Events can range from entertainment, community events, sports, weather, and politics.

To response this question, Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur used the dependency model of mass media effects to analyze roles of media play and relations of mess media interact with society and individuals. The urban – industrial society was chosen by them as their high level of dependence of audiences on media information. The authors did not answer directly that whether the media have significant impact on people and society, or that the media have an unbounded capacity to manipulate people and society. However, in the dependency model they showed us an approach to understand the mass media. By analyzing relationships among the society, mass media and individuals, they focus on three aspects, namely, the sub-system of communication, individual’s social

official sources, flak as a means of disciplining media, and an external enemy or threat,” and this

Finally, concentrated media ownership can create strong political influences. The owners of the media institution can also have direct control of over media products in order to create political influence by promoting ideas that enhance their interests. For example, Time magazine

     The media provides the public political issues, which sets the agenda for political discussion. In theory the media tries to attune themselves to the interest of the public, but “in most instances the media severs as conduits for agenda-setting efforts by competing groups and forces” (Ginsberg, Lowi & Weir, 1999, p. 298). To gain public support, groups and forces need media coverage to promote their ideas. However, the media has great control over which issues they televise. The issues must have media appeal or be considered newsworthy.

Media creates identities and presents them to the public who is merely a bunch of receptors within the society. These people can be molded in whatever ideology or mindset and thus are open to different opinions. In other words, the majority of the people don't have much knowledge beyond the scope of the media. Not everyone goes on the journey of finding out what the real truth is or what is happening in their government. Thus, for these people, the media is the first hand and only resource to inform them about the present condition and the future predictions about their country.

Mass media is the most effective way for a person or company to communicate to the masses. People with powerful positions in large and influential companies and corporations have historically used this to push their own personal agendas. It is also well known for politicians to push the agendas of their political parties through the use of mass media. This is what we call bias, having an impartial media is biased and this leads to either glorified pieces or the complete ignorance on topics they do not agree with.

The propaganda model of the media argues that media falls under five different filters. These filters describe how the media is controlled and influenced. The first filter consists of the size of the corporation, owner wealth, and profit orientation of the company. The second comes in the form of advertising as the primary source of income for

Mass media, with its functions to inform, to educate and to entertain, is one of the most important issues in the United States because of the way it has been manipulated to cater the demands of various groups, such as partisan bias, sensationalist journalists as well as the government. Such is the problem for the modern and enlightened public; since people now have access to various areas to get news reports, the media apparently lacks the way to properly distribute truthful and factual information about events happening locally and internationally and those that are included in the sphere of public interest. Control and manipulation as well as the inability to access information about the matter, lay as the major obstacles that disable

Political and economical pressures build the media content whether it being posted up in the newspapers, television and social media. A process that calls this, as said by Golding and Murdock (2007), is called the political economic theory. It is based on the findings whether communication is placed by an unbalanced portion of resources within the economic environment. Another definition, said by Mosco (1996), said that political economy is the analysis of how social divide the production, distribution and consumption of media. Out of the list of factors that shapes the media content these are the main points that plays a big part today: advertising, media ownership and political agendas. Each of the factors unfolds from one to the other. From showing advertisements on the screen and seeing who owns the companies and what kind of content is taking place. The viewers who are watching have only a limited information to see the truth or at least what the companies want it to be the truth. Analysing what is happening currently, especially with US electing a new president, there is a realisation for what are the goals for these big corporations, it challenges whether they are just trying to make a profit or showcasing the democracy and the voices of the public and this could affect the behaviours and actions in society raising a major concern.

Media possession is vital to the control of society. Control the individuals, and you control their vote. You either control the media by owning it or by doing favors to the individuals who own it. In the United States, vast companies possess the media and these, thus, get favors from the Government as impact over enactment and extraordinary tax cuts.