The Importance Of The Press Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Importance of the PressThe newspaper is a powerful medium. It is powerful because it has theability to influence the way that people view the world, as soundly as theiropinion of what they see. In peaceful times (or in times of op charge upion, forsometimes they can appear to be happening at the same moment) the press isusually one of the instruments used by the state in order to maintain the statusquo. However, during times of political unrest it is often the press whobecomes the major(ip) antagonist in the fight against the government.Why is this so? Why does the press get so deeply involved in, not justthe reporting of, precisely the instigating and propagating of political change? Inorder to properly answer this question there argon several other key ideas andquestions which must first be examined. To understand the nature of the pressinvolvement in political change, one must initially understand the nature ofpolitical change in its own right. In this vein, the first secti on of the paperis dedicated to this investigation. An examination of the motives behindrevolution leave alone be given in order to provide a fashion model for the second part ofthe paper, which will look at the involvement of the press during revolutionarytimes in more specific terms. The French revolution of 1789 will be used as abackdrop for this inquiry.There are many various types of political movements, and accordinglythere are many different reasons for these movements to occur. Value-orientedand norm-oriented movements deal with matters of social and political concern,but do so in the setting of the already existing political and social structures.Revolutionary movements seek to grow fundamental changes to society in order toestablish a completely new political and social order.1 The distinction beingthat the first aims to make deadly changes to society from within, while thelatters aim is to make drastic changes to society by getting rid of theprinciples that society wa s based on.Usually this will involve a change in political beliefs and values, orpolitical ideology. In todays world there are numerous forms of politicalideologies, but in essence they are all derived from two basic root ideologiessocialism and liberalism. Socialism is an ideology w... ... Prelude to Power, The Parisian radical Press 1789-1791,Maryland the Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976The Influence of the Enlightenment on the French revolution, edited by William F.Church, Canada D.C. Heath and Company, 1974Darton, Robert and Daniel Roche, Revolution in Print The Press in France 1775-1800, USA New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox & Tilden Foundations, 1989Guy, James John, People, Politics & Government, Toronto maxwell MacmillanCanada Inc., 1990.Osler, Andrew. News, The Evolution of Journalism in Canada. Missisauga CoppClark Pitman Ltd., 1993.Popkin, Jeremy D. Revolutionary News, The Press in France 1789-1799. USA DukeUniversity Press, 1990.Footnotes 1James John Guy, People, Politics and Government, (Toronto, 1990),p. 103. 2 Ibid., p. 81 3 Gustave Le Bon, The psychological science of revolution, (USA,1968), pp. 162-3 4Ibid., p. 28. 5Andrew M. Osler, News, The Evolution ofJournalism in Canada, (Canada, 1993), p. 54. 6Jeremy D. Popkin, RevolutionaryNews The Press in France, 1789-1799, (USA, 1990), pp. 19-20. 7Ibid., p. 22-3.8Ibid., p.25. 9Ibid., p. 26. 10Ibid., p.28. 11Ibid., p. 2. 12Ibid., p. 3.13Ibid., p. 3. 14Osler, p. 54.t