Media and Politics in China

 

    Throughout the blogs, it has been clear to see that no matter what region of the world, mass media plays a crucial role in the overall level of democracy and political and social freedom that a state and its citizens have. The role of media is to provide the public with an informed, nonbiased stance on what is taking place within and outside of the country both politically and socially in order to hold the government and politicians accountable to their behavior and actions. This week, we will be covering the relationship that the media and politics have within China, which is a very interesting case as it is a state that has continuously struggled to upkeep human rights and freedoms for their over 1.41 billion population. 

    China has been known to be rather restrictive of what its citizens can and cannot see on social media, as well as what they can and cannot post. For the most part, absolutely everything is monitored by the government in order to mitigate and restrict what the people see, post, and share with others. By monitoring such behavior, the government is able to regulate what information gets out to the public in order to mitigate the spread of harmful news and knowledge of mistreatment and honesty. Throughout China, the government is extremely involved in the media and knows exactly what the public will see and hear in order to cater it to their likings and their benefits. The public is subject to only seeing one side of things typically due to the lack in different opinions and views in fear of discipline and criminal charges.

    Studies have shown that the people who do get involved in media and interact with one another, "increases people's public issue involvement and thus their internal political efficacy," that has the ability to create genuine change throughout the population (Han). By people becoming informed to the realities of their situation and surroundings, more people will be able to spread the news and grow their bravery to possibly speak up against what is right versus wrong. China's population is the second largest in the world and if angered enough by the lack of transparency and continuous violations of human rights by the government, could I'm sure create quite some change if enough citizens gather to speak out. It is rather disheartening to see the continuous struggles that the media and politics have with one another throughout China and how unfair and biased it all is; however, hopefully in the years to come there will be some positive change as technology continues to increase in usage.

Han, R. (2024, September 13). How social media use affects internal political efficacy in China: The mediating effects of social network interaction. Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-024-03748-1

Media and Politics in India

 

    

    This week we will be turning our sights to India as we take a look at their relationship with media and politics. India is in a bit of a unique situation as it is the most populated nation in the world, sitting at 1.42 billion people. Their social standards and practices are extremely unique to many regions of the world and range from some of the wealthiest people in the world to some of the poorest. This juxtaposition of money and power has the ability to create unfair practices both politically and socially, which could be reflected in their mass media. 

    A recent study covering, "30 Indian newspapers and 41 Indian TV channels with the largest viewership rates in the country confirms the existence of rampant media bias," spread throughout the entire state (Mohan). Such bias exists due to political pressure that reflects in advertisements and fundings provided by the government to the media companies. This pressure creates a space where the media companies feel the need to speak highly of the government and politicians in order to receive much needed funding in order to stay in business.

    

    Research has shown that the extreme amounts of media bias contribute, "significantly to democratic backsliding," as it harms journalists and prevents, "freedom of expression and government accountability," which influences voters (Mohan). Studies have shown that, "media bias in itself causes democratic backsliding because the media neither holding the government accountable nor informing the public about policies that strengthen the incumbent's power can increase authoritarian practices," which has been seen more recently in India (Mohan). It will certainly be interesting to see in the coming years if the relationship between media and politics strengthens or continues to weaken in India and how that will impact the state as a whole.

Mohan, J. (2022, November 16). Media bias and democracy in india • stimson center. Stimson Center. https://www.stimson.org/2021/media-bias-and-democracy-in-india/

How the World Views the 2024 US Presidential Elections Part II

 

    Our blog has covered this topic before as we discussed how the world views the United States when it comes to the 2024 Presidential Election; however, as the election continues to approach and is just a day away now, I find it to be important to readdress this discussion as different nations concerns continue to rise. While every Presidential Election has a certain level of impact on the world's economy and relationships with other countries, this election seems to be exceptionally important in the overall place that America will have in the international sphere. As the world watches on the edge of their seat, other countries are waiting eagerly to determine how they will all be individually impacted by the decision of who will be elected. While as the writer, I am younger and have not experienced most of the Presidential Elections that have taken place in this country, I can say that this appears to be one of the most polarized elections to take place, at least in a very long time. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are taking such complete opposite sides on seemingly every single matter of importance, which has the power to shift how America views and handles so many dire topics moving forward depending on who is elected.

    As the election continues to approach, "experts in African, Asian, European, and Latin American politics," assemble in order, "to share ideas with one another and the audience," surrounding the importance of the election and how it could impact the US's relationship with other countries and how it will impact the world economically and socially as well (Daniel). This election will directly and indirectly impact how the United States approaches the war in Russia and Ukraine, the war and violence taking place in the Middle East between Israel, Palestine, and a growing number of other Middle Eastern states such as Lebanon and Iran. This election will also drastically impact tariffs and how the United States builds or breaks down relationships with longstanding international partners and states that we have had tensions within the past. All of these factors are drastically more important and imperative than many people realize as the world is continuously growing in globalism. Globalism creates an interconnected relationship between so many states that must rely on one another to keep everything flowing.

    This ever-growing increase in globalism is very important as states must work together to create the most efficient relationship that works to boost all the countries involved and create strong, interconnected relationships and bonds. Other states are concerned regarding this election as they have seen in the past when Trump was elected in 2016 that he pulled out of several treaties and pacts that left a lot of states shocked as the United States is such a powerful, present nation typically. This also made us appear less reliable as states were wearier to work with us as we had previously pulled out so quickly with no sympathy or care as to how it would impact them or our reputation. As the United States finds out the winner of this election, the rest of the world will be standing close by waiting just as eagerly and cautiously as it will determine so much of how the world and nations will interact with one another moving forward.

Daniel, B. (2024, October 17). How is the world watching the 2024 US election?. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. https://news.mit.edu/2024/how-world-watching-2024-us-election-1017