INTRODUCTION
Most media scholars believe that the messages portrayed by the press are coherent and shifting ways, from which people perceive the world. Media texts help individuals to give a precise definition of their world as well as come up with models for appropriate attitudes and behavior. For instance, media defines appropriate gender roles, the definition of success and how it should be achieved, social classes and their respective roles, what defines a crime and its source, who should be in power and why, amongst others. Ideology is related to but not limited to concepts such as belief system, worldview, and values.
In analyzing mass media ideologies, the focus is on the content of the press messages; the stories that reveal to the people about the past and the present. This paper will explore the various ideologies that are presented in the news through the comparison and contrast of the Washington post news and Washington times of the United States of America.
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Theory
Various scholars have defined the term ideology in different ways depending on the context it is used. In accordance to the Marxists, ideology refers to the systems of ideas that help individuals to justify the actions of those in power by doctoring by presenting the reality in a distorted manner. Scholars who have conducted media studies, when they talk of ideology, their focus is on the underlying images of the society under study.
Ideology refers to how various ideas influence people’s beliefs, actions, attitudes, and behavior. Therefore, Ideologies go beyond politics to cover social, economic and cultural issues in the society. When conducting an analysis of media ideologies, the principal interest is not in the particular activities depicted in a single newspaper, hit song or any form of mass media. For ideological examination, the focus is to fit the words and images in a particular media text, analyze the various ways of thinking and perceiving it, and uncover the underlying social, political, economic and cultural issues
Media scholars often base their interest on how media content couples with the real world. Researchers focus on the images of, for instance, women or those in power in America transform over time. This is because these images contribute to how individuals in a society understand the roles played by various groups in the society. Ideologies portrayed by the media should be able to show a clear relationship between people and the broader world.
The media plays a significant role about class power. Media content has a role in maintaining social order as well as legitimating social relations in a capitalist society. Various mechanisms are employed by the powerful in the society to pursue their interests in society successfully. Social media, on the other hand, plays a significant role in maintaining the ruling ideas of those in power.
Politicians often perceive media, both entertainment forms, and news as important sites for ideology dissemination. This is the primary reason why media is usually the subjects of political debates. Prominent politicians perceive media as a source and an important facilitator of social problems. For instance, during the campaign trail in the year 2000, presidential aspirant George W. Bush argued that “dark dungeons of evil on the internet” were partly the contributors to school violence.
All forms of media ranging from television, radio, music, movies, newspapers and the internet are standard targets by politicians from various perspectives of politicians who have some doubt that the media are ideological, selling particular worldviews and messages. Since the different kinds of media criticism are well received, it is evident that even the larger public believes the media as ideology purveyors. Media sell both ideas and products, both worldviews and personalities. The idea that mass media cultural values and products are fundamentally coupled has gained broad acceptance by the public.
From my point of view, media is ideological in that through its content and images; it represents the political, social and cultural issues of the larger public. Similarly, media is more significant to politicians as they believe it is the best ground for them to hold their political debates and air their views.
Method
The source of the news I used for ideological analysis was Facebook. I collected the news from my Facebook page on 28 th of November 2016, which were posted by a political analyst. Tools of analysis I will use include Facebook insight analysis which involves analyzing the number of likes and the various comments in relation to the news. Another analytic tool I will use is Facebook content analysis to ensure the content presented is in line to the actual news in the Washington post and Washington times. Content analysis is also useful in uncovering the ideologies presented in the news.
Findings
Washington Post
According to the front page of the Washington Post, the opening news is about a functional illiterate Fidel Castro who was known as the worst terrorist of humanity. Castro had faced confrontation with various U.S leaders before he met his death. President-elect Donald Trump termed Castro as a brutal dictator. The Washington Post also reports on Raul Castro who has stopped criticizing Trump and instead sent him a congratulatory message after his win. Castro’s family has vowed not to kneel to American’s pressure even after the change of leadership from Obama to Trump. On the same page, there is a story on how parents want to seek custody of a child. The child’s parents killed 14 people and 20 others injured before dying in a shootout with the police, leaving behind a 6-month child.
Similarly, on the same page, there is news on how President-elect Donald Trump spent Sunday Ridiculing Clinton’s presidential campaign for rejoining the efforts of vote recounting in Wisconsin. Trump suggested that millions of people were illegal voters. Trump argues that if not for the illegal voters, he is the winner of the popular vote. This accusation gained favor in the eyes of far-right conservatives disappointed with Trump’s loss of the popular vote. The author also explores the story of Jared Kushner who was an undergraduate when politicians started receiving dollars bearing his name. The elder Kushner who was the source of the millions of dollars was later imprisoned. Jared Kushner, 35, is expected to be one of the trusted advisers of his father in law, President-elect Donald Trump.
Washington Times
On the front page, there are news on Donald Trump and his plan to end President Obama’s diplomatic relations with Cuban government if the current regime continues to result in oppression. Regarding the death of Castro, the republican committee asserted that Trump would keep good ties with Cuba though with various changes in their government. Some of the issues that need to be changed are open markets, political prisoners, freedom of religion and repression. Regarding elections, this news asserts that despite no evidence of Fraud, Wisconsin elections will be recounted creating another conflict between Trump and Clinton. Ms. Stein raised approximately $7million for the process of recounting in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Regarding Clinton’s accountability, while serving as the state secretary, the author asserts that the emails collected will still be used to investigate her.
Regarding defense, Trump argues that armed forces of the U.S are too small to win wars. Heritage’s Dakota Wood asserts that the U.S military is 2/3 the size it is supposed to be. Washington Times News also airs the pleas of the Police who are hopeful that Trump will usher in a new era of respect and great support for law enforcement.
Analysis
From the above two news sources, the most thriving ideology is political ideology. Some of the ideologies presented by both the Republican and Democrat presidential candidates. These are the various ideologies that those in power want to present to the public. President-elect Donald Trump stands out for the Republicans while Hillary Clinton was vying using the Democrat ticket. Some of the agenda ideologies of Republicans tabled in this news include improved standards for military, freeing people from oppression, for instance, those in Cuba, conservativeness, full military effort which includes increased number of the armed forces in Trump’s government.
Gender ideology is also brought out in the two news sources, whereby Hillary Clinton is a woman vying for the presidential seat, and Trump openly ridicules her for joining the recount effort in Wisconsin. Similarly, it has been expressed that women have gained their rights to vie for powerful positions such as the presidency. Religion ideology has also been tackled in the newspapers whereby the Cubans lack freedom of worship, making Trump feel that this is one of the changes that need to make to allow him to work with the Cuban government.
The ideology of the social class being in power is evident in Washington post news where Jared Kushner started gaining prominence while in undergraduate studies. At the age of 35, he is expected to be the trusted adviser of Trump, his father in law in his future administration. This justifies the belief that rich people will always remain prominent. Equality of opportunity is another ideology evident in the two newspapers whereby Trump aims at eliminating discrimination in Cuba, as a result of Fidel Castro’s leadership. The Republican committee asserts that they are ready to build their relations with the Cuban government only if it makes changes such as freedom of religion, open markets, repression and political prisoners.
Conclusion
Conclusively, media has become a common ground for political ideologies. Ideological analysis of the press gives a clear picture of the debates going on in the society and how they help create a culture in the community. Similarly, by analyzing ideologies represented in media texts enables people to understand the kind of ideas that keep on circulating, their construction, and how they vary over time. From this analysis, it is evident that media helps define appropriate gender roles, definition of success and how it should be achieved, social classes and their respective roles, who should be in power and why
