India Votes: Media Mirrors Democracy at Work

[icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu]

It generated a debate in the country that how Media is capable of doctoring
political swing through opinion poll and influencing the public opinion. The
political parties upset over the poll prediction recommend to the Election
commission to ban all such opinion and exit polls till the end of voting.
However, their recommendation was shot down by the country's Attorney
General saying that it violates the right of expression can not be
implemented.

One thing came out clearly from that controversy was that media has come to
acquire a greater role in shaping the counters of Indian democracy and no
political party can afford to ignore this reality. The growing clout of
media is such that the entire political campaigning in 2004 election is
being conducted through media. The political parties have deployed highly
professional media managers whose job is devise strategies to swing votes in
their favour. The psychological warfare conducted by the political parties
through media is the most conspicuous feature of the ensuing elections.

Source:
http://www.indolink.com/displayArticleS.php?id=041104074429