Role of the media

• There are many roles of the media in campaigns
• Role of the media: Scrutinize

  This means that the media have the opportunity to hold parties and candidates to account. They can find loopholes, problems and potential issues with party plans and can make this known to the public. The reach of the media can have an influence on voting behaviour meaning people will respond to what they read and may change their views based on what they've read.
• Role of the media: Provide a platform

  This means that as there are many media platforms –such as newspapers, tv, internet and social media – they provide a place where political parties are able to reach many voters during a campaign. It also means that information is widely available to people and they can access it almost instantly. Additionally, the use of social media means that people can ask questions to MSPs and get direct responses.
• Role of the media: Promote public concerns

  The introduction of social media platforms allowed citizens to engage with politicians where they are able to ask them direct questions and get a direct response quicker. Most of the time this can be done publicly so politicians are placed under pressure to respond as people can see what has been asked. This also allows views to be shared and promoted as people are able to reply to and share comments and opinions which can gain more attention and publicity.
• There are many reasons why parties use the media in election campaigns