ABSTRACT
Few events typify the concern over the political importance and effect of the mass media more than the coverage of general elections. In these political struggles, which are seen by many as the hallmarks of a democratic political system, one can detect at least two separate, though not distinct, sets of issues which in their quite different ways hint at the media’s political importance. First, it is suggested that the work of the media, and particularly the presentation and coverage of political contestants, can affect voter behaviour and choices; second, it is claimed that the journalistic practices, for example the nature of television’s never-ending thirst for moving pictures, have an impact on the nature of the political struggle and political debates.
