ABSTRACT
Many commentators have argued that democracy is under threat from cross-media ownership and the excessive influence of tabloid newspapers and television. They also argue that the proliferation of media will contribute to this anti-democratic trend by making regulation more difficult. This chapter looks at the current concern over the effects of media on politics, and reveals the common ground between novel notions of ‘virtual politics’ and the long-established élitism of ‘mass society’ theories. In both instances it is assumed that the mass of the viewing public cannot read between the lines of press and media coverage. The ordinary voter, it is said, stands mesmerized by media images like a child in a sweet shop.
Media monopolies are undoubtedly a hindrance to democratic debate. However, in suggesting that the majority of the electorate is ‘vulnerable’ rather than rational, the proregulation camp gives expression to a form of élitism which is more insidious, and probably more dangerous, than the explicit threat to democracy posed by the media moguls.
