Focus Question

How significant is the role that the media has in politics?

I chose this as my topic and focus question because of the fact that I am now 18 years old and need to pay attention to the news in order to vote. In doing this I have found that there are a lot of different ways that the media stretches out its fingers in order to reach the most potential voters for each politician. This can be beneficial or very harmful to not only the individual politicians, but also the voters. They do not always realize it but the influence that the media has on people today is profound and they are not always given reliable information. This is what I want to find out. In looking at it through a lens of ethics, influence, and reliability I want to know just how significant of a role that the media has on politics today.