Roles and Functions of Media in a

Democratic Society
 Roles and Functions of Media
in a Democratic Society

 Media as an Informant

 Media as a Platform and Public voice

 Media as a Watchdog
Media as a Platform and Public
Voice
Illegal importation of arms into
Nigeria
June 5, 2017
Fighting illegal, unregulated,
unreported fishing
May 15, 2017
 The media as the 'fourth estate':
Basic functions of the media in a
democratic society
Speaking notes by Dr. J.P. Shea, NATO Spokesman

 inform the public on what is going on: inform

democratic choices through the clarification
of complex issues, particularly in an age
when information is the driving force of
economic advancement and international
events impact on people's daily lives as never
before;

 provoke public debates leading to greater

public participation in important decisions;
 The media as the 'fourth estate':
Basic functions of the media in a
democratic society.

 uncover abuses, pressure for their

rectification

 alert and mobilize public opinion to

humanitarian causes/injustices;

 keep politicians attuned to public opinion

while offering politicians a medium to explain
policies/decisions to public opinion and build
the necessary support.
A theory is a way of seeing and
thinking about the world. You
use a theory to explain a
phenomenon and how you
should approach the
phenomenon.
 Selected Theories on Media and
Information
 Media Richness Theory- It is also
referred to as Information Richness Theory.
It can be used to assess the richness or
multifunction capabilities of a specific
means of communication, such as phone
calls, video conferences and e-mails.
 Selected Theories on Media and
Information
 Information Processing Theory-
This theory suggests that humans
process the information they receive
instead of merely responding to the
stimuli.
 Selected Theories on Media and
Information
Media NaturalnessTheory- This
theory suggests that face-to-face
communication is the most
natural method of
communication.
 Selected Theories on Media and
Information
Media SynchronizationTheory-
According to this theory, it is
better if people who need to
communicate are all present and
available in real time.
 Selected Theories on Media and
Information
 Channel Expansion Theory- This
theory suggests that individual
chooses a type of media to use for
communication based on his
experience in handling that type of
media alongside the person he needs
to speak with and what their topic is
all about.