Summary of Theories

1. Uses and Gratifications Theory:

Blumler and Katz’s uses and gratification theory suggests that media users play an active role in choosing and using the media. Users take an active part in the communication process and are goal oriented in their media use. The theorist say that a media user seeks out a media source that best fulfills the needs of the user. Uses and gratifications assume that the user has alternate choices to satisfy their need.

This theory is very similar to the pluralistic model.

2. Effects Theory:

The effects theroy suggests that the audience are passive and they are manipulated by the society (Hegemony)

The hypodermic needle model:

certain texts are injected into the passive audience with certain ideologies.

3. Reception Theory:

This theory concentrates on the audience and how the audiences respond to a media text, and also that the texts that the audience consume have more than one meaning and the audience are there to decode.

Similarities & Differences:

Uses and Gratification Theory and Reception Theory inludes more about the active audience and how the audeicnes are more media literate, whereas the Effects theory argues that the audience are passive and are injectedwith certain ideoligies by the ruling class.

Fourth Estate Programmes

1. Question Time - BBC ONE

Each year, some 30,000 members of the public apply to join the debate.

The panels are drawn from significant figures in politics, industry, the media and entertainment.

2. Frost Tonight - ITV

David Frost presents news, interviews and features of interest to Londoners, meeting guests from the worlds of entertainment and politics.

3. The Sunday Edition - ITV

Political and current affairs round-up, featuring interviews with leading figures. Andrew Rawnsley and Andrea Catherwood present.

4. Power to the people - Channel 4

Dermot O'Leary narrates an A-Z look at protests, including the different types, how they are staged, and whether protesting can really make a difference.

5. Watchdog - BBC

Nicky Campbell, Julia Bradbury and Paul Heiney look at the latest consumer news, scams and grievances every Tuesday at 7pm on BBC One.

A pluralist will argue that the media are a fourth estate as these channels also the terrestrial channels are keeping the public informed about the other three estates (government, legal system and church), this means that a pluralist will argue that the media are fulfilling their role as the fourth estate, especially about the BBC broadcasting such informative programmes to meet their PSB role.

Marxism Summary

Marxism refers to the philosophy and social theory based on Karl Marx's work on one hand, and to the political practice based on Marxist theory on the other hand.Marx describes several social classes in capitalist societies, including primarily:

~The proletariat:

"Those individuals who sell their labour power, (and therefore add value to the products), and who, in the capitalist mode of production, do not own the means of production". According to Marx, the capitalist mode of production establishes the conditions that enable the bourgeoisie to exploit the proletariat due to the fact that the worker's labour power generates an added value greater than the worker's salary.

~The bourgeoisie:

Those who "own the means of production" and buy labour power from the proletariat, who are recompensed by a salary, thus exploiting the proletariat.

Marxism and the Media

~Media producers produce texts within this society, which maintain these social divides.

~The culture industries, constantly see greater audiences becuase of the profit motive.

~Mass media are seen as a way of entertaining the workers while drip feeding them ideologies and beliefs.