Does the media influence the public or does the public influence the media?

Answer 1

The answer is they influence each other. For example, a news station decides to report on a certain story. The public then finds out about it, and in some cases, people want to know more. There is a theory in Mass Communication called "Agenda Setting," which says that the media do not tell us what to think, but they do tell us what to think about. In other words, if a story receives no coverage and no attention, few of us would think about it. But if we see a story about it on TV, hear about it on radio, or read about it in print, that brings it to our attention and we can form an opinion or decide if the story is important to us. Historically, there are many stories that have led to a public outcry, or led to donations and support for a certain cause, or led to anger at a particular government policy, or even helped to get certain politicians elected.

And that brings me to the other part of your question. The public can definitely influence the media by responding to a story, or by demanding that more coverage of a story be provided, or by offering story ideas. And it's not just in news that the public has an effect: all the media are surveyed regularly to see how popular they are, and media outlets all want to get good ratings (since media in the US are commercial, good ratings means the stations and the print publications can charge sponsors more money to advertise). The media thus have an incentive to serve the needs and interests of their audience. If the audience lets a certain station know they want more of X and less of Y, that will often influence what kinds of programs are broadcast or what kinds of stories are covered.