How does television influence the government?

Answer 1

First came radio, and suddenly, candidates had to learn to be good public speakers because their voice would be heard from coast-to-coast on a radio network. But on radio, it didn't matter how you looked; it just mattered how you sounded. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was not the first president to speak on the radio (Harding and Coolidge both did), but Roosevelt became a "radio president" because of how effectively he used this medium and how his voice soothed a frightened nation during the Great Depression. But the public could not see that he had been a victim of polio and used a wheelchair. He was able to control his image and play to his strength-- his skill as a radio speaker.

When television came along in the late 1940s/early 1950s, it changed politics greatly. Now, candidates had to look good as well as sound good. This would become a problem for Richard Nixon during the famous Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960. Much has been written about how John F. Kennedy embraced TV and practiced beforehand; he looked young, attractive, confident and strong. Nixon, on the other hand, looked shifty and hesitant and made very poor eye-contact. (Today, we know he was ill and had checked himself out of a hospital against doctor's orders, but back then, all anyone knew was JFK looked presidential and Nixon did not.) People who listened to the debate on radio thought Nixon's answers were much more thorough and that he had won. People who watched, however, were convinced that Nixon was awkward and inarticulate. Suddenly, one's visual image was an essential part of campaigning.

And to this day, looking good, looking like a "man (or woman) of the people," appearing confident and displaying a commanding presence on TV can make or break a candidate. Being hesitant or seeming nervous can torpedo a campaign. Politicians, not all of whom are handsome or beautiful, have to seek out ways to create a positive visual impression, so that the TV audience will like them. Politics in some ways has thus become like a TV show, with candidates trying to get the best ratings and avoid "gaffes" that could soon be used against them in TV attack ads. I believe it was Marshall McLuhan who once predicted we would one day choose a candidate without even knowing what he stood for, just based on whether he "looked presidential" on TV. Sadly, that seems to have come to pass.

Answer 2

Television offers news, entertainment, educational shows and documentaries to the world today. There are many networks on television today offering a variety of viewing content.

Answer 3

On Talk Shows, people discuss world issues so its sways people towards their opinions about the government.