Wide political coverage on TV news channels this Lok Sabha elections failed to shape public opinion and motivate voters to exercise their franchise, a new study said here Sunday.
|Last Updated: May 31, 2009, 05:58 PM IST|Source: Bureau
New Delhi, May 31: Wide political coverage on TV news channels this Lok Sabha elections failed to shape public opinion and motivate voters to exercise their franchise, a new study said here Sunday.The study, conducted by the media lab of the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), claims that all the six news channels surveyed devoted over 40 percent of their time to election-related news but failed to make a substantial impact on the audiences and their opinions. Also, they were unsuccessful in motivating the electorate to vote.
The news channels surveyed were DD News, Aaj Tak, NDTV 24X7, Zee News, CNN-IBN and Star News during the prime time slots (from 7 pm to 11 pm) between March 1 and May 11. At least 25,266 minutes, i.e. 40.91 percent, of the news time was exclusively devoted to election-related news during the period.
"Major media houses brought out a campaign appealing to people to vote. However, they did not mention why and on what basis people should exercise their vote. This could be one reason why the campaign hardly made an impact on them (the voters) and the voter turn out remained low," head of CMS media lab Prabhakar said in a statement.
The overall voter turnout in the 15th Lok Sabha polls was 58.43 percent, according to the Election Commission of India. The elections were held over five phases in all the states and union territories from April 16 to May 13.
"Another aspect that requires cognisance is that election this year was not fought on the basis of a major poll plank. This rendered difficulties for the media in focusing coverage around a particular issue. There was a clear disconnect between the voters and the media," Prabhakar added.
The study also said that the political coverage overshadowed major contenders like cricket (Indian Premier League) and entertainment, specifically Bollywood.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.