Mass Media
...circulated newspapers that tend to reach a large audience with similar social characteristics (Mintz et al, 2005). In a developed liberal democracy like Canada, the media plays an important role in supporting the free discussion of ideas, providing information to citizens in order for them to make informed political decisions, and preventing the abuses of authority. In a less developed country like Bangladesh, the media plays a critical role in changing the country's cultural outlook, social structure, economic organization and its political system. Although the diversity of views available to citizens, the ownership of media, and state regulation of mass communication is significantly different in each country, the relationship between the state and civil society is stronger in Canada than in Bangladesh. The Canadian media system has demonstrated a stronger technological advancement and a greater desire to promote the common good of Canadians by presenting a diverse range of perspectives and allowing the criticism of government authority.
In Canada, mass communication is a two-way process. "It serves as a conduit through which citizens and interest groups can channel their demands to government. But it is also the public's main source of information about government and government policies" (Bateman, 2004). There are several sources of media and different information systems available to Canadians that inform citizens about political events and issues. Television is one form of media that attracts a large audience and connects with a greater percentage of the country's population. Many surveys have revealed that the majority of Canadians regard television news as the most credible source of political information. (Ranney, 2001 cited in Mintz et al, 2005). Accordingly, fifty-two percent of Canadians stated that television news was their primary source of...
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