Media in Political Power: A Parsonian View on the Differentiated Mediatization of Finnish Decision Makers

In: The international journal of press, politics, Band 17, Heft 1, S. 56-75

Abstract

This article looks at the role of media in political decision making by making use of Parson's concept of political power. It enables a look at how media is both an essential resource of political power and a crucial factor in the environment in which political power works. Drawing on a qualitative interview sample of 60 elite decision makers and an elite survey (N = 419), Finnish decision making is found to be quite thoroughly mediatized. Mediatization is differentiated in distinct actor profiles found with Latent Class Analysis of the survey data. The most prominent pattern seems to be that mediatization correlates with other power resources. Those who have official status and are actively involved in policy networks also make use of media resources, and to differing extents adapt their actions to the demands of the media. However, there are also groups of decision makers who still seem to be quite independent of the media. [Reprinted by permission; copyright Sage Publications Inc.]