Role Of Mass Media In Public Diplomacy

Mass Media as a tool in Public Diplomacy

Mass media as a communication tool in disseminating information has two very important characteristics, the first is that few people who can communicate with large numbers and mass media is a precise tool to communicate with large numbers, and the second is the audience or the reader has no effective way to answer back (Mills, 1956). The mass media has now shown a more intense effect because the mass media has a very strong power to influence the reader or audience, this called the hypodermic.

The mass media are now getting an important portion in the conduct of public diplomacy, Because as we know today diplomacy is not only done by diplomats but also can be done with non-diploma, one of example is

..... Whoever can speak, speaking now to the whole nation, becomes a power, a branch of government, with inalienable weight in lawmaking, in all acts of authority. It matters not what rank he has, what revenues or garnitures: the requisite thing is that he have a tongue which others will listen to; this and nothing more is requisite (Carlyle, 1905). Carlyle Explaining that now the power is also owned by the people who hold the letter and also the newspaper reporter. In addition, there are four major functions of mass media to international politics, the first is to look at the political situation that is happening in the world and spread it to the public, here the mass media must find out about the events of international politics that are developing and make it as a report or information to community. The second is that after providing information to the public, the mass media gives people time to interpret or give an opinion on the event. The third is mass media giving socialization as well as facilities to convey messages given by political officials to the general public or vice versa. The fourth and the last is the mass media give

In addition to the exchange of information and public opinion, there is another mass media role in the international arena, namely the mass media has the ability to collect actor diplomacy. An example is the arrival of diplomatic visits from one country to another to discuss the political stability of the two countries, the role of this mass media is to gather all the actors who are experts in politics and to gather information from the actors about the meeting. Usually the mass media digs that information from academics, bureaucrats, political experts and so