In modern society, it is undeniable that nowadays the media plays a central role in distributing information. Also, ulterior motives in those media are influencing social values and shaping public opinion. Therefore, the government controls the media and seeks to implant beliefs for most citizens to think in the same direction for easily managed countries. 

Is the media becoming less impartial because of the government?

The news media not only reports information, but also plays an important role in “news framing” which influences how people perceive and interpret news. Governments use framing techniques to control public perspectives without present false information ,but rather selectively which angles of story and loaded language in the news

Select angle of story to represent 

Choosing which issue to publish and which to ignore entirely, which can subtly distort public perception without necessarily distorting the facts.

Using loaded language 

Languages have a power to lead emotions and readers’ perspective. The government uses emotionally charged terms to steer viewers in a certain direction. For example, referring to protesters as “chaos” instead of neutral words “protesters” can lead readers to perceive protests as threatening, while in reality they may be peaceful political expressions.

One-side representations

Giving strong weight to speech and emphasizing credibility of the government. Report only speech of police officers, ministers or government spokespeople, without giving space for the opposite side to speak or editing to make it look less credible than the government.

Self-controlled media

One of the most effective methods of government is state-controlled media. In many countries, the television station, newspapers and radio networks are owned by the government. These channels frequently provide information in ways that support government action, foster national unity, or suppress opposing viewpoints. For example, North Korea and China.

As we know, the structure of all media in North Korea is strictly controlled by the government. The content is all about propaganda and glorifies the ruling Kim family: Kim ll-sung, Kim Jong-ill, and Kim Jong-un. through constant praise and heroic narrative. Also, presenting that the other nations, especially The US and South Korea, as “declining” for make people think that “we lucky to live in a country which peacefully and leaders take care of us” and the population inaccessible foreign information, they only consume “Kwangmyong”, is an internet service which is only available in North Korea by approved individuals and all content is propaganda.

What is propaganda?

Propaganda often presents information selectively or uses emotionally charged language and imagery to provoke a desired response, instead encouraging media literacy or balanced judgment. Propaganda is typically associated with political, social, or commercial campaigns where the goal is to shape public opinion or manipulate perception. It indirectly forces beliefs of citizens with topic discussion in only one side and it leads to echo-chambers, is an environment of only similar beliefs and resists different opinions as though a room where the sound repeatedly echo, It is an effect of being persuaded to believe in beliefs for a long time.

Can propaganda really create deep-rooted beliefs?

Some deep-rooted beliefs manipulated by the government may appear unserious ,but they always have effect with beliefs and behavior of people in countries. For example, China has a lot of censorship and limited types of movies, so mostly movies are ancient material art and high school romance. Additionally, air time is in the evening for watching during family dinners because the purpose is to cultivate love and harmony in the family. The more bonded the family is, the more beneficial it will be to the country because Gen X or Gen Y Chinese all have conservative and nationalism beliefs. Thus, when families have harmony, family cultivation will be effective on their child. As a result, some government actions are indirectly influenced but they are effective from generation to generation

Another example is why the South Korea government supports the K-drama industry ? 

Because The k-drama raises the GDP of a country ? 

yes, but except the money, the government also sent indirect messages to the citizens through the series. For example, descendants of the sun (2016) a globally famous series from South Korea which had a significant cultural impact in South Korea, especially in how it portrayed the military, both directly and indirectly. The story tells about the lives of elite South Korean special forces soldiers who have a relationship with military doctor in war during. The main character is yoo si-jin was portrayed as a brave, idealistic and compassionate soldier, while his heroine, Dr. Kang Mo-yeon represents a strong and idealistic doctor who believes in saving a human life no matter what. It romanticizes military life to make it more engaging and cultivating for serving young generations to have passion to be soldiers and loyalty to the country, same as the protagonist.

Propaganda not only permeates the media for political purposes but also reinforces social biases related to race and identity.

In earlier American cinema, especially during the 20th century, Black characters were often villainized and stereotyped as criminals, gangsters or terrorists. These portrayals were reflected and reinforced broader societal prejudices. In many ways, film has been used as a soft power tool in both consciously and unconsciously to influence public opinion about race and identity.

Hollywood and propaganda 

Hollywood has cooperated with government to serve as a tool for propaganda that promotes political narratives and national interests, particularly through the loyalty, heroism, and foreign policy

For example, Interstellar (2014), about Earth’s last chance to find a habitable planet before a lack of resources causes the human race to go extinct. The protagonist is a former NASA pilot, an agency of the US government. The main purpose of this movie is white protagonists rescue others to represent that the US is the savior of the world and other countries still rely on advanced technology from western.

Next time when watching a show just pause and ask yourself that 

“What’s the message here?”
Because entertainment is never just entertainment.

Education media

While we often think that “educational media” such as textbooks and documentaries are credible and always provide the truth of all aspect. But in reality, governments can indirectly use these media to instill national ideas, beliefs, and identity.

textbooks are frequently written or approved by government agencies, such as the Ministry of Education, which has the authority to select what content should be taught. Hence, History presented in a way that benefits state power such as emphasizing leaders state leaders who need to be glorify 

Conclusion

The government is a national organization. It can create credibility and control the media in a subtle way. For example, changing small details can lead to long-term influence. This includes trying to instill ideas into entertainment media because when people consume entertainment, they tend to watch without critical thinking. Therefore, creating propaganda through entertainment media is a effective way to influence beliefs because people already believe it deep-rooted without realizing it. Therefore, when watching any type of media, we should have media literacy. Being aware that all types of content can be propaganda makes us start looking for other perspectives that are not presented in the mainstream from various news sources or carefully considering the content of media.

If you want to raise awareness of media literacy, let’s share it.