The Press Control

Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of Soviet Union, during the Cold War, was once quoted saying "The press is our chief ideological weapon". This statement proved to be debatable, but approaching this April's election, it has never been more relevant. Lots of political parties nowadays use the media, the press, as one of their main weapons. For example, Nasdem owns MetroTv and Metro Indonesia, Hanura is heavily associated with RCTI and Koran Sindo, while Golkar uses TvOne during the latest campaign, to name just some. There is no doubt that the press hold immense power on influencing people’s mind, but, it is really the case of “whoever controls the media controls the world”?

In political arena, one of the main functions of the press is to inform public the events that occured recently. The way the press inform us, whether it is a good or a bad news, can alter our perception. Add to it the ability of the press to spread information rapidly, and we can see why politicians desperately want to control it. Using the press as a mean to enhance their reputation, we can see almost every headlines favors one or two parties these days. The effectiveness is said to lie in the constant barrage of information hammered into our minds. So far, it seems like our choice is influenced. However, the truth is, it is not.

The people, although exerting no direct control over the press itself, are ultimately what drive the politicians to do that. They go to great lengths to do something like visiting a very poor village or checking catasthrope victims. These actions are undoubtly out of their habits. They do all this just to grab tomorrow’s headline in some newspapers. They even surveyed how the public reacts to a certain action they make and act accordingly.

In addition, individuals do still have the freedom of choice to choose who they believe in. Surveys indicate that while the press can say someone is really good or bad, it hardly change our subconscious mind. For example, in Aung San Suu Kyi case in Myanmar. Despite the government’s best effort to suppress the news and even tried to frame her for treachery, they failed to control the public opinion. This proves the press itself is not actually that powerful.

In conclusion, it is true that the press can exert a great deal of influence over people. However, the effect only works if we decided to buy it. Constant barraging may even bring negative effects as we feel like having enough of it. Therefore, to say “whoever controls the media controls the world” is just a mere exaggeration.