To what extent do the media help the ruling class maintain their powerful
position in society? [15]
Candidates will need to consider the Marxist approach to the media when answering this
question, although they need not use this term. They will then need to debate the accuracy of
this approach, particularly in the context of new media and digitalisation.
Possible answers:
For
• Traditional Marxists believe that the media convey the dominant ideology and so keep
people in a state of false class consciousness. They do this because they are owned
and controlled by the ruling class who wish to preserve their position of power;
• People can be manipulated by the media when the media present views and opinions in
a particular way (bias) we believe the unequal capitalist system is ‘normal’;
• The media promote capitalism and the ruling class by creating false needs in the masses
– people are always wanting the newest thing due to persuasive advertising. People
have to work hard to afford these = large profits for businesses;
• The media divert attention from the really important issues by feeding the audience a
diet of celebrity gossip and trivia and ignore radical ideas – the audience don’t really get
a choice in what to think, no alternative viewpoint is viably presented;
• The media present a dominant ideology according to Neo-Marxists which distorts the
truth and serves the interests of the ruling class i.e. the approval of businesses, profits,
inequality of wealth, capitalism. And the disapproval of trade unions, Feminism etc;
• The media are most people’s main source of information and so can be incredibly
powerful in terms of norm referencing and setting the agenda;
• Those that make the key decisions in the media i.e. editors, journalists, broadcasters are
typically drawn from a very narrow part of the population (white, male, middle-upper
class and middle aged) and hold views themselves that support the dominant ideology;
• The ruling class can protect its power by controlling the thoughts and beliefs of the
masses through the ideological state apparatus of the media;
• Media ‘gate keeping’ means that some issues are far more likely to receive media
coverage than others – those typically omitted are the ones that are potentially most
damaging to the values and interests of the upper class e.g. strikes are normally
reported on unfavourably whereas corporate health and safety breaches are rarely given
airtime;
• The media promotes conformist behaviour and thus discourages people from resisting
and rebelling against the ‘status quo’ whilst also discouraging non-conformist behaviour;
• Other reasonable response.
Against
• The new media and digitalisation means that media content is often generated by the
public thus more radical and alternative views are frequently seen (interactivity);
• Alternative media is available i.e. Feminist/Left wing press etc offering the audience
diversity and choice - Pluralism;
• Postmodernists believe that the media today cannot be controlled by those at the top i.e.
the ruling class and therefore it cannot portray a dominant ideology;
• Pluralists believe that it is the audience who hold the power to set the media’s agenda –
if they are not given what they want then they will buy something else;
• Media professionals are increasingly drawn from all social strata and therefore the views
and opinions they present are very diverse, the ruling class no longer have a stronghold
here;
• The audience are not passive and actively discuss what they see and hear in the media,
disagreeing with as much as they agree with;
The media is not the only influential agent of socialisation, other factors such as family,
school and peer group may be just as relevant;
• The media today is global and thus it is impossible to promote just one dominant
ideology, many alternatives and options exist in a variety of formats;
• Citizen journalism and the internet has diluted power from the hands of the ruling classes
into the hands of the audience;
• Other reasonable response.
Band 0
No creditworthy response.
Band 1 (1–4)
Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited
knowledge of whether the media help the ruling class maintain their powerful position in
society. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short,
undeveloped and one-sided e.g. the owners decide what goes into the media. Lower in the
band (1–2 marks), expect one or two weak points. Higher in the band (3–4 marks)
candidates may offer more than two points or provide a weak definition of key terms i.e. the
ruling class are the powerful people in society, they own and control the media, in the
question.
Band 2 (5–8)
In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of whether the media help the ruling
class maintain their powerful position in society. Alternatively, they may offer an answer
which is list-like in nature but there will be no real attempt to assess the issues raised by the
question. There may be limited use of sociological terms or concepts. Responses may be
underdeveloped and lack range. Candidates may recognise that media owners have the
power to control and influence content of the media. They may discuss issues of bias and the
importance of the media in today’s media saturated society. Answers may be simplistic and
two-sided responses are unlikely. Lower in the band, the response will be rather narrow in
the points covered and there will be little development. Higher in the band, more points will
be covered and there will be limited development of some points. Alternatively, a list-like
answer with little development covering both sides of the argument may score up to 8 marks.
A one-sided answer cannot score higher than 8 marks.
Band 3 (9–12)
Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of whether
the media help the ruling class maintain their powerful position in society. Sociological terms
and concepts will be used with greater accuracy and/or frequency. For the most part,
answers will be well developed, focused on the question and there will be a range of points
presented. Candidates may discuss concepts such as norm referencing, agenda setting,
gate keeping, dominant ideologies and Marxism. They are likely to recognise that the media
has the power to decide what topics should be discussed and what topics will be invisibilised
or marginalised. There will be a two-sided response but this may be unbalanced. At the
bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of well-developed points. At
the top of the band, expect a wider range of points and clear focus on the question.
Band 4 (13–15)
Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of whether the media
help the ruling class maintain their powerful position in society. There will be a strong grasp
of the argument as well as accurate and frequent use of sociological terms and concepts.
Answers will be well developed, clearly focused on the question and discuss a wide range of
points. Candidates may refer to how new global media changes debates about power and
control in the media and gives the audience far more power to set the agenda than ever
before. Responses will be two-sided and balanced. At the bottom of the band (13 marks), the
answer may lack a specific conclusion. Higher in the band, there will be a clear attempt to
offer an assessment of the ‘To what extent…?’ part of the question through a focused
conclusion. Candidates should show consideration of points for and against the idea of
whether the media help the ruling class maintain their powerful position in society, citing
some of the examples given.