What is the Importance of Public Opinion in Media

Media is all about connecting people and mirroring the society that we live in. Media is all about reflecting on daily happenings around the globe. People are not just the audience but also an essential element of news in itself! So what is the importance of public opinion in media? Be it journalism or entertainment, the increasing importance of public opinion in media is evident everywhere! Well, if you are still unaware of the increasing importance of public opinion in mass media, then just take a look around you.

First of all let us talk about the print media like newspapers and magazines. The newspaper content, which was wholly and solely the product of reporters and journalists in the office, has now gone a radical change into an amalgamation of news and public opinions. The letters to the editor written by the readers are also an instance of acknowledgment of the importance of public opinion. In addition to the readership polls, and questionnaires, there are also columns, which are contributed by the audience themselves - a phenomenon that is now known by the name of citizen journalism.

In case of the World Wide Web or the Internet, the websites were already using the public polls. In addition to that, the rise of blogging and public forums has paved way to increased exposure to individual opinions and has hence strengthened the importance of public opinion on the web as well.

In many news channels across the globe, public polls are a common affair and are considered as an important tool to measure public opinion. It reports public opinion about several issues and news. In case of the entertainment channels, public voting for reality shows like American Idol explains the importance given for public opinion. In case of movies and films, what would be the success of a great movie if it had no audience? Although movies are about expression of views and ideas on a particular subject - the moviemakers also considered it as their livelihood. Thus it depends on the public reviews, the word of mouth publicity of the audience which is instrumental in the success/failure of a particular movie.

Importance of public opinion is the effect of increased public participation in the media. This is an era where media has awakened to the fact that no matter what they are dishing out - news, views or entertainment - they need to keep it interactive. In case of the news industry, the public opinion is not just a way to validate and supplement the news but also a great way to increase the awareness of people about a particular topic. In addition to that importance of public opinion in media, it is also a great step towards strengthening the democracy of a nation.

The TRPs for the television channels or the readership counts for the print media are crucial when it comes to measure overall success of the media. Since it is the public that is instrumental in shaping up the readership rankings or the TRP rankings, the media is left with no choice but to acknowledge the importance of public opinion. It is the public opinion that decides the success of media popularity and the eventual media success.