The media has totally changed especially in United States has changed how people view presidents as leaders. Through presidential debate system, the media has managed to put the presidential candidates to task over what they have to offer the country when elected the leaders. During the last campaigns for instance, it was evident that nobody would just wake one day and start saying that he or she wants to be the president. It is after one has been vetted by the public and questioned in terms of policies they have which aim at transforming and elevating the country from its current state. The media has become an interface that seeks to serve the interest of those who are voiceless, the weak , and all those whom in the past have been treated as if their opinions do not count. There is need to set up more independent, free and fair media houses in order to reform the leadership of United States. The modern media has a greater chance to make a positive impact in presidential stewardship.
A leader is a person who team builder, problem solver, and visionary and above all take responsibility of his or actions. When the media agencies calls the presidential aspirants in the same platform for a debate it creates an opportunity for the audiences and the public at large who seem to posses the above and much more characteristics of a good leader. A leader’s character can only be assessed by what how they speak and act. It is impossible and impractical for every citizen in the United States to see the behaviour each leader not unless the few who live and work together with them. A good leader leads by example by acting as a role model and lading the nation from the front line. It is always common that while the common citizens go through social, economic difficulties the leaders are not there to defend those people’s needs until when the situation has worsen and yet it could have been rectified earlier. The success of the people they lead is largely dependent on the decisions they make and it so citizens must be consulted while making very important decisions that affects their lives.
Through wide media coverage and intensified debates as well as interviews every citizens have gotten to understand the lives of their president that is the policies, ideologies and life principles they stand for. This is could be the only forum where the public with their aspiring presidents because usually when presidents come to power the public only to make their contribution through their representatives such as the congressmen. Now by the public having whole round information through media they can relate and associate themselves with their presidents. Most people think that presidents come from another planet and that they did not pass through the same challenges that common citizen go through in their daily lives. However, by them opening up and sharing their social, economic and spiritual lives it makes the public to develop more confidence in them.
The modern media has also taken the responsibility of ensuring that any presidential running for office must declare his or her wealth, social status and other personal details in public. Such provisions gives the citizens to monitor their president to ensure that integrity is maintained and that in case anything arises contrary to what the person had declared the people have the right to demand answers from their leader. Accountability and transparency are important virtues which cannot be ignored and it is what the media team has been fighting over the last few years.
The role of media of letting the presidential candidates lay down their manifesto and policies have constrained the role of foreign policy president. Obama was sworn into office with a lot of expectations of changing America from unilateralism into multilateralism promises which ye to be achieved up to date. His administration has not sought to solve the institutional issue of institutional infrastructure of global order or at least committed America to binding international treaties. In pursuit to fulfilling the people’s expectations and what was stipulated in their plan, the president if facing both domestic and international constrains.
Modification of the US foreign relations policy poses a challenge to the domestic front and abroad where the country is barred from engaging international institutions regardless whether US is ruled by a president with multilateral ideologies. Since the other countries have been empowered to be independent they argue that United States must abide by the rules of the institutions fairly like other countries. Back at home the president’s power on foreign policy faces criticism by his opponents who opposed the multilateralism commitments. Such a failure in coordination with the rising challenges gives a through way for the congressmen to attack the president’s policy.
There is need to device apolitical strategy that will that loosen both local and international political constrains that has over the years frustrated leaders from coming to one common understanding. A post cold-war version needs to be designed to curb the foreign misunderstanding of institutions as well as create an enabling environment for domestic consensus all to ensure that proper policies are in place. In order to make Obama’s dream come true of engaging with international institutions, it is important for United States to remove political obstacles and having a clear outline of incorporating multilateralism.
The whole media industry has been on the lookout just ensure that the president is consistently reminded of what he pledged the citizens of United States while campaigning. The media have never been biased in dealing with governmental affairs and so they gave equal chance for the president and congress to argue their so that no one will say that it is the media that failed.
In conclusion, a free and independent modern day media can shape and direct leadership of United States. Gone are the times when elections used to just be an event in which people have to participate after four years. The kind of leadership that is now coming up is a quality, issue or policy based leadership where every leader is hold accountable of their utterances as well as their actions. It has ensured that no empty promises are made; all must be put in paper and at the end of the period and evaluation is done to see whether what they promised concurs with what they are doing. Additionally, the issue of multilateralism are complex one which requires the effort of several partners because no single person can address such. History of United States has shown that it is hard to draft and implement such a policy if all payers and partners are engaged in an open discussion.
References
Starr, Paul. The Creation of the Media: Political Origins of Modern Communications. New York: Basic Books, 2004. Print.
Page, Benjamin I. Who Deliberates?: Mass Media in Modern Democracy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. Print.
Brinks, Jan H, Edward Timms, and Stella Rock. Nationalist Myths and Modern Media: Contested Identities in the Age of Globalization. London: Tauris Academic Studies, 2006. Internet resource.
Jamieson, Kathleen H. Dirty Politics: Deception, Distraction, and Democracy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. Print.
