MEDIA INFLUENCE ON GOVERNMENT POLICY-MAKING: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF MASS MEDIA IN SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL

This study investigated media influence on government policy-making as well as its role in shaping public opinionand political decision-making. This study was anchored on Behaviour theory and the Rational choice theory. Thefocus group discussion design was adopted for this study and respondents were randomly selected from thecommunities in Owerri municipal. Findings of this study revealed that the mass media positively influence theopinion as well as set the agenda for discussion in the society. Further findings revealed that government at all levelsshould continue to utilize various social media platform as highly influential medium for mass mobilization. This study concluded that the media plays a vital role in shaping the opinion of the general public on government policy-making process and development agenda cannot be over emphasized. This study therefore, recommended that these government policy-making decisions should be transmitted more even in local dialect to enable better understandingof these policies by people in rural and urban areas.