Political communication is defined by the political science and communications fields in different ways. The American Political Science Association defines political communication as the “creation, shaping, dissemination, processing, and effects of information within a political system.” The International Communications Association defines the concept as the “interplay of communication and politics, including the transactions that occur among citizens, between citizens and their governments, and among officials within government. The political science definition unsurprisingly focuses more heavily on the relay of information and correspondence from political figures to one-another and to the public. Also not surprising is the focus of the communications field on the citizens’ part in political communication. From a political science standpoint, the largest and most important aspect of political communication is the relay of information regarding policy change and implementation. Therefore, political communication in the eyes of a political scientist involves the words and actions of political actors, and the citizens’ involvement in political communication is mainly limited to their reception and interpretation of the messages communicated by the political actors. The communications field is more concerned with the people’s involvement in politics- how they affect political processes as well as how they interpret the information relayed to them by political actors.
I think the most accurate definition of political communication falls somewhere in the middle. Political communication involves all actors- the candidates and other political actors, the press, and the public. I do not mean to discount the role played by the public, however in practice, political actors and the press play a much larger role. Political actors have a stage from which to communicate. Undoubtedly, they are much more in the spotlight than are average citizens, and therefore, not only will their words be heard by a grand audience, but also each action they take will be seen and interpreted as a form of political communication. This is a power that the public does not have. Average citizens may speak out as they wish or attempt to communicate their message to the political actors, but they do not have the platform. The important role played by the press comes from their ability to report the words and actions of political actors in largely whatever way they please. The press has the ability to shape public opinion in a way that neither political actors nor the public do.
Some examples of this dynamic in the current presidential race are with Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton. Donald Trump’s political communication is loud and obvious. His derogatory and offensive words communicate to his followers a message of strength and stringency that they feel has not been exhibited by previous presidents or by the other candidates. The press is also very involved in Trump’s political communication. It seems that as the press becomes more readily willing to criticize Trump’s words and actions, the stronger his following becomes. This is Trump’s game. His offensiveness is what feeds his following, and the press very effectively perpetuates this.
Hilary Clinton’s political communication is very different. As the skeletons are coming out of her closet, the press is criticizing her as well. However, the press involvement is not helping build her following as it is for Trump. The press has helped to raise suspicion and skepticism about Hilary. It has been Hilary’s words and actions which have kept her above water this far. One example is her appearance on Saturday Night Live. She was part of a few SNL skits which discussed her race and her history, but in a light and humorous way. One skit included current Hilary telling past Hilary not to send the Benghazi emails. Even though it was just SNL, I think this made a very big political statement. This was an acknowledgement that there is a situation, that her actions may not have been the best, but that she does not feel they should hinder her ability to become the president. This kind of political communication is effective because it is in a setting that does not have people on the defensive, it helps people to see the situation in a less serious light, and it humanizes her.
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