Outsourcing of media broadcasting from the perspective of public choice theory

Abstract

Mediasourcing is a relatively young but growing phenomenon. It involves the use of traditional and social media as a source for generating public information that coincides with the goals and expectations of a particular political party. This is about shaping voter attitudes on which political parties build their political capital. In addition to the independent “fourth estate” today we have to deal with media “party annexes” that generate targeted media coverage paid for by political parties. The rules of financing Polish political parties stipulate that a significant part of it is public money. Communication with the public is carried out in such a way as to create the impression of political independence and objectivity. In essence, it is a paid provision of media services. An attempt was made to analyse the phenomenon in question based on the achievements of public choice theory. The reductionist model used in the article is based on the realistic assumption that individuals make public choices. The collective process of public decision-making is a product of individuals’ intentions, thinking and actions. From this perspective, we examine the impact of targeted media coverage on forming potential voter attitudes. In doing so, we refer to economic behaviour based on the motive of cost estimation. The article is based on an analysis of reports available on the websites of the Public Information Bulletin of Polish political parties and on a critical analysis of the literature on the subject.