Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons^™

Because systems are coupled together, all behavior in society is dependent on each other. Government officials are dependent upon the media to relay policy information to the public. Similarly, the media rely on government officials to provide information their audiences want and need. Still, a certain amount of “stress” exists between government officials and the media. This presentation reports a study using systems theory and structural functionalism to analyze Tony Blair’s lecture on public life and the media. The study examined Blair’s criticism of the media which he claims has changed from objectively covering the news to blending of news …