Ploeg investigated how new media practices and changes in the media landscape after the Second World War influenced ideas about democracy and political representation. “What democracy means is not necessarily fixed. It changes with the way we talk, write and broadcast about it,” explains Ploeg. “It is the result of constant negotiation between politicians, citizens and media makers.”
Educating the citizens
Shortly after the war, when television was still in its infancy, broadcasters saw it primarily as their task to educate citizens about politics. Ploeg: 'Political programmes were mainly about how the system worked, with the broadcaster as the teacher. There was little room for discussion. If a minister gave an interview, it was mainly presented as a favour: the politician who was willing to briefly allow a few journalists to visit The Hague, rather than party leaders who, as is the case today, travel to TV studios on a daily basis."
That changed in the 1960s and 1970s. Under pressure from societal changes and new broadcasters such as TROS, broadcasters began to experiment more and more with new programmes and programme elements. As traditional ties between communities, political parties and broadcasters weakened, media makers had to distinguish themselves with programmes that attracted the viewer's attention. One element that quickly proved to be a hit? Conversations with and questions from ordinary citizens. Ploeg: “The fact that citizens were increasingly coming into the picture also stemmed from how media makers thought about democracy. In their view, citizen participation in politics and the responsiveness of politicians had to become the central point.”
