Do the media influence a country's foreign policy agenda or vice versa? : case study of the Maltese islands

Abstract

This dissertation examines the link between the agenda-setting function of the media and foreign policy decisions. There are instances where media influence foreign policy and other instances when states employ various political communication and public relations tactics to drive the media agenda. Malta's milieu is examined to explore whether local and also global media have certain affects on its foreign policy. The Maltese case study is more interesting because of its idiosyncrasies as it is the only European country that allows political parties to have their own broadcasting media. This situation has amplified polarization but this study found that now Malta has slowly approached a consensual foreign policy, especially since its membership within the EU in 2004. As a result, these party-owned media are hardly in a position to stir deeper divisions on foreign policy issues. This dissertation however asserts that governments employ media tactics as part of their soft power strategies; this dissertation further argues that when a policy is successfully implemented, the media are more likely to support it, but when a policy is weak or divisive then the media may have significant control over the national agenda and possibly on public opinion.