On The Network Media's Role In The Public Policy Process

The whole procedure of the public policy is closely interwoven with the network media. Every segment of the policy life circle can not be achieved without the participation of the network media, including social matters judging, problems acknowledging and the setting of policy agenda, from policy establishment to its implementation, and from policy assessment to alterations. Therefore, the network media has sufficient space in every parts of the public policy.The paper taking the network media and public policy development practice analysis as a background, through collecting, analyzing plenty of classical cases and using related journalism, communication and public policy theories, aims at exploring the relationship between network media and public policy.The research has the aid of the process stages theories in public policy studies, dividing the public policy process into four stages:forming, establishing, implementing, and assessing; and the role network media plays in each stage is also studied:from the policy problem to policy agenda stage, the monitoring and gatekeeper of network media gets much attention to policy problems and the agenda setting function enhance forming the policy agenda; during the public policy settlement phase, the network media publicize the whole process establishing a network platform for public participation; during the implementing phase, the network media builds a good public opinion environment and also an overseeing process. In the phase of policy assessment, network is an important channel to fulfill it. Meanwhile, the paper also analyses the advantages and limitations in the process of network participation in the public policy process according the characteristics of the network media.