Politics in the media - what's going on?

One argument put forward as to why many young people are not voting is that the representation of politics in the media is too complicated. However many politicians would argue that the media over-simplifies politics in order to create entertaining stories. So what’s going on?

Perhaps the route of this issue comes down to the relationships between politicians and the media. There is clearly a large amount of mistrust on both sides towards the other, and manipulation is often prevalent in the communication between the two parties. These trust issues can sometimes filter into the media communications we receive, making it contradictory. Could it be that many young people are not as confused about content as they are about what to believe?

“Newspapers, magazines, TV, the internet and other types of media are used by the public to find information about what's going with the issues they care about and Parliament generally. So, if there's a communication breakdown between politicians and the media then that's going to have a big effect on the people of the UK in terms of their political knowledge and ability to get involved” (Headsup.org.uk)
Perhaps it is not so much mistrust between the media and politicians as it is a lack of understanding which causes the communication breakdowns. ITV political correspondent Nick Robinson, columnist for The Times, wrote in 2004 about the pressures of having to report on a vast range of complex specialisms under the umbrella of politics such as weapons systems or intelligence.

He said: “I have always tried to resist adding doubt and suspicion to every political statement. I would deeply regret ensuring that people did not believe a word of what politicians say. Politicians would do well to remember that journalists care as much as they do about whether they are trusted” (Times Online)

Can the lack of engagement in politics amongst young people be attributed to the above mentioned issues?