How is the media most influential during elections?

The mass media is a powerful guardian of proper political behavior because audiences tend to trust the press, who they believe should inform them about government wrongdoing and provide proper suggestions. All mass media is politically important because of its potential to reach large audiences. Advances in communication, largely through the internet, have improved community access to information. Therefore the media play an important role in society as a source of information, but also as a “watchdog” or scrutiniser. ... However, the media is free to select the stories they consider important or interesting. Social media is changing the nature of political communication because they are tools that can be used to inform and mobilize users in new ways. Users are able to connect directly to politicians and campaign managers and engage in political activities in new ways.

Explanation:

a drastic rise in oil prices ended decades of postwar.