The Effect of the media on the image formation of the police institution

ENThe success of every organization and institution partly depends on image formation in society. The formation of the opinions of individuals in modern society is also influenced by the increasingly popular online media. These days, information on the Internet spreads much faster than through other sources of public information. Means of public information are very important nowadays in our society, they form an opinion about a certain object or create an image of a certain institution. The mass media, having an influence on public opinion, easily creates images about certain institutions. Having the right image and the trust of the citizens of the state, the institution can communicate properly and achieve its goals. Therefore, the goal of many organizations is to have a great image. It is not easy to do, it requires a lot of effort. The police, like every organization, has the goal of working usefully and having the public's trust, and with trust, the image of the institution can be created. In order to achieve this, the police often publish public information about the institution's activities, achievements or good works done to the largest possible audience of people, in this way the aim is to form a better reputation of the institution. The already existing image of the organization is like a representation, because it describes the institution itself, allows to evaluate and receive feedback, evaluates the favorability of the person, the behavior towards the organization.A police institution also strives to create an image and strives to make it a good one. This is quite difficult to do, but with a lot of effort not only from the organization itself, but also from its employees, it becomes an easier task. Employees are one of the links in creating the image of the organization in society. Employees of a police agency have rules that they must follow in order to ensure that their behavior is appropriate both when dealing with the media and with the public. Thus, the purpose of this article is to evaluate the influence of the media on the image of the police institution. The research reveals the influence of the media on the image of the police institution, but the media is not the only influencing tool. Personal experience when dealing with this institution is also extremely important. And the most frequently mentioned means of public information are social networks, where respondents find both positive and negative information about the police institution. Keywords: police institution, image, influence, mass media. [From the publication]