Chapter 5: The Mass Media in Texas Politics

The Mass Media and the Policy Agenda Influence Agenda Setting Criteria for selecting stories Significant impact on audiences Generate interest Familiarity Proximity to viewers Timely Complex policy issues usually do not generate interest.

The Mass Media and the Policy Agenda Agenda Building Create a climate for political action May play a reactive role, mirroring society Issue Attention Cycles Prepublic phase Media coverage grows. Public debate Government action Loss of interest

The Mass Media and the Electoral Process Covering the “Horse Race” Focuses on who is winning or losing Little coverage of substantive policy issues

The Mass Media and the Electoral Process Campaigning for Television TV coverage dominates the political process. Candidate strategies Schedule trips to attract coverage Use of thirty-second positive and negative ads Create superficial, image-oriented campaigns Advertising costs create advantages for wealthy or well-financed candidates. Not a guarantee of success Increasing calls to give free air time to candidates

The Mass Media and the Electoral Process Media Coverage of Recent Gubernatorial Campaigns in Texas 1994 Election: Ann Richards v. George W. Bush Surveys showed voters trusted television ads more than newspapers as source of information Election: Rick Perry v. Bill White Reporters focused on the education and health care policies of the Perry administration. All of the state’s major newspapers endorsed White.

The Mass Media and Public Ethics Guardians of Open Government Function as watchdogs over government officials Utilize public access to government business Open Meetings Act Public Information Act Shield Law Partial protection of sources

The Mass Media and Public Ethics Media Bias Journalists attempt to mirror society. Difficult to maintain objectivity Many are more liberal than the rest of society. Must make subjective decisions about story selection and coverage Conservative bias reflected in corporate ownership of media outlets Seek to protect business interests

The Development of the Press in Texas Frontier Newspapers Filled with editorial-based partisan coverage Focused on public issues

The Development of the Press in Texas Newspapers and “The Establishment” Active members of the conservative establishment in the twentieth century Many controlled by oilmen and financiers

The Development of the Press in Texas Evolution of Texas Newspapers Changing Coverage More attention to minorities and low-income groups Criticism of political and business establishment Changing Ownership Improved quality of coverage Trend toward national media consolidation

The Development of the Press in Texas Modern Newspapers, Modern Problems Daily newspapers in the United States are closing down. Declining circulation Corporate consolidation Weekly and alternative press newspapers provide specialty coverage and opposing viewpoints. Changing strategies to encourage readership More superficial and less detailed news Internet to post blogs, polls, podcasts, and videos

The Development of the Press in Texas Electronic and Digital Media Television Primary news source for Americans Is visually oriented Devotes less time to stories Offers less substantive information Inconsistent coverage of state government

The Development of the Press in Texas Electronic and Digital Media Radio Headline-style coverage Talk radio provides mostly partisan commentary. Very little local coverage

The Development of the Press in Texas Electronic and Digital Media The Internet and Social Media Use as news source is growing Four segments of the news audience  Integrators  Net-Newsers  Traditionalists  Disengaged Internet bloggers have political bias.

The Development of the Press in Texas Growing Media Conglomerates Several newspapers and broadcast outlets are owned by large corporate conglomerates. The New York–based Hearst Corp. owns six daily newspapers in Texas. Major television networks are owned by large conglomerates that have newspapers, movie distribution companies, and theme parks.

The Capitol Press Corps Represent many different types of news media Number of reporters is dwindling More turnover in staff in recent years Attention devoted to the legislature, governor and other executive offices, appellate courts, and large administrative agencies Use news leaks and trial balloons

Governmental Public Relations Variety of ways to communicate with the public and shape one’s image Press secretaries Press conferences News releases and background reports Videotapes and websites House and Senate media services Public relations firms Purchase of television time

How Well-Informed Are Texas Citizens? Irony of the “Information Age” Consume less news now than forty years ago Less political knowledge Few know of their elected representatives or their voting records. May lead to lower political participation levels Increases the influence of special interests

Discussion Question How Well-Informed Are Texas Citizens? If there is widespread ignorance regarding politics and government, what explanations can be given for this situation, and how does this play to the interests of a few groups or a small part of the state’s population?