Chapter 6: The Media American and Texas Government: Policy and Politics, 10/e By Neal Tannahill

Case Study: YouTube and the George Allen Campaign In 2006, Virginia Senator George Allen was on his way to winning reelection, and was a possible 2008 presidential candidate A video of him using a racially insensitive term was posted on YouTube. Allen was defeated. The wide proliferation of video cameras, even in cell phones, and the ability to post video on sites like YouTube has added a new risk for political candidates.

The Media Landscape In much of the world, media is owned and operated by the government Government helps fund NPR, PBS, etc., but most media in U.S. is privately-owned But… consolidation in the media market has put more media outlets into the hands of fewer owners – Disney, Viacom/CBS, Time Warner, News Corp and GE own 90% of media in U.S. The majority of newspaper circulation in U.S. is controlled by 10 companies, and some companies own print and broadcast media in the same market

Media Landscape (cont.) Traditional media, especially newspapers, in decline “New media” (internet blogs, cable TV, satellite radio) are growing

Government Regulation of the News Media Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press… - First Amendment, U.S. Constitution – Freedom of the press cherished, but not unlimited Obscenity and Defamation – To be “obscene,” material must Depict sexual conduct Appeal to “prurient interests” Taken as a whole, lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value

Government Regulation of the News Media Obscenity and Defamation (cont.) Defamation Libel (written) Slander (spoken) Public figures must also show that the statement was made with malice or reckless disregard for the truth Prior Restraint and National Security “Prior Restraint” is government action to prevent the publication or broadcast of something – very rare Progressive Magazine – bomb plans (1979) Pentagon Papers case (1971)

Government Regulation of the News Media The FCC and the Broadcast Media – FCC created in 1039 to regulate broadcasts over public airwaves – different from print because the public owns the limited frequency spectrum used by broadcasters – Equal time rule – Fairness Doctrine (repealed 1987) Reporters, Confidential Sources, Criminal Prosecution – Judith Miller case (2005) – Shield laws

Covering the News A major goal of news media outlets is to attract as large an audience as possible. The larger the audience they can attract, the higher the rates they can charge to advertisers. This desire to have as large an audience as possible can lead to more coverage of entertainment and less of policy issues. Because of chain ownership, stories written for a few major newspapers can end up in dozens of papers across the country. Likewise, local television stations rely heavily on the network for their news, especially with regard to national and international news. Campaign organizations have become very adept at manipulating how the news covers candidates.

Media Biases Research suggests that media sources tend to cover Democratic candidates for president more favorably than their Republican opponents in recent elections. They have also tended to treat challengers better than incumbents.

Conclusion The media plays an important role in the policymaking process, especially during the agenda-building and policy evaluation stages. – Agenda Building Political scientists say that the press plays a signaling role. The media may be unable to tell people what to think, but they generally succeed in telling people what to think about. – Policy Formulation and Adoption The media influence policy adoption through framing. The way the media present an issue helps define the approaches policymakers will take in addressing an issue. The media does not adopt policies, but they publicize policy adoption by reporting on governmental activities in all branches of government. – Policy Implementation and Evaluation Other than carrying out FCC rules, the media do not implement public policies. They are, however, important participants in policy evaluation.