U.S. and Texas Politics and Constitution The News Media I March 3-5, 2015 J. BRYAN COLE POLS 1336

What is the Mass Media? Mass media: “affordable communications technologies capable of reaching an extensive audience” (p. 125) Note the kinds of media that can fall under this broad definition

Types of News Media Traditional Newer Forms

Types of News Media Traditional Newer Forms

What functions do the news media perform in a democracy?

What functions do the news media perform in a democracy?

Important Implications Public opinion is enormously dependent on the news media Courts fiercely protective of freedom of the press, i.e. no prior restraint (journalists do not have to obtain permission from the government before printing a story, etc.)

The News Media and Democracy Helps keep public informed Holds the government accountable, beyond just checks and balances Example: Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward Trailer for All the President's Men

Fact Checking Many fact-checking websites have emerged in recent years Example: Politifact

Overall Impact of the News Media Walter Lippmann Many observers have feared that the media is a form of propaganda, i.e. it reaches millions of Americans and tells them what to think “Where all men think alike, no one thinks very much” (Walter Lippmann) Is this true? What powers do the media possess?

The American news media can tell everyone what to think. Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree Not sure

Selective Exposure Occurs when people deliberately ignore those news sources with which they disagree Becoming increasingly common in the early 2000s

Selective Exposure Made Easy Liberal News Sources Conservative News Sources New York Times MSNBC Nation Huffington Post Talk radio (e.g. The Bill Press Show, The Stephanie Miller Show) Wall Street Journal FOX News National Review, Weekly Standard Drudge Report Talk radio (e.g. The Rush Limbaugh Show, Glenn Beck Radio Program)

None One Two Three Not sure Of your three biggest news sources, with how many do you generally agree? None One Two Three Not sure

Selective Perception Definition: tendency to discount information that is inconsistent with one’s prior predispositions in favor of information consistent with what one already believes Often occurs subtly Selective Perception Among Voters

Motivated Reasoning Definition: interpreting news in a manner that’s consistent with your prior beliefs Done much more actively than selective perception Example: An Inconvenient Truth (Al Gore documentary about global warming)

Agenda Setting The news media don’t tell us what to think; they just tell us what to think about Even in the age of the 24-hour news cycle, journalists have to make difficult choices about what stories to cover and which ones to neglect Chicken/egg dilemma Do the media decide what to publicize first? Or do they just cover events/issues that are already on our minds?

Example: Civil Rights Movement

Agenda Setting and Polling Predictably, the presentation of polling results is one way by which agenda setting occurs Consequences of Agenda Setting (including as it relates to polling)

Framing Framing: stating of an argument in such a way as to emphasize one set of considerations and deemphasize others Deals with how the media cover a news story Example: Proposed KKK rally on campus

Framing Example: A Proposed KKK Rally at OSU Freedom of Speech Public Safety Headline: Ku Klux Klan Tests OSU's Commitment to Free Speech “How far is OSU prepared to go to protect freedom of speech?” Headline: Possible Ku Klux Klan Rally Raises Safety Concerns “Can campus police prevent a riot if the KKK comes to town?” From: Nelson, Thomas E., Rosalee A. Clawson, and Zoe M. Oxley. 1997. “Media Framing of a Civil Liberties Conflict and Its Effect on Tolerance.” American Political Science Review 91(3): 567-583.

Priming Priming: what occurs when the media affect the standards people use to evaluate political figures or the severity of a problem Example: George H. W. Bush and the end of his presidency Effects of short attention spans

Effects of Changes in the News Media "News Wars' on Frontline (PBS Documentary), February 2007 We will watch two sections (from Part 3): “A New Definition for What’s News” “Info Snacking”