Chapter 15 The News Media

Roots of the News Media in the United States Click to view chart showing where people get their news by percentages. Where do people get their news? Mass media includes Print sources Movies Radio Television New Media

Print Media Early partisan press Penny press Yellow Journalism Photo Caption: Did the practice of yellow journalism contribute to the rise of objective journalism? In this 1898 cartoon titled “Uncle Sam’s Next Campaign—the War Against the Yellow Press,” yellow journalism is attacked for its threats, insults, filth, grime, blood, death, slander, gore, and blackmail. The cartoon was published in the wake of the Spanish- American War, and the cartoonist suggests that, having won the war abroad, the government ought to attack yellow journalists at home. Print Media Early partisan press Penny press Yellow Journalism Muckraking

Radio News FDR’s fireside chats Today AM Talk—conservative dominance Link to Web sites to play students an excerpt from the different talk radio programs. Radio News FDR’s fireside chats Today AM Talk—conservative dominance Liberals: National Public Radio To Learning Objectives

Comedy News: SNL, the Daily Show, the Colbert Report Photo caption: What is C-SPAN? C-SPAN, shown here, is a public access channel that (through the main channel and its affiliates) provides gavel to gavel coverage of the House and Senate. It also airs a variety of other public affairs programming. Television News Network News Cable News: C-SPAN Comedy News: SNL, the Daily Show, the Colbert Report To Learning Objectives

Social networking sites New Media The Internet Blogs Redstate.org, dailykos.com Social networking sites Facebook, Twitter To Learning Objectives

Today most Americans get their news from _____. LO 15.1 Cable TV the Internet Radio Local TV Newspapers To Learning Objectives

Today most Americans get their news from _____. LO 15.1 Cable TV the Internet Radio Local TV Newspapers To Learning Objectives 8

Current News Media Trends Photo caption: How does media consolidation affect news coverage? When basketball star LeBron James announced he was, “Taking his talents to South Beach,” he created a boon for Disney, the parent company of television networks ABC and ESPN. He made his official announcement on ESPN, after much hype and promotion, and then he did the rounds on ABC’s news shows the next day. Critics charged that this insulated coverage prevented James from having to answer the hard questions about his departure from Cleveland. Differentiate between private ownership and government ownership of the media. Explain consolidation by explaining that the top ten media chains account for more than 50 percent of daily circulation, while fewer than 300 of the approximately 1,400 daily newspapers are independently owned. Use the photo or other examples to illustrate the concerns. Consolidation of privately-owned media Top 10 media chains account for more than 50% of daily circulation Concerns Market pressures Control of the flow of information To Learning Objectives

Conglomerate vs. Subsidy Interests?

Fierce competition to attract viewers and the rise of cable and satellite television have led media outlets to move toward narrowcasting. Define narrowcasting as targeting media programming at specific populations within society. Illustrate with examples such as those listed above. Narrowcasting Fierce competition to attract viewers and the rise of cable and satellite television have led media outlets to move toward narrowcasting Fox News versus MSNBC Spanish-language news programs on stations such as Univision and Telemundo Black Entertainment Television Radio w/ Delilah. :-/ To Learning Objectives

Increasing Use of Experts Click to see the break down of party affiliation by news source. Most journalists do not specialize Increasingly rely on experts How objective are these experts? How does party affiliation of the journalists affect citizens’ news sources? To Learning Objectives

The rise of citizen journalists LO 15.2 Citizen Journalists The rise of citizen journalists Internet Traditional media Pro: Democratization Con: Untrained in rules and standards of journalism AKA terrible at delivering actual news To Learning Objectives

Rules Governing the News Media Photo caption: How do journalists use information obtained on deep background? W. Mark Felt, former associate director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shown here on Face the Nation, spoke to Washington Post reporters on deep background during the Watergate scandal. Known only as “Deep Throat,” Felt provided information crucial to linking the Richard M. Nixon administration to the break-in of the Watergate Hotel. His true identity was not revealed for more than thirty years, when he went public in 2005. For dealing with sources, use Deep Throat or another example. Journalistic Standards Dealing with sources On the record Off the record Getting a story right v. getting a story first Ombudsmen To Learning Objectives

Journalistic Standards LO 15.3 Journalistic Standards On or off the record On background: vaguely attributable Deep background: Not attributable To Learning Objectives

Government Regulations Prior restraint Media ownership Telecommunications Act of 1996 Federal Communications Commission Content regulations Equal time rule To Learning Objectives

The Supreme Court case NY Times v. U. S The Supreme Court case NY Times v. U.S. (1971) concerning the publication of the Pentagon Papers affirmed the principle of media ownership. content regulation. the equal time rule. prior restraint. protection of unnamed sources. To Learning Objectives

The Supreme Court case NY Times v. U. S The Supreme Court case NY Times v. U.S. (1971) concerning the publication of the Pentagon Papers affirmed the principle of media ownership. content regulation. the equal time rule. prior restraint. protection of unnamed sources. To Learning Objectives 18

How the News Media Cover Politics How the Press and Public Figures Interact Press releases Press briefings and press conferences Covering the Presidency Receives the most media attention The press secretary Covering Congress Covering the Supreme Court To Learning Objectives

News Media Influence on public opinion Toward Reform: News Media Influence, News Media Bias, and Public Confidence Use examples to illustrate agenda setting and framing. For example: Agenda setting: media coverage of an immigration law enacted by the state of Arizona in 2010 ignited citizens’ passions about the issue and made it a hot topic in many congressional campaigns. Framing: an experiment conducted by one group of scholars found that if a news story about a Ku Klux Klan rally was framed as a civil rights story (i.e., a story about the right of a group to express their ideas, even if they are unpopular), viewers were generally tolerant of the rally. However, if the story was framed as a law and order issue (i.e., a story about how the actions of one group disrupted a community and threatened public safety), public tolerance for the rally decreased. News Media Influence on public opinion Sway people who lack a strong opinion Bring attention to issues removed from daily lives Agenda setting: Arizona in 2010? Framing: law and order OR civil rights!?! To Learning Objectives

Iesha Evans – ‘woman in the dress’

Media bias unavoidable--journalists are human. News Media Bias Media bias unavoidable--journalists are human. Media generally thought to be liberal. Prefer good stories over issue analysis. Can be charmed by interesting personalities. To Learning Objectives

Figure 15.1: Where do Americans get their news? Back To Learning Objectives

Table 15.1: How does party affiliation affect citizens’ news sources?