How the News Media Cover Politics 14.4 How the News Media Cover Politics How the Press and Public Figures Interact Covering the Presidency Covering Congress Covering the Supreme Court The news media spend time and attention covering all three branches of the federal government. The president, especially, received an extraordinary amount of media attention. In this section, we will examine how the media covers politics.

How the Press and Public Figures Interact 14.4 How the Press and Public Figures Interact Press release Official written document Press briefing Press secretary represents official Q&A on specific topic Press conference General Q&A with official Elected officials interact with the media in a number of different ways. They can issue press releases, which are official written statements on issues given directly to reporters. They can also hold press briefings and press conferences. A briefing is usually conducted by proxy, with a press secretary or aide appearing on behalf of the official, and answering questions on a specific issue or event. Sometimes the elected official will appear in person at a press conference. The topics for questions may be unrestricted or limited to certain issues, depending upon the disposition of the official and the situation.

Covering the Presidency 14.4 Covering the Presidency Receives most media coverage Prestigious post for a reporter Daily Q&A with press secretary The executive receives the most media coverage out of all the branches of government. Covering the White House is a prestigious post for a journalist. The president's press secretary holds almost daily question and answer sessions with reporters in the White House's press briefing room. Modern presidents use their press secretaries to avoid facing the media themselves, but they will sometimes hold press conferences after major events.

Covering Congress 14.4 Logistical challenge Focus on party leaders 535 members Focus on party leaders Majority and minority leaders in both houses Party whips Key committee chairs Coverage is negative Focus on scandals and conflict Covering Congress poses a logistical challenge due to its size. With 535 members, where do you focus? Most news organizations concentrate on the leaders of both parties. Airtime is given to the majority and minority leaders in both houses, and the party whips. Key committee chairs also garner attention when their committee is debating an important bill. As with most news coverage, coverage of Congress tends to be negative, highlighting scandals and conflict.

Covering the Supreme Court 14.4 Covering the Supreme Court Media vacuum TV cameras not permitted Few reporters cover Court. Complex legal issues harder to present Justices rarely grant interviews. The Supreme Court exists in a relative media vacuum. TV cameras are not permitted inside, and few reporters cover the Court. It is difficult to explain complex legal issues in the sound-byte format of today's infotainment-style news. Also, the justices themselves rarely grant interviews or speak to the media. You're not likely to see a tweet from the Chief Justice, "Just decided major case now having tuna sandwich for lunch."

14.4 How does the media cover the Supreme Court? TV cameras are not allowed inside the Supreme Court. As a result, when the Court hands down an important opinion, such as its health care decision in 2012, it is not uncommon to see journalists sprinting from the courtroom with draft opinions in hand, hoping to be the first news agency to report the Court's decision. Chris Maddaloni/Getty Images

14.4 Why is coverage of the Supreme Court limited? No public interest in Court proceedings Justices impose gag rule on printing information about pending cases. Constitution forbids covering Court. TV cameras not allowed in Let's briefly review the news coverage of the Supreme Court with this question.

14.4 Why is coverage of the Supreme Court limited? No public interest in Court proceedings Justices impose gag rule on printing information about pending cases. Constitution forbids covering Court. TV cameras not allowed in The fact that TV cameras are not allowed to cover Supreme Court proceedings makes the institution somewhat hostile to modern media coverage.

14.5 Toward Reform: News Media, Influence, News Media Bias, and Public Confidence News Media Influence News Media Bias Public Confidence How much influence do the media actually have on the public's understanding of political issues? Is the media biased? How much confidence does the public have in the news media? These are the questions we will tackle in the final section of this chapter.

News Media Influence 14.5 Media effects Agenda setting Framing Influencing public opinion Agenda setting Influence issues addressed by government Framing Greater influence on foreign policy The media influence public opinion in a variety of ways. These media effects can have a powerful affect on public opinion. In particular, the media can bring attention to an issue, leading citizens to pressure government to take action on it. This powerful media effect is known as agenda setting. The media heavily influences public opinion by how it frames issues. The influence of the media on public opinion is greatest in areas, such as foreign policy, where the public has little personal experience.

News Media Bias 14.5 Journalists are biased How are news media biased Values, preferences, attitudes How are news media biased Elite bias Dramatic bias News media stardom All journalists are biased because they are human beings with different values, preferences, and attitudes. These biases are consciously or unconsciously reflected in news coverage. How are news media biased? Journalists tend to be from relatively elite backgrounds – white, male, educated, and affluent. As a result, issues affecting different demographic groups can be ignored or misrepresented out of ignorance. Reporters are also biased in favor of a good story; they seek to inject spice and drama wherever they can. The celebrity status of some members of the news media can also affect their objectivity as they seek higher approval ratings.

Public Confidence 14.5 Assessment unfavorable Valuable watchdog role Inaccurate Biased Rich and powerful influence coverage Valuable watchdog role Americans have an increasingly negative view of the news media, with large majorities believing it to be inaccurate, biased, and providing coverage influenced by the rich and powerful. Yet, at the same time, Americans value the watchdog role of the media, believing that it limits the wrongdoing of political officials. Activity: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the mass media for a democratic society. Have students list the ways in which the mass media can be detrimental to democracy and the public interest. Then have them respond to each charge by listing the ways in which the same factors could actually enhance democracy and the public interest.

14.5 How does the media influence public opinion? Through agenda setting Via issue framing By focusing on the negative All of the above Let's consider what we've just covered. Think of your own opinion as well before you answer this final multiple-choice question of the chapter.

14.5 How does the media influence public opinion? Through agenda setting Via issue framing By focusing on the negative All of the above The media influence public opinion in a great variety of ways, including agenda setting, issue framing, and focusing on the negative and sensational—if it bleeds, it leads.

14 Discussion Questions How have America's sources of political information changed throughout U.S. history? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages to the blurring of the lines between news producer and consumer?

14 Further Review Listen to the Chapter Study and Review the Flashcards Study and Review the Practice Tests