THE FOURTH BRANCH: WATCHDOG OR LAPDOG? What role does the press play in American politics as a whole? What role should unelected officials in the media have in USFP? Is the media biased (next slide for some data on public opinion)

2009 Pew survey: 63 percent of respondents said news articles were often inaccurate and only 29 percent said the media generally “get the facts straight” Seventy-four percent said news organizations favored one side or another in reporting on political and social issues, and the same percentage said the media were often influenced by powerful interests. Negative opinions grew since 2007 among both major parties, but significantly more so among Democrats. The percentage of Democrats calling the media inaccurate rose to 59, from 43; the percentage who said the media took sides rose to 67, from 54.

HOW DOES THE MEDIA COVER USFP? What is covered? Foreign policy in the TV news 40% cvg. in 1970s  15% in 1995 Superficiality: Crisis, drama, & personality centered Parachute journalism: So arbitrary, and what about the long-term effects? The 3 minute TV version of events

HOW INFLUENTIAL IS THE MEDIA IN USFP? Issue identification & framing: Somalia, Bosnia, & Haiti Soft news vs. hard news public opinion Pundits and elites have more power with USFP Transformation of latent opinion into mobilized opinion is harder with USFP Opinion formation has its limits – Stunningly low political information levels in the population – Selective exposure – Ideology, partisanship, and cognitive dissonance – Rigidity of belief

WHAT IS THE MEDIA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE USFP ESTABLISHMENT? What motivates the media? Objectivity, patriotism, or market-share? It depends Is the media a tool of presidential power? “Wagging the dog”? The empirical evidence says no. Going public… and going private: Lots of this going on “Spin-control” and “framing” The media and signaling to other countries Does the executive branch control media content in USFP? The media is more reliant on the government for content in foreign affairs The extreme case: The Pentagon and embedding 3000 reporters in Iraq Inter-branch conflict and leaks