And now... Your Favorite Chapter the Media Wilson 10 In other words - Propaganda

The Role of the Media First of all, what is the “media” It’s any form of mass communication including: Newspapers Radio Television Magazines the internet

Role of the Media Most people’s understanding of government and politics comes from the media !!

Media history The US media has more freedom than a lot of European countries The US has a long history of private ownership of media but it has two potential limits 1They have to make a profit and sometimes make up stories to entice readerships. Some truth to it but it’s very complicated 2Media bias could be an issue if reporters and editors all shared the same viewpoints

Media history In the early days the political parties controlled the press but Changes in technology and society created the popular press Telegraph, high speed presses and population concentrated in cities 1848 the AP showed up (Associated Press) which provided objective reporting and equal distribution of information

Still some crazy stuff out there Even so, the publishers views were reflected in the papers Hearst and Pulitzer and Yellow Journalism helped start the Spanish/American War in 1898 Clearly there was a profit to be made in criticizing the government and sensational news reporting!!!

Magazines The middle class favored progressive periodicals (magazines) Creation of Muckrakers - investigative reporting Readers were more sophisticated and educated Today, though, national magazines focusing on just politics account for only a very small percentage of total magazines

Bring on the radio!! Dawn of the electronic media in the 1920s Politicians could reach voters directly but it was also easy for listeners to “turn them off” TV in the 1940s eventually created short “sound bites” of info and made it harder for people to get a real understanding of events Now have cable, satellite, magazine shows and too many news programs to list “narrowcasting” is broadcasting to a segmented audience, a target group only!!

Add the internet Increasingly important as almost 50% of American households have access to it It’s free and is playing a larger role in politics Almost every candidate has a web site It easily facilitates communication between candidates and voters as well as with political activists

What does the media do? 1Gatekeeper - influences what subjects become national issues and for how long 2Scorekeeper - tracks political reputations as well as elections. Momentum in the media is vital during elections season!! 3Watchdog - investigate officials and expose scandals!! Need we mention Watergate??

Rules over the media No prior restraint - can’t stop a story Confidentiality of sources usually NOT allowed, especially if it bears on a crime Licensing of broadcast media Equal time laws for candidates including prices of commercial air time Fairness doctrine was abolished in 1987 and has allowed the rise of controversial shows like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, Other rules around elections

So, is the media biased? Generally more liberal than the average person –But public believes it more than that!! Talk radio is predominately conservative Many more conservative media outlets recently including Fox News and shows like Rush Selective attention: people only believe or remember what they want to Candidates believe the media including Johnson who gave up on Vietnam after the press did

Government and news The president is the most covered Congress coverage not equal to pres and they are resentful!! Senate more open than House C-Span covers all floor action Lots of leaks to the press Why?? Competition Not “illegal” Decentralized power

Adversarial press Press and government fighting each other since Vietnam, Watergate and Iran-Contra Competition for journalistic awards Media cynicism has created an era of “attack journalism” and that cynicism mirrors the publics view People think media has too much influence and the public is down on big business – the media is big business

Government fights back Big staffs of media people working for Congress and the president Press releases – canned news Leaks and stories only go to “favorite” reporters On-record, off-record information Presidential rewards and punishments for reporters based on their stories