American Government and Organization PS1301 Friday, 21 November

Do the News Media Matter? Most people believe the media exert considerable influence on public opinion Early studies of media effects following WWII emphasized the importance of propaganda Later studies found “minimal effects” Debate continues

Influence on the Agenda Setting the Political Agenda What people believe is important Crisis

Influence on Policy News media's coverage of an issue can put tremendous pressure on government officials to act. Government officials also try to influence media coverage through “Spin control”. Reciprocal relationship

Changes in the Media Changes in the conventions of journalism Changes in the sources from which the public obtains its news Changes in the pattern of media ownership.

Changes in Coverage Partisan press (early 1800s) Formal ties to political parties or other political interests. Formal ties to political parties or other political interests. Penny press (1830s): Emphasized human interest stories rather than business and political news in its bid to attract readers Emphasized human interest stories rather than business and political news in its bid to attract readers “Yellow Journalism” (1890s) emphasized sensational and sometimes lurid news coverage. emphasized sensational and sometimes lurid news coverage. “Objective” press (1920s) Emphasizes that journalists should strive to keep their opinions out of their coverage of the news. Emphasizes that journalists should strive to keep their opinions out of their coverage of the news.

Changes in News Consumption Decline in Newspapers Rise in cable television Rise in talk radio Rapid growth in the internet

Decline in Newspapers

Rise in Television

Trends in News Consumption

News Ownership Concentration of news ownership In 1981, just 46 corporations controlled a majority of the business in newspapers, radio, television, magazines, books, and movies. By 1990, the number had shrunk to 20. In 1995, Walt Disney Company bought Capital Cities/ABC (the parent company of ABC); Westinghouse bought CBS, and Time-Warner bought Turner Broadcasting (the parent company of CNN). In 1999, Viacom, owner of MTV, Nickelodeon, and UPN, bought Westinghouse/CBS. In 2000, Time-Warner merged with America Online.

Ownership of Newspapers In 2003, the Gannett Company owned USA Today as well as 99 other dailies, and Knight-Ridder owned thirty-one daily newspapers, including the Detroit Free Press, the Miami Herald, and the Philadelphia Inquirer

What is news? Conflict Wars, fires, heated debates, scandals Wars, fires, heated debates, scandalsProximity Pack journalism Television, splashy video

Ideological Bias Polls show that roughly half of all Americans believe the news media are ideologically biased Most complaints accuse journalists of a liberal bias The claim that the media promote liberal causes and undermine conservative ones might seem odd. After all, three times in the 1980s and once again in 2000, the American public elected a conservative candidate president; conservative hosts, as we have seen, dominate talk radio; and Bill Clinton certainly received considerable negative news coverage.

Coverage of Bush and Clinton

Campaign Coverage Horse Race Photo ops Sound bites Election Night 2000 debacle The role of the VNS The role of the VNS When Americans were asked to grade coverage of the 2000 campaign, 69 percent gave it a grade of C or lower.

Attention to News and Bush Approval Prior to 9/11 Source: Pew Research Center For The People & The Press, 15 July 2001

Approaches to Studying Media Effects Public Opinion Surveys* Experiments Compare aggregate opinion data and media content (content analysis)* Merging of content data with survey data (for each individual)

Attention to News and Bush Approval – September 6 Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president? Source: Pew Research Center For The People & The Press, 6 September 2001

Attention to news and Bush Approval After 9/11 Source: Pew Research Center For The People & The Press, 19 September 2001

Media Effects Selective perception People often see the same events differently; recall the role of party id. People often see the same events differently; recall the role of party id.