Just how much influence should they have…

Role of the Media in the Political Process

Key Functions of the Media  Entertainment Mass media emphasizes entertainment Popular programs are continued, while programs that receive low ratings are cancelled  Informing the Public News Reports- American newspapers have reported political news since the late eighteenth century (ex: The Federalist Papers) Radio and television stations provide their audiences with varying degrees of news programming

Key Functions of the Media  Creation of Political Forums Politicians use the mass media to promote their careers and draw public attention to their issues The president has direct access to the media and is thus able to use it to help set the policy agenda

Media as a Linkage Institution  Mass Media connects people and communicates public opinion to their government officials interviewing citizens, presenting poll results, and covering protests  Connect government officials to the public interviewing political leaders and reporting on government committees and programs

Presidential Debate  want-moderator-keep-quiet-next-debate html want-moderator-keep-quiet-next-debate html

The Media and Politics  Agenda Setting The policy agenda consists of issues that attract the serious attention of public officials The mass media play an important role in drawing public attention to particular issues Determine what news to cover ○ Play a role in deciding what issues will get national attention and this influence the national agenda

Candidate-Centered Political Campaigns  Political campaigns have become more centered on candidates and less focused on issues  Presidential Debates between Kennedy and Nixon (television replaces newspapers and radio as America’s principal source of political news)

“The Living Room Candidate” 

Candidate-Centered Campaigns  The mass media contribute to the candidate-centered campaigns in the following ways By replacing speeches and dialogues with sound bites that average just 7.8 seconds in length By focusing on day-to-day campaign activities such as rallies, scandals, gaffes, and negative commercials By engaging in horse-race journalism, which emphasizes how candidates stand in the polls instead of where they stand on the issues

Current Trends in Modern Media  Internet and Cable TV becoming more of a trend with younger voter demographics  Article: “Millennial Makeover”  Article: “Feeding Frenzy”  SNL, Tonight Show, etc.  Article: “Strange Bedfellows”  Result- growth in the airing of political views but a decline in the objectivity of news delivery

Current Trends in Modern Media  Americans perceptions of political affairs depend on the news sources they follow  Lack of a common version of reality  Contributed to greater polarization in the nation’s policies  Article: “How the Mass Media Divides Us”  Consider: Consequences of concentration of ownership of media outlets?  Increased similarity in network news coverage