1. Chapter 15 The News Media

2. Roots of the News Media in the United States
Click to view chart showing where people get their news by percentages.
Where do people get their news?
Mass media includes
Print sources
Movies
Radio
Television
New Media

3. Print Media Early partisan press Penny press Yellow Journalism
Photo Caption: Did the practice of yellow journalism contribute to the rise of objective journalism?
In this 1898 cartoon titled “Uncle Sam’s Next Campaign—the War Against the Yellow Press,” yellow journalism is attacked for its threats, insults, filth, grime, blood, death, slander, gore, and blackmail. The cartoon was published in the wake of the Spanish- American War, and the cartoonist suggests that, having won the war abroad, the government ought to attack yellow journalists at home.
Print Media
Early partisan press
Penny press
Yellow Journalism
Muckraking

4. Radio News FDR’s fireside chats Today AM Talk—conservative dominance
Link to Web sites to play students an excerpt from the different talk radio programs.
Radio News
FDR’s fireside chats
Today
AM Talk—conservative dominance
Liberals: National Public Radio
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5. Comedy News: SNL, the Daily Show, the Colbert Report
Photo caption: What is C-SPAN?
C-SPAN, shown here, is a public access channel that (through the main channel and its affiliates) provides gavel to gavel coverage of the House and Senate. It also airs a variety of other public affairs programming.
Television News
Network News
Cable News: C-SPAN
Comedy News: SNL, the Daily Show, the Colbert Report
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6. Social networking sites
New Media
The Internet
Blogs
Redstate.org, dailykos.com
Social networking sites
Facebook, Twitter
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7. Today most Americans get their news from _____.
LO 15.1
Cable TV
the Internet
Radio
Local TV
Newspapers
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8. Today most Americans get their news from _____.
LO 15.1
Cable TV
the Internet
Radio
Local TV
Newspapers
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9. Current News Media Trends
Photo caption: How does media consolidation affect news coverage?
When basketball star LeBron James announced he was, “Taking his talents to South Beach,” he created a boon for Disney, the parent company of television networks ABC and ESPN. He made his official announcement on ESPN, after much hype and promotion, and then he did the rounds on ABC’s news shows the next day. Critics charged that this insulated coverage prevented James from having to answer the hard questions about his departure from Cleveland.
Differentiate between private ownership and government ownership of the media. Explain consolidation by explaining that the top ten media chains account for more than 50 percent of daily circulation, while fewer than 300 of the approximately 1,400 daily newspapers are independently owned.
Use the photo or other examples to illustrate the concerns.
Consolidation of privately-owned media
Top 10 media chains account for more than 50% of daily circulation
Concerns
Market pressures
Control of the flow of information
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10. Conglomerate vs. Subsidy Interests?

11. Fierce competition to attract viewers and the rise of cable and satellite television have led media outlets to move toward narrowcasting. Define narrowcasting as targeting media programming at specific populations within society. Illustrate with examples such as those listed above.
Narrowcasting
Fierce competition to attract viewers and the rise of cable and satellite television have led media outlets to move toward narrowcasting
Fox News versus MSNBC
Spanish-language news programs on stations such as Univision and Telemundo
Black Entertainment Television
Radio w/ Delilah. :-/
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12. Increasing Use of Experts
Click to see the break down of party affiliation by news source.
Most journalists do not specialize
Increasingly rely on experts
How objective are these experts?
How does party affiliation of the journalists affect citizens’ news sources?
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13. The rise of citizen journalists
LO 15.2
Citizen Journalists
The rise of citizen journalists
Internet
Traditional media
Pro: Democratization
Con: Untrained in rules and standards of journalism
AKA terrible at delivering actual news
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14. Rules Governing the News Media
Photo caption: How do journalists use information obtained on deep background?
W. Mark Felt, former associate director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shown here on Face the Nation, spoke to Washington Post reporters on deep background during the Watergate scandal. Known only as “Deep Throat,” Felt provided information crucial to linking the Richard M. Nixon administration to the break-in of the Watergate Hotel. His true identity was not revealed for more than thirty years, when he went public in 2005.
For dealing with sources, use Deep Throat or another example.
Journalistic Standards
Dealing with sources
On the record
Off the record
Getting a story right v. getting a story first
Ombudsmen
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15. Journalistic Standards
LO 15.3
Journalistic Standards
On or off the record
On background: vaguely attributable
Deep background: Not attributable
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16. Government Regulations
Prior restraint
Media ownership
Telecommunications Act of 1996
Federal Communications Commission
Content regulations
Equal time rule
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17. The Supreme Court case NY Times v. U. S
The Supreme Court case NY Times v. U.S. (1971) concerning the publication of the Pentagon Papers affirmed the principle of
media ownership.
content regulation.
the equal time rule.
prior restraint.
protection of unnamed sources.
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18. The Supreme Court case NY Times v. U. S
The Supreme Court case NY Times v. U.S. (1971) concerning the publication of the Pentagon Papers affirmed the principle of
media ownership.
content regulation.
the equal time rule.
prior restraint.
protection of unnamed sources.
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19. How the News Media Cover Politics
How the Press and Public Figures Interact
Press releases
Press briefings and press conferences
Covering the Presidency
Receives the most media attention
The press secretary
Covering Congress
Covering the Supreme Court
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20. News Media Influence on public opinion
Toward Reform: News Media Influence, News Media Bias, and Public Confidence
Use examples to illustrate agenda setting and framing. For example:
Agenda setting: media coverage of an immigration law enacted by the state of Arizona in 2010 ignited citizens’ passions about the issue and made it a hot topic in many congressional campaigns.
Framing: an experiment conducted by one group of scholars found that if a news story about a Ku Klux Klan rally was framed as a civil rights story (i.e., a story about the right of a group to express their ideas, even if they are unpopular), viewers were generally tolerant of the rally. However, if the story was framed as a law and order issue (i.e., a story about how the actions of one group disrupted a community and threatened public safety), public tolerance for the rally decreased.
News Media Influence on public opinion
Sway people who lack a strong opinion
Bring attention to issues removed from daily lives
Agenda setting: Arizona in 2010?
Framing: law and order OR civil rights!?!
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21. Iesha Evans – ‘woman in the dress’

22. Media bias unavoidable--journalists are human.
News Media Bias
Media bias unavoidable--journalists are human.
Media generally thought to be liberal.
Prefer good stories over issue analysis.
Can be charmed by interesting personalities.
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23. Figure 15.1: Where do Americans get their news?
Back
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25. Table 15.1: How does party affiliation affect citizens’ news sources?