1. The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
Chapter 7
The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry
Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy
Fourteenth Edition

2. Introduction Mass Media:
Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet and other means of popular communication
High-Tech Politics:
Politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology

3. The Mass Media Today Media Events: Image Making News Management
Effective communication through media is key to political success.
Media Events:
Events purposely staged for the media that nonetheless look spontaneous.
Image Making
News Management

4. The Impact of the Internet
Wider range of information
More biased? Less accurate?
Potential to inform?
Since Americans are generally disinterested in politics, they will not necessarily use the Internet for political information. (2% News)
Blogs
additional information / opinion

6. Only a small number of TV stations are publicly owned in America.
Private Control of the Media
Only a small number of TV stations are publicly owned in America.
Media are totally dependent on advertising revenues.
Chains:
Account for over four-fifths of the nation’s daily newspaper circulation
Also control broadcast media

8. Reporting the News Beats:
specific locations from which news frequently emanates.
Trial Balloons:
an intentional news leak for the purpose of assessing the political reaction
Reporters and their sources…
depend on each other.

9. Presenting the News Superficial describes most news coverage today.
Sound Bites: short video clips of approximately 10 seconds
Major TV networks devote less time to covering political candidates

10. Many people believe the news is biased in favor of one point of view.
Bias in the News
Many people believe the news is biased in favor of one point of view.
Generally is not very biased toward a particular ideology
News reporting is biased towards what will draw the largest audience—good pictures and negative reporting

11. Partisan Bias
Back

13. The News and Public Opinion
Television news
Agenda-setting effect
Provides criteria
Which the public evaluates political leaders.
Provides coverage
Some stories or events can be made more important or less important.

14. The Media’s Agenda-Setting Function
Policy Agenda
The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time
Policy Entrepreneurs
People who get an issue placed high on governmental agenda
Use media to raise awareness of issue

15. The Media and the Scope of Government
Media as watchdog restricts politicians
Government met with skepticism which restricts scope of government
If media identifies a problem, it forces government to address it, which expands the scope of government

16. Start
Thursday

17. Individualism and the Media
Candidates appeal to people on television
Easier to focus on one person like the president, than groups, e.g., Congress or the courts
Democracy and the Media
“Information is the fuel of democracy.”
But news provides more entertainment than information; superficial.
News is a business, giving people what they want.

18. Summary
Media shape public opinion on political issues and influence policy agenda.
Broadcast media have replaced print media over time.
Narrowcasting and the Internet are further shifting media.
Seeking profits, media are biased in favor of stories with high drama.

19. Additional Info - THE MASS MEDIA
Remy Summary-A
Additional Info - THE MASS MEDIA
The Fourth Branch of Government - “The Mass Media”?
Newspapers
98 % 1 paper cities - 78 % of circulation by chains
National weekly magazines (Time,USN, Newsweek)
Can set national agenda
Wire services (AP, UPI) employ reporters worldwide
Used by more newspapers today (cut costs)
Electronic Media (Radio, TV, Cable, Internet)
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Regulates broadcast ownership & content
Almost all media are privately owned
Ownership has become less diversified

20. Information that is “useful” (gov/econ/bus)
CH 19- THE MASS MEDIA
Remy Summary-B
What makes “news” ?
Information that is “useful” (gov/econ/bus)
Information that is “popular” (entertainment)
The President -80 % of nat. gov. media coverage
TV has great impact presidential campaigns
Focus on key leaders in Congress
The First Amendment (Freedom of the Press)
No prior restraint
National security exceptions
National security v citizen’s right to know
Pentagon Papers (1971)
No laws against criticizing government officials
Shield laws in some states (36 states, Ohio = Yes)

22. ERAS OF THE AMERICAN PRESS PARTY PRESS
NON-Edwardian Info
ERAS OF THE AMERICAN PRESS
PARTY PRESS
PARTIES STARTED & SUPPORTED NEWSPAPERS
POPULAR PRESS
MASS CIRCULATION
“YELLOW JOURNALISM”, “MUCKRAKERS”
MAGAZINES OF OPINION
MIDDLE CLASS PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT
ELECTRONIC JOURNALISM
RAPID NEWS REPORTING
CHANGED THE WAY WE VIEWED POLITICIANS

23. POPULAR PRESS “YELLOW JOURNALISM” TABLOID NEWS SENSATIONALISM

25. Number of Newspapers

26. Circulation monthly decline

27. WHO READ THE NEWSPAPER YESTERDAY ?

28. WHICH NEWSPAPERS ARE READ EACH DAY

29. WHO READ THE NEWSPAPER YESTERDAY?

31. Where Americans Get News
Back

32. News Generation Gap
Back

33. Sources of Campaign News
Back

35. A FREE PRESS IS RARE IN THE WORLD (17% OF THE NATIONS)
GOVERNMENT RESTRAINTS ON THE AMERICAN MEDIA
LIBEL, OBSCENITY, INCITEMENT
(BUT NO PRIOR RESTRAINT ?)

37. OF THE AMERICAN NEWS MEDIA
THE MEDIA
HISTORY & STRUCTURE
OF THE AMERICAN NEWS MEDIA
GOV’T CONTROL OVER RADIO AND TV BY THE F.C.C.
LICENSING
DECENCY STANDARDS
GOV’T INFLUENCE ON THE NEWS
LEAKS
(TRIAL BALLOONS, PERSONAL ATTACKS)
BACKGROUND STORIES
(INSIDER INFORMATION)
PUNITIVE MEASURES

38. SELECTION OF NEWS (BIAS) (AND MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE)
THE MEDIA
SELECTION OF NEWS (BIAS)
THE NATIONAL PRESS IS STAFF BY PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE LIBERAL THAN THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL.
(AND MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE)

40. MASS MEDIA MAY NOT REFLECT REALITY
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SLANTING THE NEWS
1-SELECTION OF NEWS TO COVER
70% IS PREPLANNED (THOM. DYE)
2-WRITING AND EDITING PROCESS
3-INTERPRETATION OF THE NEWS
4-EMPHASIS OF THE NEWS

41. Media Bias Questions about effects of media bias.
Media bias unavoidable--journalists are human.
Media generally thought to be liberal.
Recent growth of conservative news sources.
Looking at good stories over issues.
Can be charmed by interesting personalities.

42. Confidence in the Media
General confidence is on a downturn.
Republicans are more critical than Democrats.
Democrats and Republicans use different sources.
Ideological fragmentation may be cause for concern.
People tend to choose news that supports their opinion.

43. THE INFLUENCE OF THE MEDIA
IS QUESTIONABLE
SHALLOW INFORMATION
“SOUND BITES”
SELECTIVE VIEWING
WATCH WHAT WE AGREE WITH

47. THE MEDIA DOES INFLUENCE THE POLICY AGENDA
ROLES OF THE PRESS
*GATEKEEPER
DECIDING WHAT IS NEWS
*SCOREKEEPER
DECIDING WHO IS “WINNING”
*WATCHDOG
EXPOSING “SCANDLES”

48. LOADED WORDS REPETITION

59. Presidential Press Conferences
Back

60. THE MEDIA IMPORTANT TERMS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATTACK JOURNALISM
CANNED NEWS
COMMUNITY NEEDS
EQUAL-TIME RULE
FAIRNESS DOCTRINE
FEATURE STORIES
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (FCC)
INSIDER STORIES
LOADED LANGUAGE
MARKET (TELEVISION)
MUCKRAKER

61. THE MEDIA IMPORTANT TERMS
LOADED LANGUAGE
MARKET (TELEVISION)
MUCKRAKER
OFF THE RECORD
ON BACKGROUND
RECKLESS DISREGARD
RIGHT-OF-REPLY RULE
SELECTIVE ATTENTION
SOUND BITE
TRAIL BALLOON
“YELLOW JOURNALISM”

62. THE MEDIA QUESTIONS
1-DOES THE DESIRE OF AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS TO BE “OBJECTIVE” MAKE AMERICANS LESS INFORMED? SHOULD THE UNITED STATES HAVE THE PARTY PRESS LIKE MANY EUROPEAN NATIONS?
2-DOES A POPULAR PRESS PANDER TO THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR OF INTEREST AND TASTE?
3-EXPLAIN HOW LOCALISM & DECENTRALIZED QUALITIES OF THE AMERICAN NEWS MEDIA CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROMOTION OF DEMOCRACY?
4-IF MOST REPORTERS HOLD LIBERAL VIEWS WHY HASN’T AMERICAN SOCIETY BECOME MORE LIBERAL OVER THE YEARS?

63. AP - THE MEDIA QUESTIONS
5-DEFINE THE WATCHDOG ROLE OF THE PRESS. IS IT GOOD OR BAD FOR DEMOCRACY?
6-WHAT SORT OF ISSUES WOULD YOU EXPECT THE MEDIA TO HAVE THE MOST IMPACT?
7- WHAT LIMITS SHOULD THERE BE ON FREEDOM OF THE PRESS?