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The Media
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HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED, READ, OR
LISTENED TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?
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Mass Media: Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet and other means of popular communication that reach, and profoundly influence, not only the elites but the masses.
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History of the media Once upon a time in America… There was no:
Internet Television Radio There were newspapers, and they were massively partisan
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Over time, newspapers became cheaper and easier to operate
Their readership expanded and they tried to appeal to more people Partisanship and bias didn’t go away, but they were subdued
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1848 – The Associated Press (AP) is created – journalists pool their resources
Yellow Journalism Late 1800s Pulitzer and Hearst Sensationalism (violence, corruption, war and gossip) Progressive Journalism Muckrakers Investigative reporting
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Then radio happened and television happened
These networks focused on “broadcasting”; trying to reach a large audience through tv and radio signals Big Three NBC (National Broadcasting Company) CBS (Columbia Broadcasting system) ABC (American Broadcasting Company)
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These stations brought the government into people’s homes like never before
Coverage of WWII, Vietnam, Kennedy and MLK assassinations
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Television news was limited; basically only three places to get tv news
Then came cable The rise of 24 hour news networks Fox CNN MSNBC “narrowcasting”
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The Internet and social media
Rising in importance TV is shrinking Ease of access for citizens and politicians But…most people still get their news from major news outlets, just the online version
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Coverage of Politicians
Press Conferences Press follows political leaders everywhere; president is most scrutinized person in the world Why do presidents and other leaders allow press access?
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Media Events and Photo ops
Allow politicians to shape their image and push their agenda Free advertising Sometimes political players send out “trial balloons” They leak ideas to the press to gauge the public’s reaction
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WHAT MESSAGES ARE BEING SENT BY THIS PRESIDENT FROM THE FOLLOWING PHOTO-OPS?
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Sound Bites In order to keep viewer’s attention, the media often dilute candidates words into short easily packaged quotes called “sound bites” that stay in voters’ minds Candidates sometimes emphasize these same segments Sound bites have gotten shorter with each passing decade
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“READ MY LIPS, NO NEW TAXES!” GEORGE H. BUSH (1988)
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“ COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATISM” GEORGE W. BUSH
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“I will build a great, great wall.”
DONALD TRUMP
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“I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT WOMAN!”
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“ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU…”
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“I AM NOT A CROOK!” RICHARD NIXON
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“MR. GORBACHEV, TEAR DOWN THAT WALL!” RONALD REAGAN
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Media play three significant roles in American politics
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#1 They are the Gatekeepers
Media decide what stories are “newsworthy” and so they have a lot of influence over the political agenda
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#2 They are the Watchdogs
Starting in the 1970s, largely due to events like the Vietnam war and Watergate scandal, investigative journalism reached a new high Reporters saw it as their job to expose government corruption and mismanagement Adversarial press Has led Americans to view the government much more negatively
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#3 They are the Scorekeepers
Who’s up? Who’s down? Who’s winning? Who’s losing? Sometimes called “horserace journalism”
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Pressing questions Are we more informed about politics now or less?
Do people get both sides of the story? Is the media biased?
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Are WE more informed about politics now or less?
Generally less No more “incidental exposure”
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Do people get both sides of the story?
Kinda Selective exposure is real though
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Is the media biased? Well…many studies have shown that journalists tend to be liberal and favor democrats Most Americans think the media is biased in favor of liberals Even Democrats think the media is biased in favor of liberals However, most studies have not drawn this conclusion Why not?
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Media outlets have to appeal to a broad base of advertisers and viewers
Most Americans are moderate Outlets would lose viewers if they were really as partisan as people say
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Government regulation of the media
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Freedom of the press American press have A LOT of freedom, more than most countries Libel – printed lies Slander – spoken lies Lying is not illegal; but if the lies are used intentionally to defame someone, the injured party may sue
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New York Times v. United States (Pentagon Papers)
Prior Restraint Government cannot censor something before it is published What if government secrets are leaked to the press? Can these be published? Near vs. Minnesota New York Times v. United States (Pentagon Papers)
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On the record – officials willing to be quoted and named
Off the record – Information cannot be used in any way On background – Information can be reported, but not attributed to the source by name On deep background – info can be reported, but there can’t be any type of connection to the source Anonymous sources Sometimes “whistleblowers” fear being discovered Sometimes people won’t talk to journalists unless they are granted anonymity Is there a problem with “unnamed sources”?
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What if anonymous sources reveal criminal activity?
Shield laws
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Regulation of the airwaves
FCC – Federal Communications Commission TV and radio stations need a license, newspapers do not Equal time and right of reply Fairness Doctrine Doesn’t exist anymore
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