1. Mass Media
Linkage Institutions

2. How do people get information?
Linkage Institutions
Mass Media
How do people get information?

3. Linkage Institutions
Mass Media

4. Mass Media Linkage Linkage Institution
They link the people to the government by giving them information about government activities and actions of political candidates
100
They provide government with information about the population through reporting public opinion polls
They allow political candidates to communicate with the public directly on a very large scale.

5. Mass Media Linkage Linkage Institution
The mass media creates permanent links between the people and the government.
People are likely to interact with the media as a linkage way more often than political parties or interest groups
100
They allow people to interact with the government as well as with the other linkage institutions

6. Print Media
Mass Media

7. Mass Media Print Print Media Newspapers Magazines News websites
“Blogs”

8. Mass Media Print Print Media Examples New York Times Wall St. Journal
Washington Post
Time Magazine

9. Mass Media Print Advantages
Have the freedom to offer more in depth coverage – can go as long as the printed pages allow
Better at being able to explain issues.
It’s less time sensitive

10. Mass Media Print Disadvantages
These sources may require a more educated audience
Less people pay attention
It requires more effort from the audience which might limit the audience

11. Mass Media Print Freedom of the Press
The First Amendment guarantees that we have a “free press”
The govt cannot control what information the print media reports
No prior restraint – govt cannot censor the print media for any reason

12. Broadcast Media
Mass Media

13. Mass Media Broadcast Broadcast Media Television Radio
Internet news video
Podcasts

14. Fox (but not necessarily FoxNews)
Mass Media
Broadcast
Broadcast Media
NBC
CBS
ABC
Fox (but not necessarily FoxNews)
All radio

15. Mass Media Broadcast Advantages Allows for live coverage
More people are willing to pay attention
Government officials use it to reach more people than print

16. Mass Media Broadcast Disadvantages
Tends to focus on being entertaining
Rarely has enough time devoted to any one subject to “explain”
Is only “in the moment” - does not have the lifespan of print media

17. Mass Media Broadcast Regulated
Media that uses the “airwaves” is regulated by the government.
There are some rules that apply
to these outlets.
So they don’t have the same total freedom that print media does

18. Agenda Control
Mass Media

19. Mass Media Agenda Control Public Agenda
The list of issues that the people want the government to deal with
The most pressing issues tend to be “at the top” of the agenda
Government officials that rely on the public for their jobs must pay attention to those issues the public is concerned about in order to keep their positions

20. Mass Media Agenda Control Agenda Control
Media outlets make choices about what stories to cover and which to ignore
Placing stories first in the news broadcast or on the front page of the paper are the most important to the media
Covering stories day after day shows the media thinks it is important and ignoring them shows the media does not think the issue matters

21. Mass Media Agenda Control Agenda Control
This can shape which issues get dealt with by the government
This can impact which candidates win elections
This can impact how many voters turn out to participate in elections

22. In some cases, these are deliberate decisions of media outlets
Mass Media
Agenda Control
Agenda Control
In some cases, these are deliberate decisions of media outlets
In others, this is just an effect of what types of stories are popular – since all media are money making businesses

23. Mass Media
Agenda Control

24. Mass Media
Agenda Control

25. Mass Media
Agenda Control

26. Candidate Evaluation
Mass Media

27. Mass Media Candidate Evaluation Candidate Evaluation
Media makes choices about how it covers candidates
Media makes choices about WHICH candidates are deserving of media coverage
These choices make or break a candidate’s chances in an election

28. Media cannot devote equal coverage to all candidates in a race.
Mass Media
Candidate Evaluation
Candidate Evaluation
Media cannot devote equal coverage to all candidates in a race.
Candidates with a real chance of winning will merit more coverage than those who probably won’t win
Choosing which other candidates get covered has real impact on whether they can come back or not.

29. Media cannot devote equal coverage to all candidates in a race.
Mass Media
Candidate Evaluation
Candidate Evaluation
Media cannot devote equal coverage to all candidates in a race.
Candidates with a real chance of winning will merit more coverage than those who probably won’t win
Choosing which other candidates get covered has real impact on whether they can come back or not.

30. Mass Media
Candidate Evaluation

31. Mass Media
Candidate Evaluation

32. Bigly Ideas
Beliefs & Behaviors

33. Mass Media Wrap Up Linkage Institution Print Vs Broadcast
Agenda Control
Candidate Evaluation
Focus on these things: