1. Chapter 7
Mass Media and the Political Agenda

2. What can we use Media for?
Use media to activate Presidents
Hurricane Katrina
Civil Rights Era
Media produces immediate response.
How should we govern?
What Should the government do?
Not the intentions of founding father, not set up to move that fast

3. High Tec Politics Politics is shaped by Technology
Mass Media- TV, Radio, and Internet
How does the government use this for their benefit?
Media Events- planned event to get information to people, just for coverage, ordinary people
GOTV Get on TV- 30 Second of TV more important than 12 hours of shaking hands (60% Campaign spending on TV)

4. How has media developed?
Old Ways- letters to letters
Roosevelt- invented media through Radio
1,000 Press conferences + Fireside Chats
Feed the correct story, get reelected,
Media- report badly, he will cut you out of press conference
Personal Life is off limits- Roosevelt in a wheel chair, say what?

5. Boredom leads to Scrutinization
A new type of Journalism
Less investigation more accusations
Investigative Journalism-use in-depth reporting to unearth scandal, scams, and schemes
Politicians v. Reporters
No more what they do only why.
Claim a complete and accurate look. Is this true?
Yellow Journalism- look for the violence and corruption without regard to the truth

6. What is Happening to the flow of information?
News Papers- New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, etc… Die, Die
Readers are more informed politically
100,000 words to hear story compared to 3,600 on TV
Radio Broadcast, had to pay attention to words
TV- Nixon v. JFK- looks compared to words
Sickly looking, TV replaced Radio during that debate

7. Fight for President in Media
1934 FCC- Federal communication commission
No Monopolies-cant own more than 35% of market
Must Serve the Publics Interest
Candidates- Fair Time-abolished in 1980’s
Multiple Stations-

8. NarrowCasting
Draw in the Younger Crowds with multiple options in Media
MTV, ESPN, C-Span (Specialize Politics)=less watching of politics
Could get more information, but we choose fun over politics
Cable Politics
Only 11% used for written and edited stories
Reporter spoke extemporaneously (impromptu)
Repeat stories without new info
Spotty ignoring main points and facts
Down goes Journalism- about making money not giving stories

9. Internet Limitless line of info to make decisions
Limitless distractions-information is not always true, retract without knowing

10. Website neutrality

11. Conglamorats add

12. Media Conglomerates
A company owns large numbers of companies in various mass media such as TV, radio, publishing, movies, and the Internet
Ownership is concentrated
Content is homogonized