2.  Free Press essential in keeping government from abusing power.  The mass media, including newspapers, radio, television, and the Internet, have had a profound impact on politics. In today’s media-savvy world, politicians are highly visible to the public.  This has both positive and negative consequences for policymakers, campaigns, and the public’s trust in government.

3. The Mass Media Today  High-tech politics: The American political system in which behavior of citizens and policymakers and the policy agenda are shaped by technology.  The mass media are a key part of that technology  Modern political success depends upon control of the mass media. 1. Media events 2. Image

4. The Development of the Mass Media  The daily newspaper is largely a product of the late 19 th century while radio and television have been around only since the first half of the twentieth century.  FDR was the first President to use the media effectively.  He saw the press as an ally and scheduled two press conferences a week.  Press had more boundaries.

5.  The Watergate scandal and the Vietnam war changed the government’s relationship with the press, as the press became more suspicious about political motives.  Today the press engage in investigative journalism, often with the intent of revealing political scandals.  Use Polls to investigate Public Opinion  Straw Polls  Scientific Polls  Exit Polls  Can create Bandwagon effect

6. Print Media  Only a few newspaper chains own all of the newspapers in the United States, as well as radio and television stations. These major corporations have significant control over information conveyed in the media.  Newspaper readers tend to be politically informed, active citizens, but newspaper circulation has been drastically declining since the advent of television. (Internet!)

7. The Broadcast Media  Now, most Americans, especially young people get their information from the broadcast media.  Television shifts the public’s focus from a politician’s achievements and political views to his or her appearance and performance in front of the cameras.  Cable television encourages narrowcasting, which allows viewers to select information they do and do not want to see.

8. Reporting the News  Newscasting is a business geared toward achieving high ratings.  This can have detrimental consequences for both the political agenda addressed in the news and for the political knowledge of Americans.  Profits determine what is newsworthy.  Journalists have regular beats such as the White House, Senate, etc. Info is received from press secretary.

10.  Information is reported through sound bites, which gloss over the complexity of the issues  Bias is not apparent so much in the way news is presented, but it is a factor in determining what news is reported and what news is not.  Dramatic stories of violence or conflict are ratings grabbers.

11. The News, Public Opinion, and the Media’s Agenda-Setting Function  The mass media have an enormous influence over the public agenda.  By selectively assigning importance to certain issues, the media essentially tell Americans what to think about.  Politicians, interest groups, and protestors use the media to their advantage by staging dramatic media events to draw attention to themselves and their message.