1. Mass Media and Public Opinion Chapter 8

2. THE MASS MEDIA Section 3

3. What is Mass Media Mass media is any method of transmitting information to large numbers of individuals at a single time. A medium is a means of communication. – Television – Internet – Newspapers – Radio – Magazines Impact politics because they inform the public about political issues.

4. Television Television became widespread in the 1950s Today it is the most pervasive medium of mass communication. – 98% of American households – Replaced radio as most important medium in the 1960s – 80% of the population gets their news from television. Columbia Broadcasting System, American Broadcasting Company, and National Broadcasting Company are most dominant networks Have been losing influence to 1.) CNN, Fox, MSNBC, etc. 2.) Internet & 3.) Public Broadcasting System

5. The Internet Becoming a leading source of political news. Internet became pervasive throughout the 1990s – Younger people prefer to get information from internet rather than television or newspapers. – Digitization of newspapers – Weblogs – 141 million by 2010. Often express political views of ordinary individuals.

6. Newspapers First American Newspaper (1705) 10,000 newspapers published in the U.S. today. – Number of newspapers is on the decline. – Still a major source of political information, publish more in-depth discussion and analysis than television or other mediums. – Computerization of newspapers.

7. Radio Radio became available in 1920. By the 1930s, radio became the most pervasive medium. The average person still hears about 15 hours of radio each week. – Few radio broadcasts discuss political issues however. – Talk radio – political bias.

8. Magazines 12,000 magazines published in the United States today. Trade publications, interest groups publications, and news magazines.

10. The Media and Politics Media shapes the public agenda – Determine what public issues matter to some extent. Candidates attempt to utilize mass media to their benefit.

11. Sound bytes and Ads An attempt to “sell” an idea or candidate. – Marketing strategy

12. Benefits and Limits of Mass Media Helps shape the public agenda Influences electoral politics In-depth media coverage is available to those who look for it, particularly on the internet. Changing nature of the media allows for more people to actively participate in discussions Publication of poll results allows media to show how public opinion is measured. Only a small number of people follow media very closely. People tend to be selective in choosing political coverage. Much media content is shallow and unrelated to political affairs. Media, such as radio and television, tend to carry only short reports on general news and politics. Newspapers and television depend on advertising revenue, which can sometimes dictate coverage.