1.  “A People who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both” James Madison  “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the later.” Thomas Jefferson

2. The Media  Newspapers, television, radio, internet, blogs  Most people’s knowledge of politics come from the media

3. Functions of the Media  Entertainment  Reporting the news  Indentifying public problems  Socializing new generations  Providing a political forum  Making profits

4. Journalism in American Political History  The Party Press  Papers very partisan, never gave both sides of an issue  Days of Party Press = few people read newspapers  The Popular Press  Changes in society and technology made possible self-supporting, mass readership daily newspapers  Rise of mass circulation = rise of mass politics  Magazines of Opinion  Progressive periodicals that discussed issues of public policy; focused on investigative reporting  Development of magazines of opinion = development of interest groups  Electronic Journalism  Radio and TV changed journalism forever  TV dominance = politicians talking to voters  The Internet  Allows citizens to have a larger role in politics  Internet = politicians and voters talking to each other

5. The National Media  Consists of:  Wire services  National magazines  Television network evening news broadcasts  CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc.  Newspapers with national readerships  Roles played  Gatekeeper  Scorekeeper  Watchdog

6. Competition in Media  Little competition in newspapers, but radio and TV are intensely competitive and just keep getting more so

7. Rules for the Media  Newspapers almost entirely free from government regulation, but radio and television are highly licensed and regulated  FCC license required to operate a radio or TV station  Some movement lately to deregulate  Confidentiality of Sources  Reporters want it, government doesn’t  Supreme Court allows the government to compel reporters to divulge information in court if it bears on a crime