Mass media - St. Pius X High School
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Transcript Mass media - St. Pius X High School
Chapter 6
The Future of the Media
The
printed daily newspaper as we
know it in decline
More and more people access news
and information via the Internet
Important questions:
Is democratic accountability threatened
by the loss of newspapers?
Is web-based journalism democratizing?
People, Government, and
Communications
Mass
communication transmits
information to large audiences
Mass media do the communicating
Print media
Broadcast media
Media
has important role
Information from government to citizens
Information from citizens to government
The Development of Mass
Media
in the United States
Print
and broadcast media primary
means to convey political messages
Newspapers
Radio
Television
Internet
And sometimes, music and film
Newspapers
First
U.S. newspapers not really
mass media
Number of newspapers published has
declined over time
Most cities and towns have only one
traditional daily newspaper
Figure 6.2
Audiences of Selected Media
Sources
Magazines
More
specialized news than daily
newspapers
Can influence attentive policy elites
Two-step flow of information then
influences mass opinion
However,
declined
circulation also has
Radio
Regular
radio broadcasting began as
local broadcasts in 1920
Coast-to-coast broadcasts first heard
in 1937
More than 13,000 licensed stations
today
Audiences continue to grow
News and talk radio popular
Television
First
major broadcasts in 1940; color
and coast-to-coast broadcasts in
1951
In 2009, U.S. had over 1,300
commercial and 300 public television
stations
Around 99 percent of homes have TV
TV has biggest news audience after
Television
The Internet
Began
in 1969 as connection
between four universities (ARPANET)
Later networks linked in 1983,
creating Internet
Used mainly for e-mail among
researchers
World
Wide Web (WWW) created in
1991 by European physicists
Over 70 percent of Americans use
Internet
The Internet
Majority
of government agencies and
political organizations have websites
Private citizens operate websites and
blogs on politics and public affairs
Rapid way to transmit information and
mobilize public opinion
Major stories starting to originate on
blogs; many authors consider selves
journalists
Compared With What?
Private Ownership of the Media
In
U.S., private ownership of media
taken for granted
China has Internet police to prevent
“subversive content”
In some countries, print media privately
owned but broadcast media run by
government
U.S.
has about 300 public TV stations
and 400 public radio stations
The Consequences of
Private Ownership
Private
media ownership means more
political freedom, but also
dependence on advertising revenues
When looking at overall coverage, media
functions more for entertainment than
news
Criteria for newsworthiness is audience
appeal
Figure 6.3
Getting the News: Consider the
Source
Market-Driven Journalism
Larger audiences earn higher advertising
rates
Outside agency determines market share
of shows for broadcast media
So, news broadcasts and commercials
are targeted for viewing audiences, both
national and local
Major news organizations like CBS, ABC,
and NBC are part of larger corporations
Must make a profit
The Concentration of
Private Ownership
Media
owners increase profit by
increasing audiences or purchasing
other publications or stations
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation
owns Fox, the Wall Street Journal, and
MySpace
Some analysts concerned about control
of news by only a few owners
Propose non-profit newspapers
Government Regulation of
Media
Although
privately owned, mass
media regulated by government
Different then State Sponsored Media
Broadcast
media more regulated than
print media
Technical regulations
Ownership regulations
Content regulations
Technical and
Ownership Regulations
Federal Radio Act (1927) first licensed radio
stations to impose order on frequency
allocation process
Federal Communications Act of 1934
established Federal Communications
Commission (FCC)
An independent regulatory commission
Today regulates radio, TV, telephone, telegraph,
cable, and satellite
Telecommunications Act of 1996 eliminated
many rules and regulations
Telecommunications Act
of 1996
Deregulated
Media in the US
Concentration of media into Media
Conglomerates
Viacom, News Corp, Time Warner, Viacom, General
Electric (NBC-Universal) & Disney
TV market ownership up to 35%
NBC, CBS, ABC & Fox
No limit on radio market ownership
Clear Channel
Independent Media has difficult time
competing
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Regulation of Content
The First Amendment prohibits Congress
from abridging freedom of the press
Federal courts have decided many cases
defining how far freedom of the press
extends in various areas
Most news allowed, except for strategic
information during wartime
FCC initially designed to ensure radio
and TV served the public interest
Fairness doctrine and equal opportunity
rule
Regulation of Content
Fairness
doctrine repealed in 1987
U.S. Court of Appeals struck down
rules regulating political
endorsements and personal attacks
in broadcast media
Print media not subject to restrictions
Some
advocate deregulation of
broadcast media
Functions of the Mass Media
for the Political System
Reporting
the news
Interpreting the news
Influencing citizens’ opinions
Setting the agenda for government
action
Socializing citizens about politics
Reporting the News
News media reports on important political events
with journalists on location
Washington, D.C. has largest press corps
Media relationships with president controlled by
the Office of the Press Secretary
Opportunities include news conferences,
press releases, “background information,” “off
the record” comments, and “photo
opportunities”
Reporting on Congress
Must be accredited to sit in press
galleries
Most news comes from press releases
and congressional reports
Sometimes have “leaks” of information
Live coverage of Congress and its
committees not common until House
allowed broadcasts in 1979
Senate broadcasts started in 1986
C-SPAN feeds to 90 percent of cable
systems across the country
Interpreting and
Presenting the News
Media executives, news editors, and
reporters function as gatekeepers of news
flow and validity
Personification makes news more
understandable
Rise of Internet has made more views
available
More information available, but no
gatekeepers to check validity of content
Media Coverage of
Elections
Personification
of political news
encourages horse race journalism
Most Americans want more coverage of
issues
Changing poll numbers and “media
events” considered more newsworthy
Where the Public Gets Its
News
Newspaper most important source until
1960s, then TV
Today, 65 percent of Americans name TV
or cable news networks as primary news
source
Newspapers 14 percent
Internet 11 percent
Multiple sources used by many, including
late-night talk shows
What People Remember and
Know
Although 80 percent of public access news
media each day, most retain little
National survey in 2009 found respondents
could only answer five of 12 questions
about current events correctly
Those who rely on TV retain less than
those who read print media
Some media researchers believe TV is
behind low level of citizen knowledge about
public affairs
Television Hypothesis
Figure 6.5
Gagging on Late-Night TV
Influencing Public Opinion
Difficult
to measure extent of media’s
influence on public opinion
Does the media create public opinion
by its reporting of events?
Studies on specific areas, such as
pretrial coverage of serious criminal
cases, show significant influence
Setting the Political Agenda
Most
scholars see media’s greatest
influence in its ability to identify
issues needing government attention
Media can force government to address
unpopular or unknown issues
Some issues, such as crime,
disproportionately covered
Public
also influences media
coverage
Setting the Political Agenda
Politicians
eager to influence media
coverage
Public opinion
Opinions of attentive elites
Presidents
sometimes “go public” to
advance a political agenda
Setting the Political Agenda
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Socializing the Citizenry
Young people politically socialized via
media’s entertainment function
Media reinforces dominance of
existing culture and order
Today, messages about government
very different than in past
Media has contradictory roles in
process of political socialization
Evaluating the Media
in Government
Some
believe news filtered through
ideologies of media owners, editors,
and reporters
Reporters tend to be liberal (32%)
rather than conservative (8%)
Editors and owners more
conservative - control content
Talk radio dominated by
conservatives
Figure 6.6
Partisanship and the Credibility of the
News
Evaluating the Media
in Government
In
general, incumbents receive more
news coverage than challengers
Political bias in coverage depends on
the party in power
Media may also be biased in the way
news stories reported
Contributions to Democracy
Most
political communications from
government to citizens through media
News reporters tend to be critical of
politicians, serving watchdog function
Media polls enable reporting of public
opinion on major issues
Necessary for majoritarian model of
government
Effects on Freedom, Order,
and Equality
Media
has played important role in
advancing equality
Media coverage of civil rights movement
critical to its success
However,
media resists government
efforts to use it to promote public
order
What is balance between free press
and national security?
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