Mass media - Kenston Local Schools
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Transcript Mass media - Kenston Local Schools
Chapter 6
THE MEDIA
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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?
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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
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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
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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
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Figure 6.2
Audiences of Selected Media Sources
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Magazines
More specialized news than daily
newspapers
Can influence attentive policy elites
Two-step flow of information then
influences mass opinion
However, circulation also has declined
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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
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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
Internet
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Television
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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
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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
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Compared With What?
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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 only about 300 public TV
stations and 400 public radio stations
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Private Ownership of the Media
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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
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Figure 6.3
Getting the News: Consider the Source
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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
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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
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Government Regulation of Media
Although privately owned, mass media
regulated by government
Broadcast media more regulated than
print media
Technical regulations
Ownership regulations
Content regulations
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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
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Politics of Global Change
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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
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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
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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
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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”
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Figure 6.5
Gagging on Late-Night TV
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
Talk radio dominated by conservatives
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Figure 6.6
Partisanship and the Credibility of the News
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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
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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
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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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