Download Mass Media

Mass Media and the Political Agenda
AP U.S. Government and Politics
Edwards – Chapter 7
“The press in America… determines what
people will think and talk about, an authority
that in other nations is reserved for tyrants,
priests, parties, and mandarins.”
- Theodore H. White
The Media
• Since the late 20th Century, the American political
system has been in a period of high-tech politics.
– Behavior of individuals and the political agenda are
increasingly shaped by technology.
• Mass media – Television, radio, newspapers, the
internet, and other means of popular
communication.
– Also called the press or the news media.
– News – The news media’s version of reality.
The Mass Media Today
• Today, politicians use the media to gain control over
the political agenda.
– Politicians use media events to send messages to the
American public.
– Sixty percent of presidential campaign spending is on TV
ads.
– Media events and commercials are used to convey a
positive image of a politician or candidate.
Historical Development of the Media
• The earliest U.S. newspapers were supported by
political parties.
– The Federalist vs. anti-Federalist debate played out in various
partisan newspapers.
– partisan press – newspapers and other communication
media that openly support a political party and whose news
tends to follow the party line.
• Technological innovation brought about the gradual
decline of partisan newspapers.
– Papers were cheaper to produce, freeing printers from their
dependence on the political parties for money.
• “Yellow Journalism,” based on the use of pictures, comics, and color,
emerged as a way to attract readers.
Historical Development of the Media, cont.
– Many publishers felt yellow journalism was excessive, and
sought to report news more responsibly.
– This led to objective journalism, which was based on
presenting facts instead of opinions and being fair by
reporting all sides of an issue.
• In the 1920s, hundreds of radio stations were
broadcasting in the U.S.
– At first, the government didn’t regulate radio.
– The Communications Act created the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC).
• Placed restrictions on radio in terms of political content.
• Television followed in the 1950s.
– The “Fairness Doctrine” required broadcasters to be
objective.
Historical Development of the Media, cont.
• The development of cable television changed the role
of media in politics.
– Since cable is privately owned and not broadcasted over
public airwaves, cable stations didn’t have to comply with
the Fairness Doctrine.
• Cable caused the FCC to rescind the Fairness Doctrine.
– Many radio stations began airing political talk shows.
– Rupert Murdoch launched Fox News, a cable news network
that appeals to conservatives.
• In the 1990s, the internet was developed.
– This made it easy for more people to become involved in
politics through blogs or websites.
Reporting the News
• The quest for profit determines that journalists
consider newsworthy.
– Most news stories come from well-established sources,
like Congress or the White House.
• Reporters are assigned beats, specific locations from where
news usually comes.
– Most news stories are compressed into segments that
are about thirty seconds long.
• Americans usually hear sound bites, about 10 seconds long,
instead of speeches.
Functions of the Media in the U.S.
• For most people, politics is a second-hand experience,
something observed through the media.
• The media act as gatekeepers, determining which
events will be covered.
• The media is responsible for reporting the news.
• Signaling function - the media has taken the responsibility of alerting
the public to important developments as they occur.
– The media is also responsible for setting the policy agenda.
• The policy agenda is the collection of issues that attract the attention
of public officials.
• Agenda setting represents the power of the media to focus the
public’s attention on particular events or problems.
• Most national media cover the same stories and usually interpret
them similarly.
Functions of the Media in the U.S., cont.
– Entertainment is another function of the media.
• Sometimes, TV shows or music artists can have subtle or overt
political messages.
– The media also has a common carrier function, where it acts
as a political forum.
• The media serves as a way for politicians (and regular citizens) to
express their ideas.
– Debates, letters to the editor, etc.
– The media also identifies public problems.
• “Watchdog Function”
• The media exposes problems such as pollution, corruption, crime,
and economic problems.
• This helps set the public agenda and creates pressure for politicians
to address those problems.
Functions of the Media in the U.S., cont.
– The media acts as an important agent of political
socialization.
• People’s beliefs and ideology are shaped in part by the media’s
programming.
– The media is always trying to make a profit.
• Because ad revenue is based on popularity, media outlets try
to appeal to the largest amount of people possible.
• This impacts what a media outlet will report or show.
– Advertisers have pulled commercials from TV broadcasts
because they found the content objectionable.
Current News Media Trends
• Four major trends exist in today’s news media.
– Corporate Ownership and Media Consolidation
• Modern media is dominated by a few mega-corporations.
• The top six media chains account for 90% of news media content.
– Narrowcasting
• Targeting media programming at specific populations within society.
– Infotainment
• TV programs that blend political news and information with
entertainment.
– Increasing Use of Experts
• News media employ consultants from different disciplines.
Media Bias
– The media now has a partisan function.
• This refers to media actors’ efforts to influence public response to a
particular party, leader, issue, or viewpoint.
– Traditional media is neutral, for the most part, in their
coverage.
• Broadcast Networks, Newspapers
– The most successful talk shows lean conservative.
• Rush Limbaugh, FOX News
– The most popular liberal talk shows are based on comedy.
• The Daily Show, Real Time with Bill Maher
– Most successful political blogs on the internet have a liberal
bias.
Media Bias, cont.
– Narrowcasting – targeting media programming at
specific populations within society.
• FOX News and MSNBC target people with specific ideologies.
– Many critics feel that the media has a liberal bias overall.
• Citizens of both parties feel that the media isn’t trustworthy.
– Some critics feel that racial bias exists in the media,
where the media portrays minorities more negatively
than it does whites.
– Many feel that the media has a commercial bias,
avoiding controversial issues to try and keep their
audiences as large as possible.
Attention to News
• The U.S. news system is larger than ever.
– Despite this, the interest in news has declined since the
1980s.
• The development of cable made it easier for people to avoid the
news.
• Newspaper circulation also declined.
– Today’s daily news audience consists mainly of older adults.
• 40% of young adults pay little or no attention to news.
• Young adults are more likely to see biased outlets as legitimate
news.
• Is there an age “information gap” between older and younger
Americans?
Role of the Media in Campaigns
• Media, especially TV, plays an important role in campaigns in three
major ways.
– Advertising – Election campaigns spend the majority of their money on
TV advertising because most Americans get their political information
from TV.
– Management of News Coverage – Campaigns try to create news
coverage by setting up media events.
• Every campaign tries to put a positive spin on news related to their campaign.
– Debates – Candidate's performance in debates is important because
they are widely watched.
• Debates allow the candidates to project their image to voters.
• Horse race journalism – coverage that focuses on who is “ahead”
rather than the issues.
• The internet is also now a popular medium with campaigns.
– Advertising, recruiting volunteers, raising money
Media and the Government
• Because of media influence, government officials
keep close tabs on the news.
• Communication between elected officials and the
media occurs in several ways.
• Press releases – documents offering official comments or
positions.
• Press briefing – relatively restricted session between a press
secretary and the press.
• Press conference – unrestricted meeting of public officials with
reporters.
Media and the government, cont.
• The media cover all three branches, but the
president gets the most coverage.
• The attention of the press to the White House allows the
president to appear on TV on very short notice.
– Bully pulpit – an advantageous position allowing one to make
his views known and rally support.
• The president’s press secretary is in charge of daily
communication between the White House and the
media.
• The press secretary must convince the media of the
importance of the president’s position and defend his
decisions.
Media and the government, cont.
• Congress’ size makes it difficult for the media to
cover.
– Media usually concentrates on the Speaker of the
House, Majority & Minority Leaders, and heads of
prominent committees.
• Less coverage is given to the Supreme Court.
– Most justices don’t seem eager to become more media
friendly.
• Media coverage of the three branches is
disproportionally negative.
– Especially President and Congress
Government Regulation of Media
• The Telecommunications Act of 1996 eliminated many
of the rules that once governed media.
– This led to the creation of media conglomerates, one
company that owns many media outlets.
• Television and radio are subject to greater regulation
than newspapers and magazines.
– TV and radio signals are sent out to the public, therefore are
governed more strictly.
• Tension between government and media usually is a
result of broadcasting sensitive information.
– In 2010, WikiLeaks released classified documents and the
government said this endangered the lives of American
soldiers serving in the Middle East.