Chapter 7 Government Review

Martin Gurri:

"The Revolt of the Public"

Americans generally believe that the media should:

(1) inform the public about current political issues and events; (2) provide a forum for candidates, politicians, and the public to debate policies and issues; (3) act as a watchdog on the actions of politicians and government.

Trust in the government has been declining since the

1960s

Today, around

86 percent of Americans get their news digitally: two-thirds of which get their news at least sometimes from news websites

"The New Censorship" (Martin Gurri)

federal intervention in digital speech. (government is going to police and control the web)

The American news media are among the world's

freest and most diverse

Disinformation

intentional

How do you attract the audience?

more appealing images for people to look at (salacious images and headlines)

tsunami of information

more exposure = less trust in institutions

Partisan media

news organizations that mix opinion-driven journalism with factual reporting in order to appeal to consumers who are ideologically liberal or conservative; often characterized by ideological agenda setting, priming, and framing

Mainstream news organizations

organizations that adhere to the principles of journalism by doing original ,balanced, factual reporting, using unpaid, credible sources: conducting interviews ethically: and avoiding personal bias by editors or reporters

News aggregators:

organize content from diverse digital sources. ~ Drudge report: most successful news aggregator

Unlike mainstream news organizations,

partisan media appeal to users who are strongly ideologically liberal or conservative.

Contributing to low trust in the news media, today many news sources are

perceived as distinctly left- or right-leaning, and, as discussed earlier, people have a tendency to select ones that conform with their political beliefs (known as confirmation bias)

framing

the process of presenting information from a certain perspective in order to shape the audience's understanding of that information.

5th wave

tsunami of information

"crisis of authority"

we don't trust our leaders

Assess why citizens have different levels of trust in the media

Whatever media they choose, people's reasons for relying on their main source are relatively consistent. Significant majorities, regardless of the platform or media, say it is very important to them that the news organization they name get the facts right, always have the latest news, and make it easy to find the information they are looking for. However, there are a few differences between why Americans might rely on television news compared with other types of media. For example, 7 in 10 people who rely on either national or local television news say it is very important that the source covers all the day's events. That compares to about 5 in 10 people relying on a newspaper, online site, or specialized niche publication.

right of rebuttal

a Federal Communications Commission regulation giving individuals the right to have the opportunity to respond to personal attacks made on a radio or television broadcast

Tanya routinely posts in an online Reddit forum for progressives who advocate for abolishing the police. All of her news and information comes from interactions on the Reddit forum. This would be an example of

a filter bubble

adversarial journalism

a form of reporting in which the media adopt a skeptical or hostile posture toward the government and public officials.

One consequence of media monopolies may be

a growing distrust of the press

An application or feed that collects web content such as news headlines, blogs, podcasts, online videos, and more in one location for easy viewing is known as

a news aggregator

confirmation bias

a tendency to favor information that confirms a person's existing beliefs; it involves discounting evidence that could disprove or challenge those beliefs

Aggressive use of the techniques of investigation, publicity, and exposure has

allowed the news media to enhance their autonomy and carve out a prominent place for themselves in American government and politics

Gurri Nihilism

argues if you push the system of negation far enough and DON'T provide an alternative to how you are going to change it, it leads to the destruction for the sake of destruction.

Opinion-driven journalism

blurs the boundaries between objective journalism and subjective reporting. Some forms of delivering the news can lean in too much on entertaining and validating the audience, which can distract from the facts of the event. This can happen when information is published as quickly as possible, with minimal fact-checking (journalism of assertion) or with the deliberate affirmation of the audience's preexisting beliefs (journalism of affirmation).

Misinformation

false, inaccurate, or misleading information in the media, especially social media; often targeting political candidates and leaders, misinformation can include manipulated or fabricated content, satire, and parody content to the public via airwaves on electromagnetic frequencies.

When covering the coronavirus pandemic, a news organization may choose to emphasize how this public health crisis disproportionately affected the African American Latino communities. This would be an example of the media's ability to _______________ the issue as one involving racial disparities in health outcomes.

frame

media monopolies

giant, often global, corporations that control a wide array of media, including television networks, movie studios, record companies, cable channels, book and newspaper publishers, and digital media outlets

"pose of regulation"

giving the finger to authority

The trend toward less variety in traditional media has

has been accelerated by changes in media ownership, due to the relaxation of government regulations

Right of Rebuttal:

have an opportunity to respond

Equal Time Rule:

have to give each side the same amount of time (Democrat and Republican)

Social media:

incredibly important. Instrumental source of information for younger people. ~ driven by algorithms

Regulations also require that

individuals be granted the right to rebut personal attacks (the right of rebuttal)

The media serve three main purposes:

informing the public about current political issues and events; providing a forum for politicians and the public to debate issues and ideas; and act as a watchdog on the actions of politicians and the government.

Disinformation:

lie deliberately to the opposition (government is always afraid)

Priming:

make some criteria more important than others. For example when evaluating a politician

Partisan media:

mixed opinion with reporting ~ appeal to ideological consumers ~ adversarial journalism: example

Drudge report

most successful news aggregator . ~ Post 2016 drudge report becomes anti-Trump

Where do most Americans receive their news?

news aggregators, like Google News

Two-thirds of American get their news at least sometimes from

news aggregators, with Google News being the most popular

Mainstream new organizations:

news organizations that are reputable ~ engage in original reporting ~ principled journalism: example ~ fact check, verify sources

Citizen journalism

news reporting and political commentary by ordinary citizens and bystanders, advocacy groups, and eyewitnesses to crises, often using cell phone images or video and distributed via social media.

The freedom to speak one's mind is one of the most cherished

of American political values

A principled journalist is

one that works to be as accurate as possible, relying on original sources, being transparent, and covering multiple viewpoints

Filter bubble:

partisan media ecosystem in which users are exposed to information or opinions that confirm their beliefs

filter bubbles

partisan media environments in which users are exposed primarily to opinions and information that conform to their existing beliefs; constructed by algorithms that analyze and then personalize each user's online experience

Which of the following terms refers to reporting that strives to be as accurate, fair, and balanced as possible, rely on original sources, be transparent about citing sources, and present multiple viewpoints

principled journalism

media

print and digital forms of communication, including television, newspapers, radio, and the Internet, podcasts, and social media intended to convey information to large audiences

In the United States,

print and online media are essentially free from government interference, but broadcast media are subject to federal regulation

3rd wave

printing press

The _____________ may be the most disruptive technology of all time

printing press

Under federal regulations, broadcasters must

provide candidates seeking the same political office equal time to communicate their messages to the public

4th wave

radio and TV

Waves:

refers to how information flows/ evolve

Part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, known as the Communications Decency Act, attempted to

regulate the content of material transmitted over the internet, but the law was overruled by the Supreme Court in 1997

Principled journalism

reporting that involves being as accurate, fair, and balanced as possible, relying on original sources, being transparent about citing sources, and presenting multiple viewpoints

The rise of online media requires

revising our thinking about regulation of the media, as it is more difficult—some say impossible—to regulate political content online

The power of the media lies in their ability to

shape what issues Americans think about and what opinions they hold about those issues

algorithms

software programs that analyze the viewing, liking, and commenting data of all of platform's users, as well as individual users' prior data, to present users with additional content tailored to their individual interests instead of ordering posts based on the most recently published (as broadcast media do).

newspaper

still important but is declining

Public broadcasting refers to

television, radio, and digital media that receive partial funding from license fees and government subsidies.

When asked to name their main source for political news, the responses of about two-thirds of Americans indicate

that they consume what Pew defines as mainstream news

What is a media monopoly?

the concentration of media ownership by a few large corporations

The political power of the news media vis-à-vis,

the government has greatly increased in recent years through the growing prominence of adversarial journalism

53 percent of Republicans and 78 percent of Democrats say their main source of political news is

the mainstream media which suggests that Americans are turning to mainstream news sources often

agenda setting

the media's designation of some issues, events, or people as important and others not

Media monopoly:

the more money you make the more interest you will have in a monopoly.

Nassim Taleb's Transparency paradox

the more transparent a system, the more flaws you see.

Agenda setting:

the power of media to bring public attention to a particular issue (acting as a gatekeeper)

Framing:

the power of the media to influence how events and issues are interpreted (reinforce angle)

Mainstream news organizations adhere to

the principles of journalism as discussed at the beginning of this chapter—they do original reporting, verify sources as credible, and fact-check content

priming

the process of calling attention to some issues, and not others, when reporting on political events and officials

journalism of assertion

the publishing or broadcasting of information or opinion as quickly as possible, with minimal fact-checking

journalism of affirmation

the putting forth of opinion and information that is consistent with the consumer's preexisting beliefs

equal time rule

the requirement that broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office equal opportunities to communicate their messages to the public

As major newspapers, television stations, and radio networks fall into fewer and fewer hands,

the risk increases that politicians and citizens who express less popular or minority viewpoints will have difficulty finding a public forum

While digital media hold promise for improving access to political information citizens need,

the shift toward online media has also given rise to several major concerns

An important way in which social media differ from traditional broadcast media is in

their extensive use of computer algorithms to personalize individual user content

Individuals' confirmation bias and digital algorithms can make people susceptible to

to filter bubbles and media echo chambers, which may increase social and political polarization

Most journalists are

trained in schools of journalism and mass communication and are guided by standard in reporting the news in the public interest

Conformation bias:

we favor information that confirm our own bias. ~ ignore information that challenges our bias

news aggregators

websites that pull together news from a wide range on online sources and make them available on one platform or page; news aggregators can be a way to avoid partisan or filtered news, providing a broad overviews of the news of the day from many sources

Adversarial journalism:

where the journalist adopts stances of oppositions. Make a specific point in ideology

Principled Journalism:

where the journalist aims to be fair and balanced (accurate)(open) (use original sources) (multiple viewpoints and let the readers decide for themselves)

Negation

where you have to tears things down that need to be torn down or at least heavily reformed

All media is

biased

What effect has "Big Tech" had on news media?

Transforming media from news organizations to digital and citizen journalism has led to less rigorous fact-checking.

The main sources of media power are

agenda setting, framing, and priming

radio has been in ________ for a long time

decline

1st wave

Chinese developed writing

Alarm Mode:

Get the attention now

Identify the sources of political news and how the news is delivered

Examples of sources include but are not limited to official records, publications or broadcasts, officials in government or business, organizations or corporations, witnesses of crime, accidents or other events, and people involved with or affected by a news event or issue. Some of the ways it is delivered is by television, websites, and social media platforms.

American radio and television are regulated by the

Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an independent agency. Generally speaking, FCC regulation applies only to the over-the-air broadcast media. It does not apply to cable television, the internet, or satellite radio

How has partisan polarization affected the media?

Many mainstream news sources are not explicitly ideologically biased in one direction or another. Rather, most are centrist.

6 big media companies

News Corp (21st Century Fox), Sony, Time Warner, Comcast, Viacom, Disney.

opinion-driven journalism

Political blogs and talk shows where the writer or host provides highly opinionated personal commentary, usually through conversations with guests; these formats blur the boundaries between objective journalism and subjective reporting

Which of the following is the best definition of the media?

Print and digital forms of communication--including television, newspaper, radio, the internet, and social media sites--that convey information to large audiences

Patrol Mode:

Provide greater depth (talk about it later)

How do the media influence American politics?

The media influence what issues Americans think about through gatekeeping and agenda-setting and how Americans think about the issues through priming and framing of news coverage.

Describe the key roles the media play in American political life

The media is allowed to circulate information and opinions without restrictions by the government. The media helps inform the public about current political issues and events; provide a forum through which candidates, politicians, and the public can debate policies and issues; and to act as a watchdog on the actions of the gov. and political actors. Individuals learn about politics, current events, gov. policy, political candidates, and parties from the news media. Journalists seek to report news in the public interest: report truth, verification of sources, eyewitnesses at events, and credible institutions. For-profit media are motivated to write/cover news that audiences want (dramatic or conflicting issues). Because many powerful and popular media is controlled by one company, minority voices have trouble spreading their views.

Which of the following statements about the media is correct?

There is a consolidation of print media ownership, with a majority of the daily print newspapers in the United States owned by a few large media conglomerates.

Which of these statements regarding Americans' trust in the media is true?

Those with greater trust in national news organizations tend to be more likely to see the news media as gaining influence, while those with low levels of trust tend to see it waning.

The power of the media to draw public attention to particular issues and problems is called

agenda-setting

Media revenue comes from

advertising

Telecommunications Act of 1996

called the deregulation of media (important piece of legislature)

An individual is driving and witnesses a police officer using force on a man stopped at the side of the road. The individual records the incident and posts his eyewitness account of the event online. This would be an example of

citizen journalism

The advent and accessibility of the internet and social media platforms has allowed for the growth in

citizen journalism, which helps enrich the diversity of media coverage on critical events

2nd wave

classical republics of Ancient Mediterranean

media eco chamber:

closed communication system in which each of these sites are verifying and repeating what the others are saying (their own bias).

media echo chamber

closed communication systems in which individual beliefs are amplified or reinforced by repetition; they may increase social and political polarization because users do not encounter opposing views.

TV, radio, and newspapers:

commend a large audience

Misinformation is a

common problem, as fake news and other untrue or false content, such as conspiracy theories, can substitute for real news online

broadcast media

communication methods such as television and radio; they tend to take the form of one publisher (e.g., a television station) to many (viewers).

Which term refers to the tendency to favor information that confirms a person's existing beliefs and discount evidence that could challenge or disprove their beliefs?

conformation bias

Broadcast v. news websites:

digital sites owned by newspaper ~ behind a pay wall ~ want them to be adversarial not principled bc of pay wall subscribers. ~Ex: NewYorkTimes.com

news websites

digital sites that are owned and managed by newspapers, follow the principles of journalism, and deliver content like that of print newspapers, with similar story layout for all users regardless of location, demographic characteristics, partisanship, or friend networks

citizen journalism:

done by ordinary citizens (by standers, eye witness). Record with cell phones. Ex: George Flyod

TV has gone _______ in popularity

down (trend is down)

Misinformation

false and inaccurate information from social media (unintentional)