POS2041: Ch. 14

C

Fox News became a conservative media outlet because A. none of these B. the owners had sincerely held conservative beliefs they wanted represented in the news C. it saw an opportunity to gain a profitable market niche by differentiating its product from that of CNN and the broadcast networks. Fox News introduced a conservative slant by hiring conservative news anchors and loosening traditional constraints on editorializing while presenting the news. D. they were paid to do so by the Koch Brothers

A

Franklin Roosevelt's first fireside chat saw such a large audience and outpouring of support, it prompted him to deliver more national radio addresses. A. True B. False

B

How many people were on Senator Joseph McCarthy's list of the so-called communists in the State Department? A. 205 B. It changed daily. C. 199 D. 81

C

The financial decline of modern newspapers can best be attributed to A. the decline of an educated readership in the United States B. the loss of newspaper barons C. the loss of ad revenue caused by the Internet D. escalating printing costs

C

The franking privilege A. allows members of Congress early access to newspaper articles to check on how they are portrayed in the media B. is responsible for the hostile relationship between elected officials and the press C. allows members of Congress free access to the postal system for official correspondence D. gives members of Congress free, unlimited broadcast time

A

The "good old days" can best be described as when the print journalists ruled the news and worked closely with politicians on the basis of mutual trust and profit. A. True B. False

A

The Watergate scandal broke, and Richard Nixon was forced to resign largely due to which of the following? A. the Senate investigation spurred by the "leaks" of "Deep Throat," later revealed to be FBI bureaucrat Mark Felt B. the media coverage of his campaign finance scandal C. the House investigation into impropriety in the savings and loan industry D. the Senate banking scandal

A

The average politician has trouble getting his or her message to voters because he or she attracts too little news coverage and direct communication is far too expensive. A. True B. False

A

The golden age of newspapers was so named because they held a monopoly over mass communication and were the only outlet for national political news. A. True B. False

B

The profusion of news across the spectrum of political ideology has resulted in a better-informed citizenry. A. True B. False

D

The proliferation of alternative media gives viewers the opportunity A. to opt out of political information all together B. to see even more sensationalized news C. to select the news sources they find most congenial with their political views D. all of these

A

The relationship between politicians and reporters is built on a tension between reciprocity and competition. A. True B. False

B

The transformation of newspapers into instruments of mass communication meant that A. politicians had more papers to monitor and therefore spent more of their time dealing with the media B. politicians frequently found themselves bowing to powerful editors and publishers C. the public no longer got its political news from the newspapers D. the number of subscribers increased

A

Thomas Jefferson explained to a friend, "The basis of our government being ______, the very first object should be to keep that right." A. the opinion of the people B. the consent of the governed C. the continuation of the Constitution D. a very strong federal government

A

To attract audience attention in the ever-changing media environment, producers and editors will often package the news in more sensational ways. A. True B. False

B

To characterize the news media businesses discredits their integrity as suppliers of vital civic information. A. True B. False

B

Today, almost ______% of television households subscribe to cable or to satellite services. A. 25 B. 90 C. 60 D. 40

B

Veteran journalists point to two specific events - the Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis - as critical in fostering a pervasive and enduring credibility gap. A. True B. False

D

When politicians participate in newsmaking, they usually have two audiences in mind: ______. A. television viewers and radio listeners B. Supreme Court justices and the lower federal court judges C. the president and those in Congress D. the public and fellow politicians

B

When politicians strategically give important information to the news media on the condition that its source not be identified by name, this is referred to as ______. A. a Watergate B. a leak C. a trial balloon D. a stopper

B

The news media serve as a strictly neutral conduit for the flow of civic information to their intended audience. A. True B. False

A

Because carrying capacity is limited, one factor used by news organizations in deciding to run a story is A. its level of controversy: conflict and disagreement are preferable to consensus B. whether it reflects the government in a positive light C. the accuracy of the information D. whether it presents both sides of the story evenly

A

Blogs have changed the media in another important way: by providing media outlets and entrepreneurs with space to develop digital-only content. A. True B. False

B

During his years in the White House, Franklin D. Roosevelt conducted very few press conferences with a regular group of White House correspondents. A. True B. False

A

If they could, politicians and the media would exploit the other since each possesses (and would prefer not to surrender) something the other needs. A. True B. False

C

In examining the case of the New York Times and the Pentagon Papers, the Supreme Court's decision stating "any system of prior restraints of expression comes to this Court bearing a heavy presumption against its constitutional validity" means A. the burden of proving prior restrain was on the president B. the burden of proving prior restraint was on the Supreme Court C. the government had to demonstrate - and, in this case, had failed to do so - that publication of the documents would damage national security D. the government had to demonstrate - and, in this case, did - that publication of the documents would damage national security

C

Joseph McCarthy always appeared before television cameras with loose sheets of paper, which he could wave at the camera and claim contained the names of known ______. A. Soviet spies in the White House B. communists in the Justice Department C. communists in the State Department D. "spies, vagrants, and other persona non grata"

A

Local TV news broadcasts are typically rated more positively in terms of believability than any other mainstream news outlet. A. True B. False

A

News producers, from journalism professors to corporate owners, fondly refer to themselves as occupying the "fourth branch of government." A. True B. False

C

Once newspaper publishers and editors freed themselves from party control, A. they quickly went out of business without the financial support B. the coverage drifted away from politics and toward human interest stories C. they discovered they were able to influence public opinion and, in turn, national politics D. the readership of the papers dropped sharply

A

Pack journalism refers to journalists following the same story in the same ways because they talk to one another while reporting and read each other's copy for validation of their own reporting. A. True B. False

B

Presidents have discovered that ______ lead(s) to more favorable news coverage. A. acting like a regular person - dinners out, family vacations, and attending church - B. foreign travel and visits to disaster sites C. supporting a position of American exceptionalism D. working on domestic policy rather than foreign policy

A

Public figures largely forfeit legal recourse to protect their reputation. Slander and libel do not apply here. A. True B. False

A

Sarah Palin's use of Twitter - rather than traditional campaign speeches - meant every tweet was covered extensively by the media. A. True B. False

B

The Sedition Act in 1798 A. encouraged printed commentary on the government B. expressly forbade any criticism of the president and Congress C. encouraged criticism of the president and Congress D. expressly forbade any printed commentary on the government

D

The greatest barrier to successful media exposure A. is the bias toward those sitting in office rather than those currently campaigning B. is the number of newspapers currently printing C. is the negative websites that tend to get the most traffic and therefore yield the most influence D. is the sheer volume of competing news stories chasing media outlets on any given news day

A

The most famous leaker in American history was "Deep Throat," who continuously provided news reporters at the Washington Post leads for investigating the June 1972 break-in at Democratic headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. A. True B. False

D

Which of the following is an example of an infotainment news program? A. House of Cards B. anything on Fox news C. Sports Center D. The Daily Show

B

Which of the following is a strategy used to monitor elected leaders? A. executive orders B. frequent elections C. memoranda D. reports

B

Working journalists are so eager to cover politics that they are willing to appear as though they are working as their paid publicists. A. True B. False