AP Gov Chapter 10 vocab

trial balloon

Information provided to the media by an anonymous public official as a way of testing the public reaction to a possible policy or appointment.

fairness doctrine

A former rule of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that required broadcasters to give time to opposing views if they broadcast a program giving one side of a controversial issue.

muckraker

A journalist who searches through the activities of public officials and organization seeking to expose conduct contrary to thee public interest. The term was first used by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 to warn that antibusiness journalism, while valuable, could be excessively negative.

adversarial press

A national press that is suspicious of officialdom and eager to break an embarrassing story about a public official.

background story (news)

A public official's explanation of current policy provided to the press on the condition that the source remain anonymous.

equal time rule

A rule of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) stating that if a broadcaster sells time to one candidate for office, he or she must be willing to sell equal time to opposing candidates.

political editorializing rule

A rule of the Federal Communications Commission that if a broadcaster endorses a candidate, the opposing candidate has a right to reply.

right-of-reply rule

A rule of the Federal Communications Commission that if a person is attacked on a broadcast (other than in a regular news program), that person has the right to reply over that same situation.

selective attention

Paying attention only to those parts of a newspaper or broadcast story with which one agrees. Studies suggest that this is how people view political ads on television.

sound bite

A brief statement no longer than a few seconds used ton a radio or television news broadcast.

more successful papers eliminated competition, causing what results?

-changes in circulation needs -in audience interests -in managerial style -in the emergence of nationally known writers

ways in which radio/TV are regulated that newspapers and magazines are not

-equal time rule: If a station sells time to one candidate for office, it must be willing to sell equal time to opposing candidates. -right of reply rule: if a person is attacked on a broadcast that person has the right to reply over that same station. -political editorializing rule: if a broadcaster endorses a candidate, the opposing candidate has a right to reply. -fairness doctrine: abolished, but people still follow. required broadcasters to give time to opposing views if they broadcast a program giving one side of a controversial issue.

what are the roles the national press plays?

-gate keeper: it can influence what subjects become national political issues and for how long. -scorekeeper: keep track of and help make political reputations, note who is being mentioned as presidential candidate, and help decide who is winning and losing in Washington politics. -watchdog: they decide on who to watch. they have a desire to investigate personalities and expose scandals.

Types of stories

-routine stories: these are public events regularly covered by reporters and involving relatively simple easily described acts or statements. -feature stories: public events knowable to any reporter who cares to inquire but involving acts or statements not routinely covered by a group of reporters. Thus a reporter must take the initiative and select a particular event as newsworthy, decide to write about it, and persuade an editor to run it. -insider stories: information not usually made public becomes public because someone with inside knowledge tells a reporter. The reporter may have worked hard to learn these facts, in which case we say it is "investigative reporting" or some official may have wanted a story to get out, in which case we call it a "leak" -background story: one that purportedly explains current policy and is given on condition that the source not be identified by name.

differences between newspaper and TV

-space in newspaper is cheap compared to time on TV broadcast -TV has to be brief to avoid boring the audience -number of political personalities covered by radio and TV news is much smaller than is the case with newspapers -newspaper can cover more stories in greater depth than a TV station -faces less competition from other papers than TV stations face from other broadcasters -TV must keep stories short and punchy. -newspaper reporters can develop their own stories -newspaper reporters earn less money than TV news broadcasters. -TV has little freedom but can make a lot of money.

four important periods in journalistic history

-the party press: politicians of various factions and parties created, sponsored, and controlled newspapers to further their interests. Circulation of papers was small because of poor transportation. Newspapers were expensive. Needed government/political party subsidies. -the popular press: mass-readership daily newspaper. high-speed rotary press enabled publishers to print thousands of copies of a newspaper cheaply and quickly. telegraph sent news from Washington to all over the country. -magazines of opinion: discussed issues of public policy. muckrakers were frequent contributors to the magazines. they gave opportunity for individual writers to gain a nation-wide following. -electronic journalism: radio/TV. allowed public officials to speak directly to audiences without their remarks being filtered through editors and reporters. they could reach voters on a national scale without interference of anyone else. -internet: free market; no one can ban, control or regulate it. voters and political activists can talk with each other.

market (television)

An area easily reached by a television signal. There are about two hundred such markets in the country.

insider stories

Information not usually made public that becomes public because someone with inside knowledge tells a reporter. The reporter may have worked hard to learn these facts, in which it is called, "investigative reporting," or some official mary have wanted a story to get out, in which case it is called a "leak."

feature stories

Media reports about public events knowledgeable to any reporter who cares to inquire, but involving acts and statements not routinely conveyed by a group of reporters. Thus a reporter must take the initiative and select a particular event as newsworthy, decide to write about it, and persuade an editor to run it.

routine stories

Media reports about public events that are regularly covered by reporters and that involve simple, easily described acts or statements. For example, the president takes a trip or Congress passes a bill.

loaded language

Words that reflect a value judgement, used to persuade the listener without making an argument. For example, if someone likes a politician, he might call him "the esteemed Senator Smith"; if he doesn't like him, he might refer to him as "that right-wing or radical senator."