Chapter 12

The Capital press corps in Texas is?

comprised of reporters from various news outlets

which of the following political stories is most likely to receive significant media coverage from multiple networks?

Election Day is tomorrow

sound bite

A short, quotable phrase by a public official or political candidate that may sound good on television or radio but lacks depth and often is meaningless

in a 2013 survey, approximately what percentage of the public thought that news organizations protect democracy?

50

which of the following can be considered a sound bite?

A brief utterance made by a candidate that is portrayed out of context.

issue-attention cycle

A pattern in which public interest in an issue or problem is heightened by intensive media coverage. Media attention and public interest will win after government take steps to address their concerns, but most issues or problems are never permanently resolved. Another crisis, perhaps years later, will restart the cycle.

Media Bias

A perception—sometimes real, sometimes imagined—that reporters and news organizations slant their news coverage to favor one side or the other in particular issues or disputes.

negative television ads

A television commercial in which a political candidate attacks an opponent, sometimes over a legitimate issue, but more often over an alleged flaw in the opponents character or ability to hold office. Many such ads are deliberately misleading or outright false.

agenda setting

A theory that the media's choice of which news events and issues to cover helps define what is important for the public to know and which issues should be addressed

what was the main reason Ted Cruz was able to defeat lieutenant governor David Dewhurst for the republican US Senate nomination in 2012?

An aggressive grassroots campaign

What sets the Dallas Morning News apart from other major metropolitan newspapers in Texas?

It is owned by a Texas based company

Open Meetings and Public Information Acts

Laws that require state and local governmental bodies to conduct most of their actions in public and maintain records for public inspection.

what does the watchdog function of the media include?

Monitoring and assessing governmental outcomes and officials

which of the following best describes small-town weekly newspapers in the United States?

Most are oriented primarily to their local communities

if you wanted to attend a meeting of the city Council or see minutes of a meeting, you would be able to do so as a result of the _____.

Open meetings and public information acts

Capitol press corps

Representatives of Texas newspapers, television and radio stations, and wire services who are assigned to Austin full time to report on state government and politics.

what prompted the Dallas morning news to begin to improve its news coverage in the 1970s?

Stronger competition

which of the following is most likely to attract media coverage of a political event?

conflict

Influential Texas newspaper publishers of the 1940s and 1950s joined with other business leaders to control conservative Texas politics through what alliance?

The conservative, big business, big oil establishment

Editorial autonomy

The freedom of a local newspaper or television station to set its own news policies independently of absentee owners who may run a chain of media outlets throughout the country

while more Americans are spending more time with the news today than over the past decade, what factor serves to complicate this in a negative way?

The increasing consumption of online news sources

according to a 2012 national survey, members of which of the following groups are most likely to believe that the media have a political bias in their coverage of the news?

conservatives

spin

The presentation of information in the best possible light for a public official or political candidate. It usually is provided by a press secretary, campaign consultant, or another individual representing the office holder or candidate

why is a Free Press considered fundamental to democracy?

The press serves as an important link between the people and the government and allows citizens to make informed decisions.

agenda building

The process of groups or individuals identifying problems or issues that affect them and keeping pressure on policymakers to develop and implement public policy solutions

why do many opinion leaders fear the increasing use of paid commercials, soft news, and "talking head" commentary concerning politics?

The proliferation of biased coverage is destroying Americans interest in politics

Why was Rick Perry successful as a gubernatorial candidate yet anemic as a presidential candidate?

The strong conservative trend in Texas made his campaign for governor fairly easy

which of the following best describes how bloggers cover politics?

They get information from traditional media sources and add their own commentary

which statement about the open meetings and public information acts is true?

They help the media hold the government accountable.

when the media focus attention on a particular issue or problem, thereby influencing what the public thinks is important, the media are ____.

agenda setting

when Amazon.com founder Jeffrey P Bezos purchased the Washington post in 2013, what did he promised to do?

allow the post to continue to practice independent journalism

how can a candidate with little funding best reach out to many in the electorate at low cost?

are using free and low cost social media such as Facebook and Twitter

which best describes why it is increasingly becoming more difficult for Capitol reporters to develop stories that expose wrongdoing?

as the ranks of Capitol reporters then, their duties and capabilities are being stretched.

in January 2016, the pew research Center conducted a survey about the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries. Which news source was cited as most helpful in informing voters, according to the survey?

cable television

The current mix of political information and opinion sources _____.

has made it more difficult to distinguish fact from opinion

Frontier Texas newspapers were often____.

highly partisan

what is a basic difference between news reporters and government public relations (PR) specialist?

reporters filter information, and PR specialists spin it

with the expansion of online news sources, which is highly likely to occur?

increased perception of media bias

what did a recent national survey find regarding the public esteem in which journalists are held?

it has been declining

which statement about so-called "citizen journalist" is true?

it is hard to distinguish between those who are honestly interested in informing the public in those who simply want to promote an ideology or business

The percentage of Americans getting their news from which source has increased in recent years?

mobile devices

why does it behoove newspapers from a business standpoint to cover cases of government corruption?

newspapers are a business and like any other, they seek to earn a profit.

what is the pitfall of the issue-attention cycle?

over time, interests in certain issues Wayne and as a result, they are not fully dealt with

Horse-race campaign coverage tends to focus on ____.

poll results

which of the following would considerably limit the editorial autonomy of a Texas newspaper owned by a national company?

rules that state all opinion articles must support a particular party

The proliferation of various news sources has allowed consumers to____.

tailor their news consumption to their own tastes

why are traditional media outlets today much more eager to challenge the political and business establishment then they were in the mid20th century?

there is a high level of distrust of government now

which statement about news consumption by young adults in the United States is most accurate?

they consume less political news than do older Americans

based on historical data, incoming decades what is likely to occur regarding interest in politics among the current teen generation in the United States?

they will likely grow more interested those are objectivity is questionable

early news coverage of Democrat Wendy Davis's personal background during the 2014 governor's race raised questions about what topic?

whether a candidate's gender influences media coverage