Exam 3 Study Guide
Consequences of current policymaking?
1)An increased reliance on the TV "Bully Pulpit" has intensified conflict and ill will. 2)Makes it more difficult to engage in "good faith" bargaining to get laws passed. 3)Has led to numerous government shut downs because of irreconcilable policy differences between POTUS and Congress.
Current policymaking
A strategy whereby the President promotes himself and his policies in Washington by appealing to the American public for support
The Fruits of Interactivity
Ability for the audience to give feedback, rather than just receiving messages Also allows audience members to interact with one another in new ways
Do-It-Yourself News and On-Demand Consumption
Ability to consume whenever and wherever Mobile devices, RSS feeds, proliferation of news venues, ability to customize news packages
Local Emphasis of News
Abundance of local news stories compared to sparse and intermittent state news stories Primary forms of mainstream media prohibit extensive coverage of state politics
How reporters operate at subnational levels
- tend to have less experience and less education - news organizations are typically smaller - tabloidizing news - eroding quality of news
Social desirability effects
Arise when respondents in a survey report what they expect the interviewer wishes to hear rather than what they believe
Selection bias
Arises when a sample is not representative of the population being studied Complicated by the growing number of individuals who do not respond to pollster questions or who screen phone calls
Platform Multiplication
Multiplicity of outlets due to availability of Internet and inexpensive platform Changing consumption of news, especially by younger generations who prefer streaming services rather than cable
Functions of the Media
Neither Congress nor the media needs the other as much in comparison to press ̶ Presidency relations However, media attention can also have drawbacks Visible targets to lobbying groups and rival candidates For example AOC has a plethora (might be the most challengers for any seat in the House) of challengers to her House seat. (Foxnews)
three distinct media opportunities that presidents may pursue?
News Coverage, Speechmaking, and the Press Conference
Coverage of members of Congress
Overall patterns in national coverage are that you get coverage if: 1. powerful committee chair 2. you hold a leadership position 3. you have extreme views 4. you exert a lot of PR effort 5. done something naughty etc.
What news channel perpetuated War of the Worlds?
PBS
Reliability of results can be affected by what?
Poor question format; faulty ordering of questions Poor vocabulary; ambiguity of questions Questions with built-in biases
The course of real world events
The American public holds the president responsible for the state of the nation. When events suggest that the US is doing well, popularity increases; but it drops when events imply less satisfactory outcomes for the country.
Current News Landscape
The Internet has led to a huge decline in traditional news sources. In 2011, CNN fired 50 full time photographers and journalist as part of a plan to rely more heavily on its citizen journalists via iReport. (hollywood reporter). Facts are cross referenced with Wikipedia or left behind altogether.
News Coverage
The President is the focal point of the national government, so he can count on regular and sustained news coverage from all forms of news media.
Information Literate
The ability to identify authority and experts, inquiring and seeking answers from multiple sources, and learning to use the right tools for finding information are skills of lifelong importance.
doctrine of minimal consequences
The idea that the media's influence on public opinion is somewhere between weak and nonexistent However, conventional wisdom says the opposite.•In part because scholars measure media effects as changes in voter preference However when different measures were used effects became more apparent.
What are among the most powerful forces in the marketplace of ideas, effective at being opinion makers, and have enormous impact on public attitudes, and can interpret or "frame" specific events that have a major impact on public opinion?
The media
leaks
The surreptitious release of information by high and low level government sources who wish to remain anonymous or who do not want to release the information formally.
News about Crime and the Justice System
The tabloidization of crime news and an overemphasis of crimes involving celebrities (i.e. OJ Simpson, Bill Clinton); stories are excessively spun and covered
Satire Sources
These sites generally employ humor, exaggeration or parody to comment on current events. Examples include The Onion, Sports Pickle andNews Biscuit.
Unreliable sources
These sources cannot usually be accepted at face value and need further verification from other sources to determine if information is credible. The information presented is often based on rumor or hearsay. Examples: Brietbart, Occupy Democrats,Washington Examiner.
Fake/False sources
These sources use distorted or false headlines with the goal to infuriate, shock, or offend people on social media to encourage likes, shares, or advertising funds. Examples: BostonLeader, BuzzfeedUSA, CBS News.com.Co
The Press Conference
When the President makes a statement and then takes questions from the White House Press Corps.
Currency
When was the website published? When was the website last updated? How many dead links are on the page? Is the information new or is it outdated? Does your topic value older material as well as current?
fake news
false or misleading information intended to deceive readers into believing it is credible and true information.
Journalists
preoccupied with economic survival.
Publishing on Government Websites
presidential websites, e-mail, social media- create opportunities to communicate directly (White House website)
National news coverage of Congress
produces stories that are shorter and less prominently placed; process of the "how" legislation happens is laborious in comparison to the "what" of the presidency
Office of Media Affairs
provides the same services as the Office of Communications but for state and local government.
Media and the Courts ( Judiciary Branch )
received limited coverage, even for the Supreme Court - This trend is getting worse as newsrooms are losing resources -Historically, justices have not sought or welcomed media attention - They typically make press releases on their website
planting
refers to the practice of getting a willing reporter to ask and easy question provided by the White House. This usually entails a quid pro quo.
News briefings
reporters have an opportunity to ask the press secretary about the news releases. Control of the substance and tone of the discussion (Sean Spicer press conference)
Digital communication technologies
require thinking regarding scope and purpose of regulation
Random sample
samples chosen in such a way that any member of the population being polled has an equal chance of being selected
throwaway presidency
suggests that the probability of Presidential failure is always trending towards 100%
naive professional
supplies information and talks freely to journalists
Coverage of state and local affairs
the changing media grid is "All politics is local" with most cities being served by one single newspaper; vanishing metropolitan focus moving from local problems to generalized stories
Sample bias
the effect of having a sample that does not represent all segments of the population.
Indirect/mediated messages
the framing of the message are shaped by media personnel (selective sources can be used, framing occurs, negative portrayals, etc.)
Horse race journalism
the media's focus on the competitive aspects of politics rather than on actual policy proposals and political decisions
Orchestrating Coverage
the pace and arrangement of work schedules to produce opportunities for favorable media coverage; try to generate more publicity by creating newsworthy events, heightening suspense through news blackouts before major pronouncements and staging public ceremonies when there are a few competing events.
Political socialization
the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions
Random digit dialing
the process of choosing respondents for a poll by letting a computer pick phone numbers without bias
House effects
the way a particular pollsters' results tend to favor Democrats or Republicans
"agents of socialization"
these include families and social groups, education and race
experimentation
use of control and test groups can help us understand specifics but they being able to generalize the results observed in an experiment to the whole population.
Shaping the News Flow
used to make good publicity more likely and bad publicity less likely; guides flow of news by the thrust of their commentary and by controlling contacts with the press; withhold news that can distract from their message or flood media with news to change agenda.
Government Press Relations at subnational levels
where public officials find it much easier to stay in touch with each other without relying on news stories; reporters have less formal education and considerably lower job experience, turnover rates are high, and formal press is less necessary
Exit polls
polls that are taken as people leave their polling places immediately after voting
Tracking polls
polls that keep track of data over time to detect changes in support for people over issues
news conferences
Controlled question and answer sessions (Trump vs. Jim Acosta)
Reasons Members of Congress gets less coverage
1. Many leaders 2. Each person only represents a select constituency 3. National media is not equipped to cover 335 people 4. Nature of work is a sausage-making process
Four major functions of the government executives
1. The media informs the executive about current events 2. Keeps executive branch officials attuned to the public's major concerns- public opinion 3. Allow chief executives to convey their message to the people and elites 4. The media keeps their human qualities and professional skills on constant display and makes them relatable
Phases of Executive/Media relationship
1. honeymoon period- a time of initial cooperation 2. adversarial- once an administration embarks on controversial programs and becomes vulnerable to criticism 3. Retreat to more moderate stance- when both sides retreat from their mutually hostile behavior, typically around reelection time.
Reasons the President gets so much more coverage
1. unitary actor 2. head of branch 3. surrounded by supporting cast 4. holds tons of power 5. supposed to represent everyone
features of new technologies that have potential to drive political change
1.Advent of nonprofessional citizen journalism that competes with traditional journalism 2.Digitally enabled interactivity tools that have created a new global public sphere 3. Leveling barriers to communication created by time, space, and political constraints 4. Multiplication of communication channels that has created a hypercompetitive media world 5. Growth of new approaches for financing the creation and distribution of news
Fake News (stats)
70% more likely to be retweeted than true stories 59% of links share on social media have never been clicked 37% of people admit to coming across a news story they thought was real, but later found out was fake
People and spotting fake news
A November, 2016 Stanford University study of over 7800 students from middle school through college found that over 80% of middle school students could not distinguish legitimate news from ad-sponsored and fake news. College students had difficulty identifying activist posts in social media and potential bias. These are digital natives, yet have great difficulty evaluating and determining the legitimacy of information. (Denzel Washington destroying fake news)
News on Social Media
A Pew Research Study from May 2016, found that 62% of adults get news on social media, and 18% of them rely on news through social media regularly. Like Facebook users, Reddit, Twitter, and Tumblr users consume huge amounts of news on those sites as well. (FoxNews; Facebook to remove fake news)
Public relations efforts
By influencing the way events are defined and framed in news accounts, the president is able to exert substantial influence over his standing with the public.
Congress and Communications Policy
Congress has the power to legislate on communications policy - Power to investigate Monetary control. - Laws regulating media procedures including Postal rates, subsidies, mergers, chain control of papers, copyright laws, telecommunication satellite control, broadcast spectrum allocations, and cable television - Always room for stricter control from Congress
Image vs. Reality
Congress receives roughly the same amount of coverage as the presidency
Externalities/Perverse Incentives
Coverage only when conflict/bad behavior As a result, lowest evaluated major branch historically, getting local coverage, and stories are most likely to be positive and tend to benefit incumbent MCs
Reactions to improving financing
Cutting costs through news sharing and combining multiplatform operations, expanding web enterprises, service charges, and/or support from political parties or universities or individuals
Emphasis on Crime News
Deflect attention from social sources of crime and policies needed to curb it Lack of focus on "white collar crimes" "Crime news script"
Content
Does the author use citations, references, or a bibliography to verify their information? Has the information been reviewed? Is the information free of spelling and grammatical errors? Is there a way to contact the author (email, address or phone number)?
Consistency
Is the information consistent with what other sources are saying about the topic? Does the source match what you know about the topic?Is this the only source you can find that is reporting this information?
Election Coverage at the National Level (News About Referenda)
Elections in local politics are issue centered Newspapers provide comprehensive coverage of referendum issues in comparison to television media
Evaluation Criteria for Evaluating Websites
Evaluation Criteria (ABCs) for Choosing an Appropriate Website• Authority (author, editor, and publisher) Bias Currency Content Consistency
backgrounders
Events to give newspeople important background information that they are honor bound to keep entirely secret or to publish without revealing their source
Additional requirements for polling and measuring public opinion
Every individual in the population has an equal probability of being selected as a respondent. Random digit dialing generates a random sample. It selects respondents at random from a list of 10-digit telephone numbers.
Specialized media
Expanding role of ethnic media Concentration of specific subjects Satirical analysis shows
Fake News Resources
Fortunately, there are many tools to help identify fake news stories and headlines out there. If you suspect a story might be fake, use fact checking resources to see if they have investigated that headline or story. Keep in mind these are only tools and no substitute for your own critical analysis. See this Forbes article on who is checking the fact checkers!
Impact of Digital and Social Media
House website provides text for bills, resolutions, and amendments with nontechnical descriptions Congress websites for reaching out Personalized blog posts, texts, etc.
Winning Favor
Important for Presidents to win reporters' favor, and presidents offer good story material as well as occasional scoops that may bring distinction to individual reporters
Speechmaking
In the early days, President's only spoke to Congress via formal presentations to Congress.
Impact of Coverage
Informs government officials and public about the law regarding controversial issues; coverage is difficult for reporters; justices can be influenced in their work by what they read and hear from media; publicity of crime affects prosecutors and public perception
Transforming Journalism
Internet has reduced the power and influence of traditional media Noteworthy advances on news gathering, news processing and news dissemination Economic pressures causing cost-cutting efforts offset news improvements Concerns for safeguarding individual privacy
Media Politics
Involves the inter-relationships between three sets of players - politicians, voters, and journalists. (Corona Stimulus Bill)
Office of Communications
Is responsible for planning the president's media appearances, including press conferences and other public events.
generation of measurement error
Survey questions must be worded precisely or else they can jeopardize the reliability of the survey results.
Writing stories about Congress
Journalists covering Congress stick to the criteria of newsworthiness Leaders of each chamber conduct daily press briefings Neglect at the national level can be made up at the local level
What branch is sparsely covered?
Judiciary (including Supreme Court); received 6% of allotted time to all three branches.
Quality of Local News
Larger need for steady stream of news for multiple daily newscasts, lack of economic resources, and being the main source of political information for many Americans
National News on Local Media
Local news stations opted into news-gathering arrangements Strong focus still on regional events and politicians Less likely to subject political leaders to tough questions since they rely on them so much for news gathering
Election Coverage at the National Level (News About Candidates)
Many candidates rely on news coverage rather than only advertisements Local stations tend to provide viewers with little information about local candidates Newspapers' endorsements and debates have strong influence at the local level
Racial and Ethnic Media
Media gears to the needs of subcultures; May try to shape policy and generate support as well as facilitate community activities often provided in languages other than English
media's adversarial relationship
Media wants information for stories, frequently raises issues that presidents would prefer to keep out of the limelight, and wants to frame stories to tell their message.
Functions of media for Congress
Members try to attract media attention to shape and frame the debate over a policy (border crisis) Use media to send messages to other political elites Can aid in setting agenda well
Presidential communication is mainly through whom?
Press Secretary
Office of Global Communications
Provides "strategic direction and themes" to government agencies (such as the Voice of America) that produce information and media content for overseas audiences.
Public broadcast stations
Public broadcasting audiences tend to be well educated and well-to-do
Coverage (State-Level Courts)
Relatively more coverage of state level courts◦State-level courts are elected, not appointed - Coverage goes up and becomes more dramatic when justices go through confirmation hearings - U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have implications for policy typically make the news - Media gives more attention to civil rights and First Amendment cases
The Alternative Press
Represents minority political cultures, people with distinctive lifestyles, and political and cultural tastes - Can create narrow communications tunnels that keep that audience from really understanding the world around them - Many specialized media are targeted to ethnic, racial, linguistic, and religious groups, as well as other identity groups, such as LGBTQ communities
Relative Coverage
Senate members get more coverage than House members because it is: 1. Bigger constituency 2. Smaller chamber 3. More well-known, more power, and more resources
Clickbait sources
Sensational headlines or images that are designed to attract visitors to visit a page or link with the intent of generating advertising funds. The information is often credible, but can also be misleading, biased or require clicking several slide or images to reach the actual information. Examples: Liberal America, RedState, The Blaze.
Media and Public opinion today's times
Some argue that media is more hostile and combative today, PR gurus running white house, president coverage is getting extremely negative, presidents can lead public opinion, etc.
National Emphasis of News
State news is also sparse on the national level Size of population might dictate coverage Swing states and states that host presidential primaries tend to receive more coverage
Polarization
Supporters of the president's party approve of his performance and opponents disapprove, no matter the state of the country and news media coverage of the president.
Judicial Censorship
Supreme Court bars reporters from its deliberations before announcement of the decision
Citizen Journalism and User-Generated Content
Use citizen-generated content, a move way from traditional media sources Online videos and social networking sites
Bias
What is the purpose of the website? Inform, entertain, persuade or sell a product Is information presented objectively or does it have a bias? If it has a bias (a specific political or philosophical view), does that lessen its usefulness to you?
Authority (author, editor, and publisher)
What work or educational experiences does the author have? Is the author an expert in the field? With which institution, organization or company is the author affiliated? What other information can you find out about the author? Where is the document published? Check the URL domain.•Ex: .gov, .edu, .org, .com
The Office of Detail Strategy
ensures that the president's message is made widely available through the White House website, YouTube channel, the White House live channel on Facebook, Twitter and other online sources.
Soundbites
a brief, snappy excerpt from a public figure's speech that is easy to repeat on the news
Sampling error
a number that indicates within what range the results of a poll are accurate
Values (or beliefs)
a person's basic orientations toward politics
Attitude (or opinion)
a specific preference about a particular issue, personality, or event
Press releases
a story prepared by government officials and handed to members of the press, usually within an opportunity for questions
Traditional financial structure
advertiser support, audience payments, and government subsidies
Direct messages
allow control by politicians and to convey their messages with a minimum of media shaping (radio addresses, speeches, press releases, or interviews)
Hands off laissez faire policies
allow market forces and private owner's preferences to dominant development
Polling aggregators
analysts who combine polls by averaging or other technique in order to minimize sampling error and make the polls more accurate
Public opinion
attitudes that people have about political issues, events, leaders, and institutions
Media and Congress
cautious relationship; members and media need each other; concerns about reelection and Congress' historically low approval ratings makes members wary
liars
conceal and slant information
Leaks
confidential information secretly revealed to the press (held by stakeholders that strike back)
colorful quotables
create sound bites that come to the attention of reporters (Grady Judd)
rally effect
describes how, in the aftermath of major foreign policy actions undertaken by the US government, people rally behind the president. Generally, whenever the president acts as commander-in-chief, Americans bury their partisan differences and throw their support behind the leader.
Length of time in office
over the course of the term, as presidents make decisions and take positions, they accumulate opponents and thus lose popularity.
paranoid media avoider
fears the press and tries to avoid it
Politicians
first and foremost motivated to win reelection.
Local News Characteristics
focus tends to be on weather, crime, sports, traffic tend to be live and breaking largely provides headline service FCC mandated more coverage of local politics
Survey research
good for generalization and in the aggregate. However, it is limited in terms of understanding the details.
Voters
insufficiently interested to become informed about matters of public policy.
Voice of America
is a U.S. multimedia agency which serves as the United States government institution for non-military, external broadcasting. It is the largest U.S. international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content in 47 languages which it distributes to affiliate stations around the globe.
The Office of Speechwriting
is entrusted with drafting the president's speeches and public remarks.
Communications Director
is responsible for coordinating the message of the various spokespersons throughout the administration.
Public trustee status
owners have full responsibility for programming, but are required to meet certain public service obligations
Fake polls
polls that are conducted to sway or manipulate public opinion, not to measure it
adverse publicity
kills president's approval rating, abort new policies, and kill the president's rating; media is more hostile and combative today (Jim Acosta and Donald Trump)
Ribbon cutter
media junky concerned with arranging events
When members of Congress get covered
not related to the amount of legislative work you are doing (inverse relationship between the amount of legislative work you are doing and coverage you have received; leading scholars to propose "show horses vs. workhorses" hypothesis
