Government: Chapter 7
What do Americans generally believe the media should do?
(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; and (3) act as a watchdog on the actions of politicians and government
What are the most popular ways Americans get their news from and from where?
-smartphone, computer, or tablet -news websites or apps
What two modes do the media have?
1)alarm mode: for breaking stories 2) patrol mode: for covering them in greater depth -results in skewed coverage of political issues with few issues receiving the majority of the media attention while others receive known at all
Agenda Setting
or gatekeeping, the media's designation of some issues, evets, or people as important and others not
Journalism of Assertion
the publishing or broadcasting of information or opinion as quickly as possible, with minimal fact-checking
Where do old people mainly consume news?
tv
Public Broadcating
tv, radio, and digital media that receive partial funding from license fees and government subsidies -NPR and PBS -plays a relatively small role in the nation's media system
True or False: All politicians seek to shape their media images by cultivating good relations with reporters and by leaking news and staging news events.
True
True or False: Republicans are more likely to say the news media are losing their influence.
True
True or False: The news media help level the playing field between political elites who have high levels of political knowledge and "the people"
True, thus giving citizens a more powerful voice in society
What is the difference between the U.S. media and the European media?
U.S. focuses on soft news (entertainment, sports, and celebrity news). Europe focuses on hard news (politics and government)
Why would our nation's Founders care so much about the rights of the media to report the news without interference from government?
Under the British rule, freedom of speech and the press did not exist in the American colonies. Criticizing the British king was a crime punishable by death -when the colonists won their independence they wanted to be able to express their political opinion freely without fear of retaliation.
News Aggregators
Websites that pull together content from a wide range of online sources, thus providing a very broad perspective (ex: Google News)
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
Adversarial Journalism
a form of reporting in which the media adopt a skeptical or hostile posture toward the government and public officials -a legacy of late 1800s reform-minded efforts to expose corruption, scandal, and other wrongdoings in politics
The Associated Press
a wire service that provides much of the national news that is published by local newspapers
Paywalls
allow a certain number of free visits to a news site before requiring users to pay for reading digital newspapers
Profit Motive
an important factor in how, and how well, the media deliver the news
Filter Bubble
an online environment in which platform users are exposed primarily to opinions and information that conform to and reinforce their existing beliefs; this is a result of algorithms that personalize each individual's online experience
Why are media companies motivated by what the audience wants?
higher ratings generate more advertising revenue
Opinion-Driven Journalism
highly opinionated personal commentary; blur the boundaries between objective journalism and subjective reporting
Whistleblowers
lower-level officials who hope to publicize what they view as their bosses' or the government's improper activities
Where do most Americans receive their news?
news aggregators, like Google News
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
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 -because it is not regulated, these reports may unintentionally spread distorted or false information
Who are more likely to watch local tv?
old people, black people, and people without a college degree
Pundits
political commentators
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
regulate broadcast radio and television
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
Where do most leaks originate?
senior government officials, prominent politicians, and political activists
What shattered the relationship between the press and the presidency?
the Vietnam War -also the press involvement in the Watergate affair
Leaks (in journalism)
the disclosure of confidential government information to the news media
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
Confirmation Bias
the tendency to favor information that confirms a person's existing beliefs; it involves a discounting evidence that could disprove or challenge those beliefs
Which party is more likely to think information from national news organizations is trustworthy?
Democrats
True or False: An overwhelming majority of Democrats and Republicans only use news outlets that align with their views politically, which further reinforces partisan polarization.
False
True or False: U.S. media companies earn most of their revenue from subscriptions, although revenue from advertising has been increasing.
False, U.S. media earn most revenue from advertising, and this shapes the kinds of news coverage they provide
True or False: All good journalists are completely objective (unbiased).
False, it is impossible to be completely objective; however, it remains an ideal
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
ABC News
R and D both agree that it is mainstream
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
Framing
The process of presenting information from a certain perspective to shape the audience's understanding of that information
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.
What is the difference between priming and agenda setting?
Through priming, the media have power to alter how voters make choices. While agenda setting is about gatekeeping and what issues the media cover, framing and priming involve filtering the news and providing cues to the public for how to interpret those issues
Misinformation
false, inaccurate, or misleading information in the media
Priming
calling attention to some issues, and not others, when reporting on political events and officials
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 -not very popular
How does social media differ from traditional broadcast?
computer algorithms to personalize content
What is one of the most important forms of advertising?
digital ad revenue
