PLAP 3140 practice questions
This author argues most strongly that the mainstream media have a decidedly left-leaning bias A. who is Goldberg? B. who is Patterson? C. who is Barstow? D. who is McChesney? E. who is Druckman?
A
Until 2013, which of the following pieces of legislation barred the domestic broadcast of Voice of America (and other forms of "domestic propaganda")? A. Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 B. Telecommunications Act of 1996 C. Public Broadcasting Authorization Act of 1999 D. Communications Act of 1934 E. Telecommunications Modernization Act of 2003
A
This author argues most strongly that the mainstream media have a decidedly left-leaning bias. A. who is Parenti? B. who is Goldberg? C. who is McChesney? D. who is Tocqueville? E. who is Stewart?
B
Voice of America falls under the jurisdiction of which of the following? A. Corporation for Public Broadcasting B. Broadcasting Board of Governors C. Radio Free Europe D. National Public Radio E. Public Broadcasting Service
B
What phenomenon is being described by the following quote: "By calling attention to some matters while ignoring others, television news influences the standards by which governments, presidents, policies, and candidates for office are judged." A. indexing B. priming C. anticipatory self-censorship D. salience calibration E. agenda setting
B
Where would one be most likely to encounter the following statement: "News is what someone somewhere wants to suppress. Everything else is advertising." A. on a slip of paper in Roger Ailes' desk drawer B. on a wall at the Newseum C. in a quote from Alexis de Tocqueville D. in a quote from Marvin Kalb E. on a Starbucks cup
B
Which of the following authors or sets of authors wrote: "...what carries a story is not necessarily its truth or importance, but whether it is driven by dominant officials within institutional decision-making arenas. . . The advantage generally goes to those officials with the greatest perceived power to affect the issues or events at hand, the greatest capacity to use the levers of office to advance their news narratives on a regular basis, and the best communication operations to spin their preferred narratives well." A. Goldberg B. Bennett, Lawrence, and Livingston C. Gilens and Hertzman D. Tocqueville E. Parenti
B
Which of the following authors suggests that concentration of media ownership is not something to be concerned about at the present time? A. McChesney B. Compaine C. Schudson D. Lippmann E. Goldberg
B
Which of the following authors writes about the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal? A. Rutten B. Kalb C. Druckman D. Patterson E. none of the above
B
Imagine A. J. Pennypacker, a wealthy industrialist, comes to Charlottesville and buys both The Daily Progress newspaper and Channel 29, the local NBC television affiliate. This is an example of which of the following: A. semipublic ownership B. public ownership C. crossmedia ownership D. multiple ownership E. owner-imposed bias
C
In the wake of the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, CBS/Viacom was initially fined how much money by the FCC? A. $5,500 B. $55,000 C. $550,000 D. $5,500,000 E. there was no fine imposed by the FCC
C
Iyengar and Kinder set up couches and provide research subjects with coffee in order to maximize which of the following: A. the realism of their manipulations B. internal validity C. external validity D. participant comfort E. randomization
C
Nichols and McChesney (2009) argue in favor of which of the following? A. greater corporate ownership of media B. reformulating newspapers as non-profit entities supported by endowments C. tax credits for newspaper subscriptions D. all of the above E. none of the above
C
According to Pew Research Center data presented in class, the top news sources of "consistent liberals" are more concentrated (less varied) than those of "consistent conservatives." True False
false
According to Pew Research data examined in class, partisan polarization in television news viewership has been evident since at least the early 1990s. True False
false
According to the ASNE 2015 Newsroom Census, minority women are actually slightly overrepresented in American newsrooms, relative to their numbers in the population. True False
false
Gilens and Hertzman base their conclusions primarily on face-to-face interviews with journalists who cover the telecommunications industry. True False
false
Gilens and Hertzman undertake a content analysis of television coverage. True False
false
Gilens and Hertzman undertake a systematic content analysis of television coverage. True False
false
In Food Lion vs. ABC News, the jury ruled against ABC on the grounds that the content of its reporting was inaccurate and misleading. True False
false
Ladd writes that the United States has had "an independent, powerful, widely respected news media" since the mid-18th century. True False
false
Newspapers now receive more revenue from digital advertising than from print advertising. True False
false
Television is the main source of news for Americans age 18-29. True False
false
The Charlottesville Daily Progress is currently owned by Media General. True False
false
The FCC has jurisdiction over media content but not media ownership. A. True B. False
false
The FCC requires complaints about broadcast indecency to be submitted in person at specially scheduled hearings. True False
false
Tocqueville advocated centralized government ownership and control over newspapers. A. True B. False
false
Younger Americans watch more television news than do older Americans. True False
false
By 2011, how many companies owned approximately 90 percent of American media? A. 50 B. 25 C. 10 D. 6 E. 4
6
According to Farnsworth and Lichter, in 2008 Sarah Palin received more favorable coverage on Fox News than did any other candidate. True False
true
According to Gilens and Hertzman, newspapers owned by corporations with heavy television interests gave more favorable coverage to provisions of the 1996 Telecom Act that benefit television owners than did newspapers owned by corporations without television interests. True False
true
According to Patterson, in 1960 the vast majority of the evaluative references to the major presidential candidates appearing in newsmagazines were favorable, while the majority of the evaluative references in 1992 were unfavorable. True False
true
According to Pew Research Center data presented in class, "consistent liberals" tend to trust more news media sources than do "consistent conservatives." True False
true
At its height, the embedded reporters program included journalists from all over the world, including the Middle East. True False
true
Druckman finds that television debate viewers rely more on personality traits (e.g., perceptions of leadership and integrity) than do radio listeners when it comes to evaluating the candidates. True False
true
On an average night, more Americans watch a network newscast (ABC, CBC or NBC) than a cable news program. True False
true
Television is Americans' main source of local news. True False
true
Television is Americans' main source of national and international news. True False
true
Television is the main source of news for Americans in general. True False
true
The FCC indecency case against Viacom for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show was not resolved until 2012. True False
true
The Voice of America represents public broadcasting as defined by Graber. A. True B. False
true
The longstanding ban on "domestic propaganda" was finally lifted in 2013. True False
true
Viewership of broadcast network evening news has declined over the last 30 years. True False
true
Younger Americans are more likely to watch cable news than network news. True False
true
"Language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory organs or activities," and therefore subject to regulation by the FCC although protected by the First Amendment. A. what is "indecency"? B. what is "pornographic content"? C. what is "obscenity"? D. what is "educational content"? E. what is "age-inappropriate content"?
A
A private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967; its mission is to provide funding for, facilitate the development of, and ensure universal access to, non-commercial high-quality programming and telecommunications services. It does this in conjunction with non-commercial educational telecommunications licensees across America. A. what is CPB? B. what is CNN? C. what is C-SPAN? D. what is PBS? E. what is NPR?
A
About how much did newspapers cost before the advent of the penny press? A. six cents B. one Wooden Nickel C. one Silver Dollar D. twenty-five cents E. three shillings
A
According to Bennett, Lawrence, and Livingston, this is an ongoing, implicit calibration process through which the press weights key story elements according to the positioning of power blocs at key decision points. A. what is indexing? B. what is journalism? C. what are reverse cascades? D. what is weighting? E. what is reverse calibration?
A
According to Kalb, which of the following is not a feature of the "New News"? A. an emphasis on the use of polls and focus groups B. a willingness to report stories simply because they are "out there" C. a blurring of the lines between reporters and participants D. a blurring of the lines between commentators and reporters E. a decline in quantity and quality of sources
A
According to Kovach and Rosenstiel, journalism's first obligation is to what? A. the truth B. democracy C. be informative while also entertaining D. maintain access to important sources E. provide a profitable return on the investment of corporate stockholders
A
Which of the following individuals do Bennett, Lawrence, and Livingston cite as an example of the cascade model working in reverse? A. Cindy Sheehan B. Dick Cheney C. Maureen Dowd D. Judith Miller E. David Carr
A
"A story line or central organizing idea that calls attention to some aspects of the story, connects events to one another, and thereby helps us understand what they mean. It offers an answer to the question: What is most significant about this story?" A. what is media bias? B. what is a media frame? C. what is a media byline? D. what is a media story line? E. what is a media cascade?
B
"The press coverage attending any political event or circumstance where a critical mass of journalists leap to cover the same embarrassing or scandalous subject and pursue it intensely, often excessively, and sometimes uncontrollably." A. what is "infotainment"? B. what is a "feeding frenzy"? C. what is "media obscenity"? D. what is "mutual manipulation"? E. what is "symbiosis"?
B
According to Graber and Dunaway, this small number of journalists has "final control over story choices" and includes reporters, editors and others who select stories and make final decisions about "what news to use." As a result, these decision makers "wield an awesome amount of political power." A. who are media elites? B. who are gatekeepers? C. what is the New York Times? D. who are liberals? E. who are News Corporation employees?
B
Imagine that, following an intense barrage of news reports about gas prices, public opinion researchers find that attitudes about gas prices are suddenly a much more important component of people's evaluations of the president than they had been before the heightened news coverage. This is best seen as an illustration of what phenomenon? A. strategic framing B. priming C. domestic policy bias D. agenda setting E. policy or issue framing
B
In an authoritarian political system, the media are primarily used to do which of the following: A. help bring government policy in line with public opinion B. help bring public opinion in line with the policies or interests of the governing regime C. help bring citizens or subjects some news about the state of their public weal D. help citizens act collectively to pursue their interests and passions E. help enhance the quality of representation
B
Swensen and Schmidt (2009) argue in favor of which of the following? A. greater corporate ownership of media B. reformulating newspapers as non-profit entities supported by endowments C. tax credits for newspaper subscriptions D. all of the above E. none of the above
B
Which of the following companies was used to illustrate the "Starbucksification" of media? A. General Electric B. Clear Channel / iHeartRadio C. Media General D. the Walt Disney Company E. McClatchey
B
Which of the following news stories is the best example of press independence, according to Bennett, Lawrence and Livingston? A. Abu Ghraib B. Hurricane Katrina C. Cindy Sheehan's protest D. the 2004 presidential election E. the build-up to the war in Iraq
B
"The journalistic norm of balanced reporting - telling 'both' sides of the story. . . skewed and distorted global warming coverage. . . This supports the hypothesis that journalistic balance can often lead to a form of informational bias." Which of the following is best described by this quote: A. agenda-setting bias B. inferential bias C. false equivalence bias D. ideological bias E. anticipatory self-censorship
C
According to Jim Rutenberg, this media personality, under fire for serving as an advisor to Donald Trump, stated, "I never claimed to be a journalist." A. who is Megyn Kelly? B. who is Bill O'Reilly? C. who is Sean Hannity? D. who is Anderson Cooper? E. who is Matt Lauer?
C
Approximately how many Starbucks "neighborhood gathering places" (i.e., "stores") were there worldwide, as of June, 2015? A. 200 B. 2,000 C. 20,000 D. 200,000 E. it is impossible to know
C
They "were spokesmen for egalitarian ideals in politics, economic life, and social life through their organization of sales, their solicitation of advertising, their emphasis on news, their catering to large audiences, their decreasing concern with the editorial." A. what are blogs? B. what are partisan papers? C. what are penny papers? D. what are newspapers? E. what are the Federalist Papers?
C
This author exposed conflicts of interests involving retired military personal working as television news "analysts." A. who is McChesney? B. who is Friedman? C. who is Barstow? D. who is Kalb? E. who is Goldberg?
C
This author writes about embedded reporters. A. who is Barstow? B. who is Goldberg? C. who is Friedman? D. who is McChesney? E. who is Kalb?
C
Which of the following authors do NOT rely on experimental research to test hypotheses about media effects? A. Iyengar and Kinder B. Druckman C. Gilens and Hertzman D. both "B" and "C" E. none of the above, they all rely on experimental research
C
Which of the following candidates, according to Farnsworth and Lichter, received the most favorable coverage on television news in 2008? A. McCain B. Palin C. Obama D. Biden E. all received about the same degree of favorable coverage
C
Which of the following presidential debates does Druckman explore? A. Dukakis-Bush, 1988 B. Nixon-McGovern, 1972 C. Kennedy-Nixon, 1960 D. All of the above E. Only "b" and "c"
C
Which of the following relationships was described as being simultaneously symbiotic and parasitic? A. editors and reporters B. sources and reporters C. media actors and political actors D. broadcasters and viewers E. political decision makers and citizens
C
A private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967; its mission is to provide funding for, facilitate the development of, and ensure universal access to, non-commercial high-quality programming and telecommunications services. It does this in conjunction with non-commercial educational telecommunications licensees across America. A. what is PBS? B. what is C-SPAN? C. what is NPR? D. what is CPB? E. what is CNN?
D
According to Pew Research Center data presented in class, the top two news sources for "consistent conservatives" are which of the following? A. Fox News and CNN B. Fox News and the Washington Post C. NPR and MSNBC D. Fox News and local radio E. CNN and NPR
D
How does Druckman study the effects of televised presidential debates? A. archival analysis of presidential debate footage B. a content analysis of debate transcripts C. a longitudinal survey of self-identified debate watchers D. a randomized controlled experiment E. none of the above, Druckman is not concerned with effects
D
Illustrating an ABC news story with footage from a Disney movie showing asteroids striking the Earth can be understood as a violation of which permeable membrane? A. Localism vs. Competition B. News vs. Entertainment C. New Media Sources vs. Traditional Media D. News vs. Advertising E. Opinion vs. News
D
In its decision in Miller v. California (1973) the Supreme Court included the following criterion: "The average person, applying contemporary community standards would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest." This was one component of a three-part test for establishing which of the following: A. pornography B. defamation C. indecency D. obscenity E. newsworthiness
D
Suggesting that the media are biased because a majority of reporters self-identify as liberal Democrats is an example of which of the following: A. content analysis B. liberal media bias C. working the refs D. inferential claims of bias E. observational claims of bias
D
The ability to generalize from an experimental setting to the real world (about which one seeks to make inferences). A. what is randomization? B. what is experimental reliability? C. what is measurement validity? D. what is external validity? E. what is internal validity?
D
Which of the following developments made it easier for media owners to acquire additional properties: A. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 B. The FCC rules changes of 2003 C. The Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2006 D. both a and b E. none of the above
D
Which of the following developments, according to Schudson, is responsible for the emergence of the norm of objectivity? A. the rise of the blogosphere B. the emergence of 24-hour cable news C. the decline of classified ad revenues D. the emergence of penny papers E. the migration of print newspapers to the web
D
Which of the following features was NOT presented as one of the defining characteristics of propaganda? A. deliberate and systematic B. designed to affect, shape, or manipulate opinion (usually political) C. often involves biased, misleading or false information or messages D. promulgated only in authoritarian regimes E. none of the above; all were presented as defining characteristics of propaganda
D
"Language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory organs or activities," and therefore subject to regulation by the FCC although protected by the First Amendment. A. what is "educational content"? B. what is "age-inappropriate content"? C. what is "obscenity"? D. what is "pornographic content"? E. what is "indecency"?
E
"The anticipation that superiors might disapprove of this or that story is usually enough to discourage a reporter from writing it, or an editor from assigning it. Many of the limitations placed on reporting come not from direct censorship," but from this. A. what is subjective self-silencing? B. what is government censorship? C. what is corporate viewpoint consolidation? D. what is strategic avoidance of professional disapproval? E. what is anticipatory self-censorship?
E
According to Kalb, which of the following developments helps to explain the rise of the "New News"? A. the rise of cable news and the internet B. the development of the java programming language C. a new view of news operations as profit-generating D. all of the above E. both a and c
E
According to Ladd, what was the earliest event that "changed the relationship between political elites and newspapers"? A. the founding of the postal service B. Watergate C. the New Deal D. the Civil War E. the American Revolution
E
According to Pew Research Center data examined in class, which of the following is true of smartphone ownership? A. it increases with age and income B. there is no relationship between smartphone ownership and either age or income C. it increases with age but decreases with income D. it decreases with age and income E. it decreases with age but increases with income
E
According to Tim Rutten, what was significant about the revelation that John Edwards had lied about an affair with a campaign staffer? A. the story represented the first time a presidential campaign had been derailed by allegations of an extramarital affair B. beginning with this story, the practice of news organizations paying sources for information became commonplace C. the story was covered with unusual balance and objectivity by the mainstream news media D. the story was confusing and difficult to follow for most Americans E. the story was initially investigated and reported primarily by non-traditional, "tabloid" news media
E
Citizens, according to this author, "require a journal to bring to them every day, in the midst of their own minor concerns, some intelligence of the state of their public weal." A. who is McChesney? B. who is Schudson? C. who is Parenti? D. who is Lippmann? E. who is Tocqueville?
E
Commenting on a controversial media story, Marvin Kalb asks, "in an industry theoretically still devoted to truth-telling, can deception, in whatever guise, be regarded as an acceptable way of getting the news?" To what deceptive practices was he referring? A. plagiarism B. revealing confidential sources C. failing to acknowledge a conflict of interest based on media ownership D. using actors to dramatize or recreate news stories E. the use of hidden cameras or microphones
E
Illustrating an ABC news story with footage from a Disney movie showing asteroids striking the Earth is an example of this. A. what are sins of the news? B. what is viewpoint diversity? C. what is direct evidence of bias? D. what are sins of omission? E. what are sins of commission?
E
In 1985 this part of President Ronald Reagan's anatomy was featured in a page-one New York Times story. A. what is a liver? B. what is a spleen? C. what is a heart? D. what is a big toe? E. what is a colon?
E
Suggesting that the media are biased because a majority of reporters self-identify as liberal Democrats is an example of which of the following: A. a self-selected sample B. liberal media bias C. observational claims of bias D. content analysis E. inferential claims of bias
E
This author or set of authors wrote: "In sum, concentrated corporate control of the media has produced a broadcast journalism that is great at generating profit, pleasing advertisers, and protecting powerful institutions from scrutiny, but lousy at what it's supposed to do: informing the citizenry and confronting abuses of power. If we are serious about democracy, we need decent journalism. And to get decent journalism, we need to make fundamental reforms in our media system." A. who are Gilens and Hertzman? B. who are Swensen and Schmidt? C. who is Tocqueville? D. who is Lippmann? E. who is McChesney?
E
This organization directs journalists to "seek truth and report it," and to "be accountable and transparent." A. what is Reporters Without Borders? B. what is the Pew Research Center? C. what is the American Society of News Editors? D. what is the Society for Excellence in Reporting? E. what is the Society of Professional Journalists?
E
Who said the following in 2009: "Journalistic integrity, you know, fact-based reporting, serious investigative reporting, how to retain those ethics in all these different new media and how to make sure that it's paid for, is really a challenge. But it's something that I think is absolutely critical to the health of our democracy." A. Robert McChesney B. Hillary Clinton C. Paul Ryan D. Lee Bollinger E. Barack Obama
E
