Chapter 10-11 MIDTERM Flashcards
What was the first media organization to adopt a formal code of ethics?
American Society of Newspaper Editors
What was the data for the first National Association Broadcasters code for broadcasting?
1929
What is the most influential citizen’s group in TV history?
Action for Children’s Television
What does an increase in self regulation mean?
More decisions are being left to the discretion of broadcasters and program producers
What are codes?
Written statements of principle guiding behavior
What is the NAB and what does it’s code cover?
National Association of Broadcasters, covers programming and advertising.
What does the Radio & Television News Directors Association (RTDNA) cover?
Ranges from courtroom coverage to privacy invasions
What does the code for the Society of Professional Journalists cover?
Objectivity and press responsibility
What does the code for the American Advertising Federation cover?
Truthfulness in advertising
What event happened in 2004 that caused the NAB to form a task force?
Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction
What would happen without codes?
Management must be sensitive to political, social and economic sensibilities of community
Stations would develop own policy guidelines
Advantages to codes
Public & employees are made aware of specific policies
Disadvantages to codes
Codes can be used in courts against station
Need to be worded vaguely to represent entire organization, not good for day-to-day
What did the Standards and Practices Department do before 1970
Made sure that programs and commercials didn’t offend advertisers, audience, etc.
What was invented that passed some of the responsibility of the Standards and Practices Department to the public?
V-Chip
What four factors does the acceptability of TV/radio messages depend on?
Size of the market
The time period
The station’s audience
The type of content involved
What is the V-Chip a blend of and what are the audience ratings?
Blend of legal regulation and self-regulation TV-Y TV-Y7 TV-G TV-PG TV-14 TV-M
What are the content labels on the V-chip?
FV-Fantasy Violence D-Suggestive Dialog L-Coarse Language S-Sexual Situations V-Violence
What are some examples of Industry/Trade organizations and what do they give you?
NAB, NCTA, NAD
They offer research and technical advice
What are the three primary areas of concern that Citizens’ Groups have?
Concern over portrayal of minorities
Presentation of sex and violence
Children’s Programming
What are three effects of Citizens Groups on Children’s TV?
Increase sensitivity of programmers towards offensive material
Restrics creative freedom of writers
Producers walk think line between alternatives
What is the teleological theory?
Measures rightness/wrongness of actions in terms of consequences
Example: (Is it wrong to show violence when kids are watching b/c kids may hurt other people)
Example: (Is is wrong form journalists to accept gifts from sources because it hurts credibility)
What is the deontological Theory?
Not concerned with consequences, deals with duties that are morally required of all
Doesn’t matter if the consequences of lying are beneficial.
Whic theory does Utilitariasm fall under and what does it mean?
Teleological Theory. Person act such that it produces greatest ratio of good over evil, most good and/or the least harm for the fewest number
What theory does Egoism fall under and what does it mean?
Teleological Theory. Act in a way that is best for you, do not sacrifice yourself to others
What theory does Categorical Imperative fall under and what does it mean?
Deontological Theory. Duty governs decisions–not consequences, act only on principles you’d want to be universal law
What theory does the Golden Mean fall under and what does it mean?
Deontological Theory. Thics theory grounded in natural law, moderation, temperance, equilibrium, and harmony. Search for the extremes–find the golden mean within. Example: Health-violating restaurant is taken to task, but the story notes it is only the first such violation
Who was appointed chair of the FCC in 2009 by President Barack Obama?
Julius Genachowski
What is the scarcity theory of regulation?
Recognizes that the electromagnetic spectrum is a limited resource.
Recognizes that the spectrum is a public resource.
What led to the creation of the Radio Act of 1927?
Number of broadcast stations was greatly increasing and not enough space on spectrum to accommodate growing popularity
What was one of the biggest provisions of the Radio Act of 1927 involving the government?
Prohibition against government censorship in broadcast programs
What does the
FRC stand for?
Federal Radio Commission
What did the technical standards placed early on by the FRC do?
Eliminated the interference problem that the growing number of stations were encountering
What are the seven FCC Bureaus?
Consumer Government Affairs Bureau Enforcement Bureau International Bureau Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Wireless Competition Bureau Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Media Bureau
What does the Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau do?
Informs consumer about telecommunications goods and services
What does the Enforcement Bureau do?
Upholds rules and regulations of the FCC
What does the International Bureau do
Represents FCC in matters involving U.S. and other countries
What does the Wireless Competition Bureau do?
Regulates telephone companies
What does the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau do?
Responsible for agency’s policies pertaining to public safety communication issues
What does the Media Bureau do?
Oversees AM and FM radio, broadcast TV, cable, and satellite services
What is the role of the federal judiciary in regulatory dynamic?
Decisions they make can ease access into regulatory process or make it harder. Can decide fate of group or individual
How does the White House impact regulatory dynamic?
President has power to appoint both FCC commissioners and judges
White House has its own agency that specializes in telecommunications
Various number of cabinet offices that can influence policy
How long is the license terms for TV and radio stations?
8 years?
How many commissioners are in the FCC?
5
How many bureaus does the FCC have?
7
What is the pervasive presence theory?
TV and radio are potentially intrusive so public is entitled to protection from unwanted/offensive messages
What did the Wireless Ship Act of 1910 do?
Large at-sea vessels must be equipped with wireless sets
What did the Radio Act of 1912 do?
Post Titanic, radio operators had to get license and assigned frequencies and hours of operation
What act created the FRC?
Radio Act of 1927
What did the Communications Act of 1934 accomplish?
Expanded FRC from 5 to 7 members
Renamed the “Federal Communications Commision”
Includes wireless and telephone
What are the four bona fide exceptions
News broadcast
News Interviews
News documentaries
Live coverage of on-the-spot news
Why did the FCC refuse to regulate cable in the 50s?
Lack of on-air use, cable didn’t use over the air frequencies
What were problems with the beginning of cable regulation in the 70s
Local regulations differ by locale, if cable company owned 20 cable systems it would be faced with 20 different sets of local rules
What did the Telecommunications Act of 1996 do?
Intent: Create competition between cable and phone companies
Removed limits on # of radio stations one could own
Created 8-year license renewals for radio and TV
Required TV sets to carry the “V-Chip” parental access control
How many is the max number of commissioners that can be from one political party
3
What does Congress do in terms of regulatory forces?
Created FCC, create new regulatory legislation
What do industry lobbyists do that affects regulation?
Help lawmakers learn impact of legislation on society
Express views to FCC, Congress, Courts and the White House
What can the public do to affect regulation?
Citizen groups (Center for Media Education, Media Access Project) use votes to elect president and members of Congress that have their views
How does the marketplace affect regulation?
People will stop going to sources that they don’t trust
What are the qualifications for someone to pass before the FCC grants them a license?
U.S. citizen, free from foreign control, must report all felonious, must show financial technical strengths
Does the FCC license cable systems?
No
What did the Children’s Television Act of 1990 do?
Compelled TV stations to meet info and educational needs of children
Required minimum of 3 hours per week
When looking at copyright fiar use law suits what do the courts look at?
Purpose of the use
Nature of the work being used
Amount used in relation to size of full body of work
Impact of use on the market for content
Can the Copyright Office give you permission?
No
Where can you get permission to use copyrighted work?
The owner
What happens when a licensing firm grants blanket rights?
Gives stations performance rights to agency’s entire music catalog
What does the Digital Millennium Copyright Act do?
Makes it unlawful to circumvent measures used to control access to copyrighted works
Protects internet service providers against copyright infringement liability
Who did RIAA file a suit against?
Napster, sued several hundred individuals who illegally downloaded thousands of songs
What did the Cable Act of 1984 do?
Ban transmissions of obscene material
Which is protected by the FCC? Indecency or Obscenity?
Indecency
What must constitute Obscenity?
Average person must find material as a whole appeals to prurient interest
Material depicts/describes patently offensive way sexual conduct
How much has Howard Stern been fined?
$2 million
What did the Cable Act of 1984 do in terms of obscenity and indecent material?
Differentiated between obscene and indecent material, allowed regulation of obscene
What is slander?
Spoken words?
What is libel?
Stated in a tangible medium (written)
What is treated more seriously, slander or libel?
Libel because of wider circulation
What must the plantiff prove to win a libel/slander case?
Statements defamed plantiff Statement was broadcast Plantiff was identified in broadcast Organization show degree of fault or carelessness Statement proven to be false
When did the controversy of cameras in the courtroom begin?
1932, kidnap and murder trial of Charles Lindbergh’s infant son
Cameras are still not allowed in federal district/ Supreme courts
What commission branch controls deceptive advertising?
Federal Trade Commission
What is “puffery” in advertising
Reasonable exaggeration in advertising
What do current regulations require drug ads to do?
Contain information about drugs’ safety and side effects
