Chapter 12 Flashcards
Blogs
A series, or log, of discussion items on a page of the World Wide Web
Equal time rule
An FCC (federal communications commission) rule that if a broadcaster sells time to one candidate, it must sell equal time to other candidates
Horse-race journalism
News coverage that focuses on who is ahead rather on the issues
Routine stories
Media stories about events regularly covered by reporters (i.e. Congress passes major bill, prez takes a trip)
Feature stories
Media stories about events that, though public, are not regularly covered by reporters (i.e. Interest group works hard to get bill passed)
Insider story
Media stories about events that are secret, not usually made public (i.e. Gov insider leaks a story)
Trial balloon
Information leaked to the media to test public reaction to a possible policy
Loaded language
Words that imply a value judgement, used to persuade a reader without having made a serious argument
Selective attention
Paying attention only to those news stories with which one already agrees
Adversarial press
The tendency of the national media to be suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them
Background
A public official’s statement to a reporter given in condition that the official not be named
Sound bite
A radio or video clip of someone speaking
National press
National reporters are better paid, come from prestigious universities, have a more liberal outlook (exception of FoxNews), often do investigative or interpretative stories
Gatekeeper
Influences what subjects become national political issues and for how long
Reality doesn’t change, but the focus of media & public attention shifts
Scorekeeper
Tracks political reputation & candidacies
Note who is “mentioned” as a presidential candidate
Help decide who is winning & losing in Washington politics
Covers the elections as though they horse races rather than choices among political alternatives
Watchdog
Investigates personalities and exposes scandals
Closely scrutinize person in lead
Tolerant of underdogs and tough on top-runners
Government influence on media
Newspapers are almost always entirely free from government regulation
Newspapers can only be sued for libel, obscenity, or incitement to an illegal act (rarely enforced as hard to prove)
Can be no prior restraint on published material
Radio and tv are licensed and regulated (FCC)
Effects of the media on politics
Although studies of the impact of the media on elections has been inconclusive, there is not doubt that the media have a major effect on how politics is conducted, how candidates are perceived, and how policy is formulated
Media focus
On president more than anyone else
Dealigning / ticket splitting
Decline in party loyalty - more people are independent or moderate
