Chapter 12: The Media Flashcards
Blog
A series, or log, of discussion items on a page of the World Wide Web.
Equal time rule
An FCC 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 than on the issues.
Routine stories
Media stories about events regularly covered by reporters.
Feature stories
Media stories about events that, though public, are not regularly covered by reporters.
Insider stories
Media stories about events that are not usually made public.
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 on condition that the official not be named.
Sound bite
A radio or video clip of someone speaking.
