Chapter 6 Flashcards
Sources that provide information to the average citizen, such as newspapers, television networks, radio stations, and websites. (page 203)
mass media
Newspapers sold for one cent in the 1830s, when more efficient printing presses made reduced-price newspapers available to a larger segment of the population. (page 203)
penny press
An organization that gathers news and sells it to other media outlets. The invention of the telegraph in the early 1800s made this type of service possible. (page 203)
wire service
A style of newspaper popular in the late 1800s that featured sensationalized stories, bold headlines, and illustrations to increase readership. (page 204)
yellow journalism
Reporters who dig deeply into a particular topic of public concern, often targeting government failures and inefficiencies. (page 204)
investigative journalists
A government agency created in 1934 to regulate American radio stations and later expanded to regulate television, wireless communications technologies, and other broadcast media. (page 204)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Communications technologies, such as television and radio, that transmit information over airwaves. (page 204)
broadcast media
An FCC regulation requiring broadcast media to present several points of view to ensure balanced coverage. It was created in the late 1940s and eliminated in 1987. (page 205)
fairness doctrine
An FCC regulation requiring broadcast media to provide equal airtime on any non-news programming to all candidates running for an office. (page 205)
equal time provision
The trend toward single-company ownership of several media sources in one area. (page 206)
concentration
The trend toward single-company ownership of several kinds of media outlets. (page 206)
cross-ownership
Companies that control a large number of media sources across several types of media outlets. (page 206)
media conglomorates
Media sources that predate the Internet, such as newspapers, magazines, television, and radio. (page 207)
mainstream media
Evening hours when television viewership is at its highest and networks often schedule news programs. (page 207)
prime time
The time between the release of information and its publication, like the twenty-four hours between issues of a daily newspaper. (page 207)
news cycle
An event at which a politician speaks to journalists and, in most cases, answers their questions afterward. (page 216)
press conference
or off the record Comments a politician makes to the press on the condition that they can be reported only if they are not attributed to that politician. (page 216)
on background
Legislation, which exists in some states but not at the federal level, that gives reporters the right to refuse to name the sources of their information. (page 217)
Shield laws
The idea that many Americans acquire political information unintentionally rather than by seeking it out. (page 218)
by-product theory
The influence of media coverage on average citizens’ opinions and actions. (page 221)
media effects
The influence on public opinion that results from journalists’ and editors’ decisions about which of many potential news stories to report. (page 222)
filtering
The imbalance in a story that covers one candidate or policy favorably without providing similar coverage of the other side. (page 222)
slant
The influence on public opinion caused by the way a story is presented or covered, including the details, explanations, and context offered in the report. (page 222)
framing
A type of increasingly popular media coverage focused on political scandals and controversies, which causes a negative public opinion of political figures. (page 228)
attack journalism
