Chapter 6: The Mass Media: Setting the Political Agenda Flashcards
The mass media is
All means of communication with the general public
TV is the
Most powerful medium of communication
TV is regularly chosen by
Americans as the most common news source
TV is rated among Americans as the
Most believable medium of communication
Less than one-half of the adult population
Reads a daily newspaper
Government officials and other leaders regularly
Read the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal
Biases of Newsmagazines
- Time, Newsweek: Liberal
- U.S News & World Report: Politically Moderate
- The Nation, New Republic: Liberal
- National Review, American Spectator, Weekly Standard: Conservative
Biases of Newspaper
- L.A Times, N.Y Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe: Liberal
- Wall Street Journal: Neo-Conservative
- The Washington Times: Conservative
Mainstreams TV news tends to
Communicate emotions as well as information
Intense pictures can motivate the public to
Pressure the government into hasty action
On TV, the image
Triumphs over substance
News making deciding what is
“news” and who is “newsworthy”
Newsmaking is the
Most important source of media power
Public decision-makers correctly perceive that media coverage of particular events and issues
Sets the agenda for public discussion
Agenda setting
The media sets the political agenda for the nation by deciding what is news
Media coverage determines what issues the government will
Spend its time and our resources on to address
Interpreting: Editors, reporters, and anchors provide each story with a
“Spin” in the way they interpret a story and speculate on its meaning and consequences
Socialization: The media has the power to teach us what are
“Acceptable” and “Unacceptable” ways of life in our culture and in our value system
Persuading: The media engages in direct efforts to change our
Attitudes, opinions, and behaviors
News and entertainment programs are intended to promote
Specific political points of view
The business of the media is to gather
Mass audiences to sell to advertisers
To attract larger audiences, the media has made
Its news broadcasts are more entertainment-oriented
The politics of the media are shaped by
Economic interest, their professional environment, and their ideological learning
Economic interests drive the media to
Deliver the news in a format that is known as sensationalism
This means stories are selected for their focus on
Violence, corruption, sex, and scandal and stories are selected for their emotions impact, not for their political, social, or economic significance
Professional environment
Media professionals primarily see themselves as “watchdogs” of the public trust
As “watchdog” they believe their primary duty is to focus attention on
Problems deficits, failures, and threats
Ideological learnings
The political values of the media are overwhelmingly liberal and reformist
Their ideological learnings lead them to prefer an
Internationalist foreign policy cautious about using the military, suspicious of big business, but not big government or big unions
Liberalism in Hollywood: With a few exceptions, Hollywood professionals at all levels and in all roles are
Overwhelming liberal in their political views
Hollywood is a major source of
Democratic Party campaign funds
The media are the principal link between
Candidate and the voters
TV has replaced party organizations and personal contacts, as how
Candidates communicate with voters
The media and candidate selection: The media strongly influence
The early selection of candidates
Media coverage creates
Name recognition, which is essential for any candidate
The Media as Kingmaker
The media assigns front-runner status to some candidates can lead to receiving favorable poll ratings, more media coverage, and attracts campaign contribution
The Equal Time Requirement: The radio and TV stations that sell time to any political candidate must make
Equal time available to opposing candidates at the same price
The Equal Time Requirement does not apply to
Newscasts, news specials, documentaries, talk shows, presidential press conferences, and to presidential addresses to the nation
People’s opinions tend to be constant over time, but when they do change, they change
In the direction supported by the media
News variables alone account for
Nearly half the variance in opinion change
