Chapter 6: The Mass Media: Setting the Political Agenda

Question 1

The mass media is

Answer 1

All means of communication with the general public

Question 2

TV is the

Answer 2

Most powerful medium of communication

Question 3

TV is regularly chosen by

Answer 3

Americans as the most common news source

Question 4

TV is rated among Americans as the

Answer 4

Most believable medium of communication

Question 5

Less than one-half of the adult population

Answer 5

Reads a daily newspaper

Question 6

Government officials and other leaders regularly

Answer 6

Read the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal

Question 7

Biases of Newsmagazines

Answer 7

1. Time, Newsweek: Liberal
2. U.S News & World Report: Politically Moderate
3. The Nation, New Republic: Liberal
4. National Review, American Spectator, Weekly Standard: Conservative

Question 8

Biases of Newspaper

Answer 8

1. L.A Times, N.Y Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe: Liberal
2. Wall Street Journal: Neo-Conservative
3. The Washington Times: Conservative

Question 9

Mainstreams TV news tends to

Answer 9

Communicate emotions as well as information

Question 10

Intense pictures can motivate the public to

Answer 10

Pressure the government into hasty action

Question 11

On TV, the image

Answer 11

Triumphs over substance

Question 12

News making deciding what is

Answer 12

“news” and who is “newsworthy”

Question 13

Newsmaking is the

Answer 13

Most important source of media power

Question 14

Public decision-makers correctly perceive that media coverage of particular events and issues

Answer 14

Sets the agenda for public discussion

Question 15

Agenda setting

Answer 15

The media sets the political agenda for the nation by deciding what is news

Question 16

Media coverage determines what issues the government will

Answer 16

Spend its time and our resources on to address

Question 17

Interpreting: Editors, reporters, and anchors provide each story with a

Answer 17

“Spin” in the way they interpret a story and speculate on its meaning and consequences

Question 18

Socialization: The media has the power to teach us what are

Answer 18

“Acceptable” and “Unacceptable” ways of life in our culture and in our value system

Question 19

Persuading: The media engages in direct efforts to change our

Answer 19

Attitudes, opinions, and behaviors

Question 20

News and entertainment programs are intended to promote

Answer 20

Specific political points of view

Question 21

The business of the media is to gather

Answer 21

Mass audiences to sell to advertisers

Question 22

To attract larger audiences, the media has made

Answer 22

Its news broadcasts are more entertainment-oriented

Question 23

The politics of the media are shaped by

Answer 23

Economic interest, their professional environment, and their ideological learning

Question 24

Economic interests drive the media to

Answer 24

Deliver the news in a format that is known as sensationalism

Question 25

This means stories are selected for their focus on

Answer 25

Violence, corruption, sex, and scandal and stories are selected for their emotions impact, not for their political, social, or economic significance

Question 26

Professional environment

Answer 26

Media professionals primarily see themselves as “watchdogs” of the public trust

Question 27

As “watchdog” they believe their primary duty is to focus attention on

Answer 27

Problems deficits, failures, and threats

Question 28

Ideological learnings

Answer 28

The political values of the media are overwhelmingly liberal and reformist

Question 29

Their ideological learnings lead them to prefer an

Answer 29

Internationalist foreign policy cautious about using the military, suspicious of big business, but not big government or big unions

Question 30

Liberalism in Hollywood: With a few exceptions, Hollywood professionals at all levels and in all roles are

Answer 30

Overwhelming liberal in their political views

Question 31

Hollywood is a major source of

Answer 31

Democratic Party campaign funds

Question 32

The media are the principal link between

Answer 32

Candidate and the voters

Question 33

TV has replaced party organizations and personal contacts, as how

Answer 33

Candidates communicate with voters

Question 34

The media and candidate selection: The media strongly influence

Answer 34

The early selection of candidates

Question 35

Media coverage creates

Answer 35

Name recognition, which is essential for any candidate

Question 36

The Media as Kingmaker

Answer 36

The media assigns front-runner status to some candidates can lead to receiving favorable poll ratings, more media coverage, and attracts campaign contribution

Question 37

The Equal Time Requirement: The radio and TV stations that sell time to any political candidate must make

Answer 37

Equal time available to opposing candidates at the same price

Question 38

The Equal Time Requirement does not apply to

Answer 38

Newscasts, news specials, documentaries, talk shows, presidential press conferences, and to presidential addresses to the nation

Question 39

People’s opinions tend to be constant over time, but when they do change, they change

Answer 39

In the direction supported by the media

Question 40

News variables alone account for

Answer 40

Nearly half the variance in opinion change