Chapter 7 Flashcards
high-tech policies
a politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology
mass media
television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and other means of popular communication
media events
events purposely staged for the media that nonetheless look spontaneous. In keeping with politics as theater, media events can be staged by individuals, groups, and government officials, especially presidents. effective communication through media is key to political success
press conference
meetings of public officials with reporters
investigative journalism
the use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes, at times putting reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders
print media
newspapers and magazines
broadcast media
television and radio
narrowcasting
media programming on cable TV or the internet that is focused on one topic and aimed at a particular audience. (Ex: MTV, ESPN)
chains
newspapers published by massive media conglomerates that account for over four-fifths of the nation’s daily newspaper circulation. (often control broadcast media)
beats
specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House. Most reporters work at a particular beat, thereby becoming specialists on what goes on at that location
trial balloons
an intentional news leak for the purpose of assessing political reaction
sound bites
short video clips of approximately 10 seconds. (typically they are all that is shown from a politician’s speech on the nightly television news)
talking head
a shot of a person’s face talking directly to the camera (the media rarely shows a politician talking one on one with someone, it’s not appealing to the audience)
policy agenda
the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time
policy entrepreneurs
people who invest their political “capital” in an issue
