Chapter 7 - The Mass Media and the Political Agenda Flashcards
Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and other means of popular communication
Mass media
A politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology
High-tech politics
Events purposely staged for the media that nonetheless look spontaneous. They can be staged by individuals, groups, and government officials especially presidents.
Media events
Meetings of public officials with reporters
Press conferences
The use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes, which at times puts reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders
Investigative journalism
Newspapers and magazines
Print media
Television and radio
Broadcast media
Media programming on cable TV or the Internet that is focused on one topic and aimed at a particular audience. Ex: MTV, ESPN
Narrowcasting
Newspapers published by massive media conglomerates that account for over four-fifths of the nation’s daily newspaper circulation
Chains
Specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House
Beats
An intentional news leak for the purpose of assessing the political reaction
Trial balloons
Short video clips of approximately 15 seconds; typically all that is shown from a politician’s speech or activities on the nightly television news
Sound bites
A shot of a person’s face talking directly to the camera
Talking head
The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time
Policy agenda
People who invest their political “capital” in an issue
Policy entrepreneurs
