Media Flashcards
Timeline
1960’s- Newspaper, Radio
to 1990’s- Television, newspaper, radio
90’s to modern- Multi-channel Television, internet, radio, newspapers, social media
1999- Only 20% had access to the internet, 2014 was 84%
2010- 60% people accessed internet every day
Has become more Complex and Diverse.
Newspaper circulation has declined about half since the 1980’s.
However the influence goes much beyond this as they set the agenda on television or online newspapers.
Problems with Assessment
Measuring Long Term effects Television Coverage is so large Isolating Media Effects - polls show small influence Causation Social Media is so diverse
European Union
All recent newspapers have been in favour of Brexit, pushing the swing to the leave vote as before newspapers tended to be pro-EU.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Festinger - Information is selected so that contradictory information is ignored.
Selection exposure, selective perception, and selective retention.
The Sun
Acts as if the Direct Effect theory works (tacitly).
By personalising and turning against politicians.
Changes partisan alignment e.g. Labour
May sway slightly if not directly
Readers weren’t sure if the paper was conservative or labour in alliance - shows that they will be malleable to their own views being shaped.
‘It was the sun wot won it’ 1992 Campaign Conservative win
Reinforcement Theory- Realised that its leaders supported Blair so also perpetuated this to keep membership.
Labour had tried to woo Murdoch in the 1997 campaign anyway.
Argument
Direct Effect is becoming more plausible, at least to the extent that the media decides the agenda of politics, people less partisan.
However, social media has increased the reinforcement effect, so may be a contradiction and we may see the trend towards this more.
Television vs Press
Televison
Imagery, broader focus, all similar reports, non partisan, trusted, mass audience , passive audience
Newspapers
Active audience, not trusted, more detailed, smaller audience
Effects on Politics
Personalisation of leaders Setting the Agenda Election showed Focus on the executive Debates - at expense of the legislature Election Campaigning at National level
Direct Effect Model
No filter level, directly effects the reader/ viewer.
Advertising- works on the basis that readers will be directly effected by the advertising of the paper.
Filter Model
Perceptual screen decodes the Media, analysis extracts only part of the media influence rather than the direct effects.
Arguments for Media Influence
Very language is saturated with values and bias, impossible to not be influenced by, filter already formed.
PM is more important now, so Media is more likely to form this opinion/ reinforce the perceptions of the PM.
TV tried to ‘balance out’ the newspapers one sided view of the reporting.
In the past with Partisan alignment, media could only reinforce the views of people.
Now, with less partisan loyalty, short term factors have much more influence. It breaks down the barrier of decodes and has more influence on weak party identifiers.
1960’s- Bi-election shock: more volatile voting, more to feed off in the media.
2010 leader debates- 1/4 decided opinion after the debate.
Previous studies of media have been short-term and static images- media goes beyond this.
Reinforcement Theory
Media Reinforces rather than creates the viewers perception.
Newspapers realise this, thus why to keep membership they have to continue to confirm their views .
Supports cognitive dissonance theory
Glasgow Media Group in the mid 1970’s.
Found heavy value-lade language such as ‘making demands’
News of the World
paedophilia- recognised a context of opinion or wanted to set agenda, by creating a political issue.
Media effect on Parties
Blair- prepared to risk voter support for Murdochs support in the press. - will parties choose leaders who they think will be popular in the press- Corbyn ?!
Debated and publicised election campaigns are now carefully managed
‘Personal’ internet campaogns e.g. browns vlogs on youtube
Stephen Barnett and Journalism
- Age of respect
- Age of equal Engagement - 64-79 some newer journalists would criticise politicians
- Age of journalistic disdain - 70’s, politicians marketed themselves like products
- Age of contempt - politicians avoid straight answers, and journalisats display contempt/ suspicion
New Labour and media
Mandelson employed as a spin doctor to present Labour in a better light in the media.
The Sun moved into the Labour camp to support Blair.
Shows the assumption that the media would attack Labour unless it stuck to its ‘new’ way.
Campbell- Director of communications
Only designated spoke persons to speak to the media that would uphold message.
New Labour created to show there was ‘no alternative’ to Thatcherite policy.
Helps Democracy
Ensures the electorate is informed
Provides personal insights
Means of participation
Keeps politics informed about public opinion
Holds gov to account
Iraq War- gov less easy to commit citizens to war than in an age of contempt, when people demand an inquiry.
Hinders Democracy
Distorts and oversimplifies issues, tends to agree with what the social media user already thinks
Obsessed with personalities
Distracts from more participatory forms
Unrepresentative of real public opinion
Money interest in advertisement and newspaper ownership
Information may be incorrect- no filter
2010 election
First ever televised debate
10 million viewers ITV
BBC 9 million
Liberal democrats surged in the polls which suggests that the debate had a direct effect on voter opinion, although he didn’t win it made them take him seriously.
43% thought he had won
Won ‘Charismatic’ and ‘in touch with ordinary people’ which probably connects to the expenses scandal
But also suggests media is not whole reason as they did not correlate with voting behaviour.
Brown- ‘Bigot’ damaging
Press- forced press to go with agenda set by broadcasters.
Made Nick Clegg more popular in press reports after 2005 despite losses, shows that prss has declining influence.
Newspapers have declining influence to televised debates
Phone Hacking Scandal
Challenged role of media in liberal democracies
Shows that the media is important as much as the party thinks it’s important, i.e. shaping their policy to what the media wants
Expenses Scandal 2009
Showed that press can shape media of politicians
Turned the spotlight
Other sources of media played down the scandal
Influence of money and power
