Media and Interest Groups

Question 0

Where do most Americans get their news?

Answer 0

TV

Question 1

Which amendment prohibits congress from abridging freedom of the press, but does not provide the media with unlimited print and broadcast freedom?

Answer 1

Amendment 1

Question 2

What is media consolidation?

Answer 2

When a few media chains owned large portions of the market.

Question 3

What was the telecommunications act of 1996?

Answer 3

Deregulated whole segments of electronic media in attempt to provide an optimal balance of competing corporate interests, technological innovations, and consumer needs.

Question 4

What is the equal time rule?

Answer 4

Rule that requires broadcast stations to sell their air time equally to all candidates in a political campaign (if they choose to sell any).

Question 5

What was New York Times v. US?

Answer 5

The Supreme Court ruled that the government could not prevent the New York Times (using prior restraint) from publishing the Pentagon Papers.

Question 6

What is prior restraint?

Answer 6

The prevention of publication, which under extremely rare circumstances the government has the power to do.

Question 7

What is a press release?

Answer 7

A written document offering an official comment or position on an issue or news event.

Question 8

What is a press breifing?

Answer 8

A reflectively restricted session between a press secretary or aid, and the press.

Question 9

What is a press conference?

Answer 9

An unrestricted session between an elected official and the press.

Question 10

What is “on the record”?

Answer 10

Information provided to a journalist that can be released and attributed by name to the source.

Question 11

What is “on backround”?

Answer 11

Information provided to a journalist that will not be attributed to a named source.

Question 12

What is deep backround?

Answer 12

Information provided to a journalist that cannot be attributed to any source.

Question 13

What is “off the record”?

Answer 13

Information provided to a journalist that cannot be released to the public.

Question 14

What was New York Times v. Sullivan?

Answer 14

Supreme Court ruled that publishing false information is not enough to justify a libel judgment and that actual malice must be proven.

Question 15

What is actual malice?

Answer 15

A public official must prove that the reporter had knowledge that the information published was false or that it was published with disregard to whether or not it was.

Question 16

How can story selection or placement exhibit bias?

Answer 16

If a story is put on the front page of the newspaper or said at the beginning of the news hour, as opposed to the middle of the paper or program it could exhibit bias towards the candidate at the beginning of the page/hour.

Question 17

Why is an editorial not considered to be bias?

Answer 17

Someone is stating their opinion in an opinion column. The reader knows this is the person’s opinion and doesn’t expect the story to be told from all sides.

Question 18

How are stories that make one side or the other look bad, but are accurate, not considered bias?

Answer 18

They are simply telling the facts, there’s no other way to accurately report what happend.

Question 19

How are non policy stories on a specific event not considered bias?

Answer 19

They are simpler random, and have nothing to do with politics.

Question 20

What is narrowcasting?

Answer 20

Targeting media programming at so specific populations within society that agree with their viewpoints. (MSNBC, FOX)

Question 21

What is the pluralist theory?

Answer 21

The theory that political power is distributed among a wide array if diverse and competing interest groups.

Question 22

What is the disturbance theory?

Answer 22

Interest groups form In part to counteract the actions of other groups.

Question 23

What is the transactions theory?

Answer 23

Different groups work together for common goal even if they have different reasons for wanting that goal.

Question 24

What is the population ecology theory?

Answer 24

The theory that an interest group separates after achieving its goal.

Question 25

What is the role of interest groups in American government?

Answer 25

Interest groups give the unknown and unrepresented citizens an opportunity to have their voices heard. This makes government more representative of diverse populations and perspectives. It also gives the wealthy and powerful even greater on policy makers at all levels of government.

Question 26

What is a public interest group?

Answer 26

An organization that seeks a collective good and will not selectively an materially being it group members.

Question 27

Get out the vote

Answer 27

Many interest groups believe they can influence public policy by putting like -minded people in public office, and support get out the vote effort.