Midterm Flashcards
Deregulation
Government action that reduces government restrictions on the business operations of an industry
Concentration of ownership
The current trend of large companies owning smaller companies so that fewer companies own more types of media businesses
Convergence
The melding of communications, computer and electronics industries
Vertical integration
An attempt by one company to simultaneously control several related aspects of the media business
Medium
The means by which a message reaches the audience
Copy right
The exclusive legal right given to the originator
Interpersonal communication
The exchange of information between two or more people
Mass communication
Communication from one person/group of people through a transmitting device to large audiences or markets
Royalty fees
An amount the publisher pays an author based on an established percentage of the book’s price; royalties run anywhere from 6 to 15%
Libelous
A statement is libelous if it damages a person’s character by exposing that person to public ridicule or contempt
Penny press
Selling a newspaper for a penny and supporting production costs through advertising
Yellow journalism
Exaggerating stories to draw in audiences
Syndication
Individual stations buy programs outside of the network system
Muckrakers
Investigative magazine journalists who targeted abuses by government and big business
Cultivation theory
Reality of TV becomes the reality of life
Priming theory
Children copy the behaviors they see on TV
Social learning theory
Our social behaviors are formed by what we see in the media
Magic bullet theory
The assertion that media messages directly and measurably affect people’s behavior
Agenda setting
The belief that journalists don’t tell you what to think but do tell you what to think about
Cross ownership
The practice of one company owning TV and radio stations in the same broadcast market
Payola
The practice of accepting payment to play specific recordings on the air
Narrowcasting
Segmenting the radio audience
Studio system
An early method of hiring a stable of salaried stars and production people under exclusive contracts to a specific studio
Star system
Promoting popular movie personalities to lure audiences
Blacklisting
Studio owners’ refusal to hire someone who was suspected of taking part in subversive activities
Demographics
Data about consumers’ characteristics, such as age, occupation, and income level
Freelancers
Writers who are not on the staff of a magazine but who are paid for each individual article published.
File Sharing
The peer-to-peer distribution of copyrighted material on the Internet without the copyright owner’s permission.
Block booking
The practice of requiring theaters to take a package of movies instead of showing the movies individually.
Black listing
Studio owners’ refusal to hire someone who was suspected of taking part in subversive activities.
Blog
A running Internet discussion group, where items are posted in reverse chronological order and usually focus on a specific topic.
Convergence
The melding of the communications, computer and electronics industries.
Digital divide
The lack of access to digital technology among low income, rural and minority groups.
Public domain
Publications, products, and processes that are not protected by copyright and thus are available free to the public.
Search engine
The tool used to locate information in a computer database
Wiki
Technology that allows many users to collaborate to create and update internet pages.
Crisis communication
A timely public relations response to a critical situation that could cause damage to a company’s reputation.
Public relations
Creating understanding for, or goodwill toward, a company, a person, or a product.
Media content analysis
An attempt to analyze how mass media programming influences behavior.
Spiral of silence
The belief that people with divergent views may be reluctant to challenge the consensus of opinion offered by the media.
Censorship
The practice of suppressing material that is considered morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable.
Intellectual property
The legal right of ownership of ideas and content published in any medium.
Ethics
The rules or standards that govern someone’s conduct.
Disinformation
The intentional planting of false information by government sources.
Ethnocentric
Promoting the superiority of one ethnic group over another.
Aristotle’s golden mean
“the mean between two extremes”, moderation and compromise.
Kant’s categorical imperative
“Act on the maxim which you will to become a universal law”, make decisions based on principles that you want to be universally applied.
Mill’s principle of utility
“Seek the greatest happiness for the greatest number”
Rawl’s veil of ignorance
“Justice emerges when negotiating without social differentiations”, asks everyone to work from a sense of liberty and basic respect for everyone.
Judeo-Christian view of persons as end in themselves
“Love thy neighbor”, treat others the way you want to be treated
The Soviet theory
Government owns and operates the mass media
The Authoritarian theory
Can either be publicly or privately owned
Libertarian Theory
People who are given all the information on an issue will be able to discern what is true and what is false and will make good choices. The media will present all points of view.
The Social responsibility theory
Access the concept of a libertarian press but prescribes what the media should do. Advocates government oversight for media that don’t act in society’s best interest.
The developmental theory
The media can be privately owned but usually are ones by the government.
FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
Enforces rules that govern the broadcast media.
Qualified privilege
The freedom of the press to report what is discussed during legislative and court proceedings.
Shield laws
Laws that protect journalists from revealing their sources and the information that is communicated between journalists and their sources in a journalistic relationship.
Prior restraint
Government censorship of information before the information is published or broadcast.
Media effects research
An attempt to analyze how people use the information they receive from the media.
Persuasion
The act of using argument or reasoning to induce someone to do something.
Cyber smears
Negative information organized and presented on the Internet as continuing attacks against a corporation.
