midterm from study guide Flashcards
what are potential functions of media?
- create informed citizenship by giving multiple perspectives
- provide forum 4 elites to debate qualifications for office
- watchdogs scrutinizing elite behavior
who stated the 3 jobs of media in democratic societies?
Shanto Lyengar
what happened during the partisan era?
wealthy audiences bc high cost of papers, low circulation/impact, strong factions, citites has 6-8 papers,
what happened during the commercial era?
circulation increases ALOT bc of tech/independance/major stories, sensationalism/yellow journalism
what happened during the objective era?
journalism profession was sus, columbia school of journalism created, stories became more objective
what are the goals of professionalism?
news separated by editorial/business, become truth seekers, move beyond partisianship, objectibve reporting, hold journalists accountable
what happened during the interpretive era?
analysis becomes common, decline in credibility, regulatory policy changed 2 favor owners
what are the 3 C’s of modern media?
corporate, consolidated, conglomerated
when was the partisan era?
1780s-1830s
when was the commercial era?
1830s-1900s
when was the objective era?
1900s-1970s
when was the interpretive era?
1980s-21st century
what are the 4 types of ownership?
- independent (only owns 1)
- multiple owner (owns several of 1 type)
- cross media (owns 1 or more of multiple types)
- conglomerate (owns media and non media)
what is old media?
newspapers, magazines, radio, tv
what approach did old media use?
top down
how do we know old media is in trouble?
less people consume them rn
what is new media?
legacies = tv, newspapers with web presence
also, digital natives, aggregators, social media, podcasts, newsletters
what does americans relationship with media look like today (usage attitudes)?
what are psychological forces shaping decision making?
personal beliefs, likes/dislikes
what social forces shaoe decision making?
the world we live in, expectations of others
why do psychological and social forces matter?
help us form habits, selective exposure reinforces existing views
what is information democratization?
increasing involvement of private citizens in the creation/distribution/exhibition/curation of civically revlevant information
what shifts have happened in the relationship between freedom and protection?
the effects of changing presidency, diminishing support shielding press in defamation cases, state/local limits on the rise, unprecedented mistrust
what are grabers 5 elements of newsworthiness?
- strong impact
- excitement
- proximity
- timely
- novel
what does it mean that news is a mirror? or is it something else entirely?
the idea that news coverage reflects reality is unrealistic
what evidence do we have that shows bias exists?
surveys find that people see media as leaning opposite of their side
what are road blocks to political bias?
code of ethics, journalism training, editors/owners
what is the 1st stage of crisis coverage?
crises happen/ media coverage starts, difficulties w/ accuracy (bc its developing), speculation
what is the 2nd stage of crisis coverage?
media corrects inaccuracies nad puts event @broader perspective, gov tries 2 instert control of info flow
what are the pros of event coverage?
eliminates uncertainty, helps people cope, keeps gears of gov/society turning
what are the cons of event coverage?
can lead to panic, possible effects of violent imagery, possible misinformation, diminishing standard for what deserves coverage
what are pseudo-crises?
events that are covered like a crises but arent actually
what are some examples of pseudo crises?
deaths, personal scandls, crime, trials, ‘news of the world’
why are pseudo-crises increasingly prominent?
increasingly prominent bc they make the events seem more significant then they actually are
what are limits/laws for information gathering
cant get info on basis of just being media, hurdles 2 get gov documents, buisnesses have own set of rules, ‘gag orders’
what are limits/laws on what can be said?
commercial speech regulated, obscenity laws, high burden of proof for libel/slander
