Question 1: Climate change and women

Question 1

Climate Change

Answer 1

• Understand that politics is a contest of values and science is a contest of evidence. Therefore it’s difficult to cover science in a political mindset that’s most helpful for the public.

1. Notion that politicization of an issues drives media attention
   
   • Problem of climate change is constant but coverage is not
   • Puts the influence in the hands of elites, when journalists take a reactive approach they let political elites influence what to focus on
2. Journalistic goal of balance and objectivity can distort scientific consensus
   
   • Leads to a false equivalence problem: presentation of arguments on different sides of an issue as equally valid when the evidence is strongly in favor of one side
   • Boykoff Study: found that most media coverage fell into a balanced category, which is not representative of the argument surrounding climate change and global warming
3. How to improve scientific coverage
   
   • Development of expertise within the media
   • Reliance on experts, rather than elites with political motives
   • Trading a norm of balance for a norm of truth-telling

Question 2

Contemporary Journalism

Answer 2

• Tell important and interesting stories
  
  • Important – rule of anticipated importance
  • Interesting –
    - Novelty – new
    - Conflict and drama

Question 3

Coverage of Female Candidates

Answer 3

1. Underrepresentation of women in office
   
   • Khan: examines if the media is to blame, “subtle bias against female politicians could lead the media to take them less seriously than male candidates”
     - Gender stereotypes draw attention to “female” issues and traits
     - Women may be portrayed as less capable of dealing with security, defense, and crime
     - Portrayed as less competent or weaker leaders 2. Gender may play less of a role today
   • Declining novelty of female politicians
     - Journalists may be less likely to cover women as “women”
   • Party Polarization
     - Partisanship and ideology are the central themes of political conflict
2. Hayes et al: Does appearance coverage hurt women?
   
   • No. Appearance coverage plays a significantly diminished role today. (Don’t feel this is important but thought I would add it)
3. Women less likely to run
   
   • Family socialization: women are less likely to be encouraged by parents, etc.
   • Perceptions of qualifications: women are less likely to believe they are qualified
   • Recruitment: women are less likely to be asked to run