The Media

Question 1

agenda setting

Answer 1

the media’s ability to choose which issues or topics get attention

Question 2

beat

Answer 2

the coverage area assigned to journalists for news or stories

Question 3

citizen journalism

Answer 3

video and print news posted to the internet or social media by citizens rather than the news media

Question 4

cultivation theory

Answer 4

the idea that media affects a citizen’s worldview through the information presented

Question 5

digital paywall

Answer 5

the need for a paid subscription to access published online material

Question 6

equal-time rule

Answer 6

an FCC policy that all candidates running for office must be given the same radio and television airtime opportunities

Question 7

fairness doctrine

Answer 7

a 1949 FCC policy, now defunct, that required holders of broadcast licenses to cover controversial issues in a balanced manner

Question 8

framing

Answer 8

the process of giving a news story a specific context or background

Question 9

Freedom of Information Acr

Answer 9

a federal statute that requires public agencies to provide certain types of information requested by citizens

Question 10

hypodermic theory

Answer 10

the idea that information is placed in a citizen’s brain and accepted

Question 11

indecency regulations

Answer 11

laws that limit indecent or obscene material on public airwaves

Question 12

libel

Answer 12

printed information about a person or organization that is not true and harms the reputation of the person or organization

Question 13

mass media

Answer 13

the collection of all media forms that communicate information to the general public

Question 14

minimal effects theory

Answer 14

the idea that the media have little effect on citizens

Question 15

muckraking

Answer 15

news coverage focusing on exposing corrupt business and government practices

Question 16

party press era

Answer 16

period during the 1780s in which newspaper content was biased by political partisanship

Question 17

priming

Answer 17

the process of predisposing readers or viewers to think a particular way

Question 18

prior restraint

Answer 18

a government action that stops someone from doing something before they are able to do it (e.g., forbidding someone to publish a book they plan to release)

Question 19

public relations

Answer 19

biased communication intended to improve the image of people, companies, or organizations

Question 20

reporter’s privilege

Answer 20

the right of a journalist to keep a source confidential

Question 21

slander

Answer 21

spoken information about a person or organization that is not true and harms the reputation of the person or organization

Question 22

soft news

Answer 22

news presented in an entertaining style

Question 23

sunshine laws

Answer 23

laws that require government documents and proceeding to be made public

Question 24

yellow journalism

Answer 24

sensationalized coverage of scandals and human interest stories