The Media

Question 1

adversarial press

Answer 1

The suspicious attitude of the national press toward public officials.

Question 2

attack journalism

Answer 2

The current era of media coverage that seizes upon any amount of information that calls into question the qualifications or character of a public official.

Question 3

background story (news)

Answer 3

A tactic by government officials to win journalistic friends. The official discusses current policy on condition that they remain anonymous.

Question 4

confidentiality

Answer 4

Reporters’ keeping sources of their stories secret. Most states and the federal government allow courts to decide on possible confidentiality.

Question 5

equal time rule

Answer 5

An FCC regulation requiring stations to sell time to both candidates seeking office.

Question 6

fairness doctrine

Answer 6

An FCC rule, abolished in 1987, that required broadcasters to give time to both sides of a controversial issue.

Question 7

feature stories

Answer 7

A type of news story that involves a public event not routinely covered by reporters.

Question 8

Federal Communications Commission

Answer 8

An agency of the federal government that develops regulations for the broadcast media.

Question 9

gatekeeper

Answer 9

The role played by the media in influencing what subjects become national political issues.

Question 10

insider stories

Answer 10

A type of news story that involves information not usually made public: requires official leak or investigative reporting.

Question 11

loaded language

Answer 11

The use of words to persuade people of something without actually making a clear argument for it.

Question 12

market (television)

Answer 12

The area reached by a station’s television signal.

Question 13

mental tune-out

Answer 13

When a person tunes out media messages they do not agree with.

Question 14

muckracker

Answer 14

A journalist who investigates the activities of public officials and organizations seeking to expose and publicize misconduct or corruption.

Question 15

party press

Answer 15

Newspapers created, sponsored, and controlled by political parties to further their interests.

Question 16

political editorializing rule

Answer 16

A regulation of the FCC providing a candidate with the right to respond if a broadcaster endorses the opposing candidate.

Question 17

popular press

Answer 17

Self-supporting daily newspapers aimed at a mass readership.

Question 18

prior restraint

Answer 18

Government censorship by forbidding publication of the information.

Question 19

right-of-reply rule

Answer 19

A regulation by the FCC permitting a person the right to respond if attacked on a broadcast other than a regular news program.

Question 20

routine stories

Answer 20

A type of news story that involves a public event regularly covered by reporters. Least biased by reporter’s political opinion.

Question 21

scorekeeper

Answer 21

The role played by the national media in keeping track of and helping make political reputations.

Question 22

selective attention

Answer 22

Perceiving only what one wants to perceive from media reporting.

Question 23

sound bite

Answer 23

A video clip used on nightly broadcasts by political officials. Have become increasingly shorter.

Question 24

trial balloon

Answer 24

A tactic by an anonymous source to test a policy’s public reaction before the policy is actually proposed.

Question 25

watchdog

Answer 25

The role played by the national media in investigating political personalities and exposing scandals.

Question 26

yellow journalism

Answer 26

The use of sensationalism to attract a large readership for a newspaper.