Types of Media

Question 1

What are the two types of media?

Answer 1

Mass media and elite media.

Question 2

What is mass media?

Answer 2

Television, radios, newspapers and the Internet.

Question 3

What does mass media attempt to do?

Answer 3

Attempts to reach a large audience that is not strongly differentiated by social characteristics like class, education, gender, culture, and age.

Question 4

What is elite media?

Answer 4

Media that is consumer by, and designed for, those considered to be decision makers in government, business, and other leading social institutions (the elite).

Question 5

What are examples of elite media?

Answer 5

The Globe and Mail, the New York Times

Question 6

What is the prime source for news information in Canada?

Answer 6

Canadian Press (who owns many news outlets)

Question 7

How has the Internet changed how politics and the media interact?

Answer 7

1. The Internet allows members of political institutions to reach their audience directly, rather than being filtered through the media.
2. IT has allowed a massive number of independent operators to become involved with the media and politics. Like bloggers.
3. The internet changes the nature of the information.

Question 8

What are the three perspectives that explain the role of the media in government?

Answer 8

1. The libertarian
2. Social responsibility
3. Dominant ideology

Question 9

What is the libertarian perspective?

Answer 9

Argues that if the mass media are completely free from government control, then citizens will be able to get the information they want and pass their own judgment.

Question 10

What is the social responsibility perspective?

Answer 10

Argues that total freedom is not a good thing. The media has a responsibility to the people. If the media are left to their own devices, they will turn to sensationalism type of journalism.

Question 11

What is the dominant ideology perspective?

Answer 11

They argue that the media is dominated by a small group of elites who benefit from the status quo. E.g., they prevent deviant ideas from being spread

Question 12

How can the government censor and limit what you can and cannot say? (to show that the media is not free from gov’t control)

Answer 12

The government censors hate speech and pornography. The government regulates who can and cannot broadcast over the airwaves - this is done by the CRTC.

Question 13

How do we define the relationship the media plays with government? (dogs analogy)

Answer 13

1. Watchdog role
2. Attack dog role
3. Lapdog role
4. Sleeping dogs role

Question 14

What is the watchdog role?

Answer 14

When the media acts to expose government corruption and excess.

Question 15

What is the attack dog role?

Answer 15

The belief that the media attacks the government for the sake of attacking. E.g., Stephen harper and his vest.

Question 16

What is the lapdog role?

Answer 16

The media supports the government no matter what. This role means the media and the government are too close.

Question 17

What is the sleeping dogs role?

Answer 17

This is when the media is perceived as having completely missed (or fallen asleep) on a major story.

Question 18

Why does the sleeping dogs role happen? (2 reasons)

Answer 18

1. Apathy

2. Pressure

Question 19

What is infotainment?

Answer 19

The merging of the news and entertainment into one.

Question 20

What is the major issue with infotainment?

Answer 20

People confuse it with real news and rely on it for their news, but this is just entertainment.

Question 21

What is the hypodermic model?

Answer 21

When people believed that the public was at the mercy of the media and peoples’ opinions were easily shaped.

Question 22

What is the minimal effects model?

Answer 22

That the media serves mainly to reinforce existing values.

Question 23

What is agenda setting?

Answer 23

When the media determines what is important and what is not.