Chapter 8- The News Media:
(1).
Examine the News media's influence on public opinion and the political
agenda.
(2).
Analyze the News Media's relationship with the government.
(3).
Examine how the News Media changes over time, including: journalistic conventions,
readership & "viewer-ship," and the changes in media ownership.
(4).
Examine press freedom and its limitations, and discuss FOIA & pool
reporting.
(5).
Discuss the electronic media and the role of the FCC, equal time & fairness
policies.
(6).
Examine how news is reported, what makes news, and the rules of how it is told.
(7).
Evaluate the media and determine if it has a "liberal bias" or is
just cynical, or both.
(8). Assess
the growing trend of news as entertainment.
(9).
Discuss the news media’s role during political campaigns and the role of sound
bites.
(10).
Assess how well the media reports election results and explain the potential
impact.
(11).
Analyze the role of "news
leaks" in reporting the news.
G-8 CHAPTER OUTLINE: The News Media
v Do the News Media Matter?
Ø Role of
New Media:
§ Enable
the public to watch over their government
Ø 8-1a The News Media and Public Opinion:
§ How much influence does Media have on
Public Opinion?
§ 3 factors to consider:
· Effect
of Media coverage vs. effect of event itself
· Vast
array of Media views and voices
· Choice of who to listen to up to Public
§ Modest effect of News Media on specific
issues?
· News
commentators influence on changing opinion
· Role of
selective
perception?
§ When is News Media most likely to influence
opinion?
· Extent
of individual’s knowledge about specific issue
Ø 8-1b The News Media and the Political Agenda:
§ Influence over what Americans think about- significant
· Political
Agenda – list of issues considered important
¨ Worthy
of attention & political discussion or debate
§ Impact of News Media on Political Agenda?
· Impressive
power to shape the agenda
· Spotlight
issues considered important
· Alert
& grab attention of public & government officials
§ Several
factors determine choices made by media (later)
Ø 8-1c The News Media and Government:
§ Impact of coverage on government officials?
· Focus
on an issue => alert public=> pressure to act
· Example: war lord starvation of people of
¨ Public
awareness (thru Media) forced
§ Also a two way street =>
(Government => Media)
· Government
officials attempt to influence coverage
· President
especially has great sway on issue covered
· Also
try to gain favorable coverage – spin control
· In many
cases => Media follows Government lead
· Example: War with
¨ Bush
administration declared Saddam greater
threat
v The Changing Face of the News Media
Ø 3 major
changes in New Media’s past 200 years:
§ Journalistic conventions
§ Readership & Viewership
§ Media ownership
Ø 8-2a Changes in Journalistic Conventions:
§ Evolution of press standards of coverage:
· Partisan
press => blatant supporter of particular party
· Penny
press => revolutionized journalism
¨ Mass
circulation – affordable to literate population
¨ Emphasized
human interest stories – attract
readers
¨ Advertising
& sales covered costs => no party ties
· Yellow
journalism => sensational
coverage (
· Muckraking =>
investigative reporting (Magazines)
· Objective
Press => today’s theoretical standard:
¨ Appeal
to divergent views=> mass circulation=> $$$
Ø 8-2b Changes in Readership and Viewership:
§ “explosion of news information” 1950 =>
2000
§ Hides 4
important changes (see Table 8-1):
· Decline in Newspapers (with rise of what?)
· Rise of cable TV => increased competition
¨ Result: Broadcast
TV forced to cut budgets
¨ Corporate
owners stress profits over news
Ø Overseas
bureau coverage hardest hit
¨ Declining
viewers=> cable=> less ad $$$=> up cuts
¨ Also: more
TV as news source=> image & style=>
Ø less
in-depth analysis => less informed public
· Rise of Talk Radio=> debate: clarify or distort issues?
¨ Conservative
bias? Representative cross section?
· Rapid growth of Internet=> 50%
¨ Especially
true with young => source of news?
¨ Advantage: rapid
& tailored dissemination
Ø Excellent
resource for research & education
Ø www.Congress.org =>
links to other gov. sites
¨ Disadvantage:
accuracy (rumors & untruths)
Ø Also: Spam, excess info, & the poor left
out
Ø 8-2c Changes in Media Ownership:
§ Rise of
Corporation ownership => priority?
· Potential
impact on news quality & objectivity?
§ Increased
trend toward concentration of ownership
· Result: # of
owners shrinking => consolidation & $$$
· Telecommunication Competition &
Deregulation Act
¨ Eliminated
many restrictions on media ownership
¨ Further
concentration => which results
in turn=>
Ø % of
public reached by elite few owners grows
§ Concerns
of critics of more concentrated ownership:
· Diversity of news coverage & op-ed diminished
· More homogenized news/view acceptable to owners
· Result: restricts rather than promotes political
debate
§ Checks
on impact of increasing ownership concentration
· Fed
regulatory actions to promote
diversity of opinions
· Expansion
of cable TV & internet=> new info
sources
· $$$
motive => incentive to meet needs
of audience
v Freedom of the Press – source
of guaranteed protection?
Ø 8-3a Limits to Press Freedom:
§ Legal checks on freedom of the press:
· Libel
laws
=> press can’t unjustly injure reputations
· Obscenity
laws
=> seldom a problem for new coverage
· Prior
restraint => rarely applied (any exceptions?)
§ Other factors constraining press freedom:
· Government
secrecy => classified documents
¨ Requires
government clearances (or leak) to see
¨ FOIA
attempts to make government declassify docs
· Government
pressure => reporter depend on access
¨ threats,
cut off contact, accusations of bias reporting
Ø without
access => no story => press self-restraint
· Limited
access =>
¨ Concern
for press safety (more likely distraction)
¨ Military
L/L:
¨ Pool
reporting => press dissatisfaction=> unilaterals
¨ Recent
trends: more controlled access ó go it alone
Ø 8-3b The Electronic Media:
§ Rationale
for government regulation:
· Limited
number of channels available
· Public
owns airwaves (so Government controls)
§ FCC role & function:
· Administer
the rules regulating the electronic
media
· Set
technical standards for the industry (HD TV)
· License
TV & Radio (every 5-7 years – review)
· Administer
broadcast standards=> ID/hour,
decency std
§ Government regulations affecting politics:
· Equal-time
provision (not applicable to news coverage)
· Fairness
doctrine => chance to express opposing views
¨ SNL satires – FCC repealed
in 1987 (why?)
§ NTL –
· In
contrast to others,
· Federal
law forbids FCC from censorship
activities
¨ Free Speech & Press alive
& well – so far…
v Reporting the News
Ø Media’s
tremendous power – setting the agenda =>
§ Key
role in deciding what constitutes news
Ø 8-4a What Is News?
§ Subjective judgment applying 3 specific
criteria:
· Conflict =>
bad news & corruption bias
· Proximity
=>
closer to home trumps farther away
· Timeliness
=>
w/time stories fade as yesterday’s news
§ Other selection influences:
· Pack
journalism=> common desire to not miss story
¨ Distinct
weakness of pack=> subject of manipulation
· TV video factor => action images trump talking heads
§ Shortfalls of above selection criteria:
· Important
stories may fail to meet above criteria
· Over
time => urgency & public interest
in story fades
¨ Even
though facts of event remain as first reported
Ø 8-4b Telling the Story:
§ How
the news is reported – many subjective choices
§ Total
objectivity & impartiality is simply impossible
§ Attempts
to minimize subjective reporting – 4
rules:
· Keep personal preferences out of story (no
advocacy)
· Avoid using value-laden terms (current
example?)
· Get both sides of story
(sometimes impractical?)
· Rely on “responsible” sources for info (true
experts)
§ Exceptions
& failure to follow above basic rules?
· US at
war – (patriotism hard to completely
avoid)
· Value
laden words/images used on more frequent basis
¨ Terrorist vs. freedom fighter
¨ Killed vs. massacred
¨ Students kissing ground following
¨ Newspaper
photos (image chosen) of Iraqi invasion
¨ The slant
in news coverage (angle of view & tone)
· Getting
both sides all the time risks distorting issue
¨ Jews
vs. Nazis contrasting views of the Holocaust
· Responsible sources & experts present
unique problem
¨ Many FP stories rely on Gov officials –
problem?
¨