Chapter 8 The News Media Learning Objectives 1 Examine News media s influence on public opinion 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 its limitations discuss FOIA pool reporting 5 Discuss electronic media role of FCC equal time fairness policies 6 Examine how news is reported what makes news rules of how it is told 7 Evaluate the media determine if it has a liberal bias or is just cynical 8 Assess the growing trend of news as entertainment 9 Discuss news media s role during political campaigns role of sound bites 10 Assess how well the media reports election results explain potential impact 11 Analyze the role of news leaks in reporting the news Do the News Media Matter Role of News Media Enable the public to watch over their government Why is that important The News Media and Public Opinion Key Question How much influence does Media have on Public Opinion Three factors to consider 1 Media s coverage vs event itself 2 Array of Media views and voices 3 Choice of who to listen to So what exactly is the problem Difficulty in Determining Media s Impact Key Challenges Disentangling the media s coverage with the event itself challenging at times Enormous array of media voices in the United States with conflicting views Vast individual choice in media selection Extent of News Media s influence Modest influence of some News Anchors Role of Selective Perception Selective Perception A phenomenon in which people perceive the same event differently because they have different beliefs and personal experiences hat is the role of selective perception in forming Public Opinion Re enforces already held views dismisses contradictions Media Influence When is News Media most likely to influence someone s opinion When individual s knowledge about specific issue limited Or when the person has no opinion at all What is the Media s main role wrt shaping Public Opinion Media Influence What exactly does the Media influence The media plays a major role in shaping the political agenda The Media s influence is over what people think about Not so much what they actually think Political Agenda Political Agenda The list of issues considered important and that government officials are actively debating News Media and the Political Agenda Influence over what Americans think about is 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 America s political economical and social agenda Spotlight issues considered by Media to be important Alert grab attention of public government officials Several factors determine Media s choices later The News Media and Government Impact of coverage on government officials Focus on an issue alert public Exerts public pressure forcing Government to act Example War lords starvation of people of Somalia Iraq s killing of Kurds following Persian Gulf War Government Management of disaster relief Public awareness thru Media forced vigorous Federal action News Media and the Government The Two Way Street The media affects government officials while at the same time government officials often try to influence the media as well A Two Way Street Government News Media Government officials attempt to influence coverage President especially has great sway on issue covered Success of Iraqi election need for Social Welfare Reform Also try to gain favorable coverage spin control In many cases Media follows Government lead while in others the Government finds itself in damage control Examples War with Iraq vs diplomacy w North Korea Bush administration declared Saddam greater threat Preparation for Rita Federal Government learned from Katrina and becomes better prepared pre staging Federal assets close to scene Spin Control The practice of trying to persuade journalists to cover news stories in ways that put policies one likes in the most favorable light Changes in the News Media 3 major changes in New Media s past 200 years 1 changes in the conventions of journalism 2 changes in the way the public gets its news The sources providing news to the public 3 changes in the pattern of media ownership Changes in Journalistic Conventions The 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 Box 8 1 Remember the Maine Spanish American War Muckraking investigative reporting Magazines Objective Press today s theoretical standard Appeal to divergent views mass circulation Key Terms to remember The Evolution of Journalism Yellow Journalism A form of journalism popular at the end of the nineteenth century that emphasized sensational and sometimes lurid news coverage The Evolution of Journalism Muckraking Early form of investigative Journalism popular at the Beginning of 20th century The Evolution of Journalism Objective Journalism A form of journalism that developed in the 1920s and which continues to predominate today It emphasizes that journalists should strive to keep personal opinions out of their coverage of the news Changes in Readership and Viewership Explosion of news information 1950 2000 What does this explosion of news hide Hides 4 important changes see Table 8 1 Decline in Newspapers with rise of what Rise of Cable TV Rise of Talk Radio Rapid growth of the Internet Decline of Newspaper Readers Total number of newspapers Decline of total number of newspapers read in the United States from 1945 to 2004 Trends in Regular News Consumption of US Population 1993 2004 Broadcast TV versus Cable TV Broadcast TV v Television stations that make their programming available over the airwaves without charge Most local cable companies include broadcast television channels as part of their basic package of services Cable TV Television programming not originally transmitted over the air as with broadcast television but rather carried via coaxial or fiber optic cable into the homes of people who pay a monthly fee Impact of Cable TV Rise of cable TV increased competition Result Broadcast TV forced to cut budgets