JMC 1100 1st Edition Lecture 10 Media Uses and Effects Effects of the News Telling us what to think about Media Today I Life Imitates Art a U of Illinois Chicago student decides to reenact 5o Shades b Ex friend didn t want to do it c Judge How can someone let a movie persuade him to do this Last Time II Began discussing effects of news presentation a Gatekeeping b Hostile Media Phenomenon c Selectivity How Media Influences Society III Agenda Setting a More coverage of an issue more importance in the minds of the public b Gatekeeping WHAT Agenda Setting How Much Based on the Idea IV V Public doesn t have ability to know all and must rely heavily on the media Walter Lippmann We are all Cognitive Misers a We consume just enough information to get through our daily life Core of Agenda Setting I News media doesn t tell people what to think but what to think about Chapel Hill Study McCobms Shaw 1968 II Tested Chapel Hill NC voters on their views of issues ex Civil rights for 1968 Presidential Race Nixon vs Humphrey III Found media emphasis public perception IV Horse Race coverage false perceptions of the candidates leader must be best Pew Center for the People and Press May 22 2012 ZuckerConfirms it I II His study 1978 found news coverage did increase prior to public opinion increase confirmed agenda settings BUT study found personal experience filters and could override media emphasis These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Key Nature of the Issue I Unobtrusive Issues those with which we have little to no direct experience a Ex Climate change Chinese pollution etc b People more reliant on media information Experience can Filter II Obtrusive Issues those the public experience directly unemployment crime taxes tc a Agenda setting does NOT occur b Instead public may be influencing media agenda c Ex if you like a brand of pizza you won t believe bad press about that pizza Agenda Setting Problem III It s very difficult to show cause and effect a Social scientists media reality more powerful than previously expected Why does agenda setting matter IV By emphasizing some issues and essentially disregarding others new media is focusing on specific considerations a Individuals who pay a great deal of attention to the news media are only learning about some issues V Implications for public opinion a News broadcasts and articles tell us what issues to think about Next Step Framing I Framing using a set of expectations about how the world works to make sense of social situations Goffman 1974 a Supplies a context and helps define the issue how why b Helps us understand and interpret by simplifying experience Framing In Essence II III Central organizing idea that supplies the context for an issue Process of selecting and emphasizing certain aspects of messages through key words and phrases or visual images Benefits of Media Framing I Media use cues to help us know how to interpret messages a Though cues frames simplify message production rather than telling a story in an hour can tell a story in 30 seconds b But can present stories without the proper context Where Frames Come From II Journalists and Editors news producers may favor one side or the other due to bias or time restrictions III Lobbyists Public Relations Professionals Job means creating favorable image for an organization and its products Framing the Issue I Lack of media context can misrepresent issues for readers Dangers of Framing II Role of Emotion a Images that provoke anger and fear are remembered easier b Violent images more involvement with stories c Negative news stories increased memory of news Lang Newhagen and Reeves Results of Media Framing III IV Students prefer to get their news from the Daily Show context vs Hype On Democracy a Attack ads make people think politics is complicated b Makes them believe their vote wont make a difference Conclusion I II Process of selecting and emphasizing certain aspects of news messages Framers help audiences understand and interpret experiences