The definition of mass media what is a medium what is mass o Mass Media Reaches the majority of the public The process by which a person group of people or large organization creates a message and transmits it through some type of medium to a large anonymous heterogeneous audience o Medium A channel or passage connecting two things The problem of democracy o Communication is elemental to democracy o The problems facing the founders 225 years ago Most not experts many not educated Many don t have time to read Not enough time May not care Cant fully grasp concepts Self interested o Principal arguments of antidemocrats Does democracy ask too much of citizens Differences between subjects and citizens o Subject Little decision making Loyal Respectful to authorities Little need for information No need for opinions o Citizen Some decision making Independent thinking Need for information Need for opinions Requires competency in what is happening around them in the community Can act when needed voting Must be informed The hybrid model of citizenship in American democracy o Conflicted version Limited citizenship o More democratic than anything in Europe at the time o Allows Four fundamental functions an information system must provide in a democracy 1 Inform citizens Elections of representatives Freedom of press assembly speech religion etc o Restrictions Gender men only Age Race Property ownership Electoral college Senators Policies ideas proposed Power people involved Recognition of self interest Concerns beyond the self Ideology philosophies behind policies Discovery of public interest Virtue 2 Sort truth from falsehood Assumptions of truth Fact checker 3 Enable aggregation filter interests What interests are most important What are distractions What should be more focused on Public sphere Informs representation 4 Constituent contracts Polls Press Our news system is built imperfectly on these ideals Why the printing press was revolutionary for the distribution of information and how it was used by Martin Luther o Printing press Johannes Gutenberg created the printing press 1440 Printing with movable type Changed written word to something widespread for everyone rather than rare and for the elite News became more accessible o Distribution of information The church and clergy had less power as people became literate and things were published in their language Availability of readable literature allowed all people to have an opinion about government church etc Allowed propaganda to spread Response by church states Sinful Recognized the power of printing Lead to the licensing act of 1643 o How it was used by Martin Luther Translated the bible in German 1534 95 theses 1517 Press allowed these to spread throughout Europe Allowed established Protestantism Allowed people to challenge power Aeropagitica and its key arguments o John Milton o 1644 o Key arguments Individuals have reason rationality More material communication is better for reasoning Parliament should not be involved Shouldn t regulate what people are printing reading Does the people s jobs for them Prior restraint pre publication censorship should be illegal Gives the licenser the power to silence others If blasphemous or defamatory material is published should can be destroyed after the fact British Bill of Rights o 1689 o Promise of freedom of the press Printing as a business in the 1700s o No reporters o Contents Mercantile information stocks Letters from people traveling Reprinting from other outlets No copyright Printers write edits correspond laid the type solicited ads and more Many were government printers o Printing reprinting to inform Private journals and pamphlets Private journals printers and coffeehouse culture in the 1700s o Printers were elite Needed money because they had to know how to read write Like the blogs of the era Distributing people s opinions o Coffeehouse salon culture Social institution Purpose was to understand Up to date on news Discussion and debate Ideal public sphere The role of the press in American independence o Stamp Act 1765 Taxations without representation Suggests that people who cannot pick their representation should not be taxed Printed materials of all kinds were taxed Funding Great Britain s Wars Had to have a royal stamp Included legal documents pamphlets educational materials economic materials etc Opposed because Took money Printers considered themselves British citizens o Sense of injustice Influenced printers to become revolutionaries How newspapers and the press were supported by the government after independence o Conception of citizenship and democracy o Constitutional protection of press o Postal subsidiaries Postal service act 1792 Created to support newspapers o Education and literacy Major commitment involvement to founders By early 1800 s Highest literacy rates 1 Form own colony 2 150 000 copies 3 Articulate the case for an independent republic Less than 10 signature literacy Closing gender barrier of literacy Press s role in the revolution 1 Key publications a Common Sense i Thomas Paine ii 1776 iii Detach from Britain 2 Connected the colonies a Shared ideas 3 Developed senses of a Solidarity b Nationhood c Value of press independent of government d COMMON IDENTITY The partisan press o Founders thought that faction was unethical Based on societal wholeness Political parties o Formed during revolution Press not just to enlighten also to convince o Relationship between newspapers and parties role of both in political participation Press parties evolved together Press became cheerleader for certain parties Parties had contracts with papers subsidized newspapers Newspapers informed public of party platforms Urged support of certain party policy o Turned out the vote The Progressive era in the United States o Progressive era 1890 1920 Widespread social political reform o Its concerns Gilded age Massive wealth disparities robber baron era Eliminating corruption in the government Machine politics o Political machine is an organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a band of supporters businesses who receive rewards for their efforts o Power is based on the ability of the workers to get votes for their candidates Patronage o Emphases and consequences for journalism o Jobs for political support Through scientific investigation and reason trained practitioners can reach the objective truth Scientists bureaucrats and journalists Widespread
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