The Media

1. The Media

2. Crash Course • Media Institution: Crash Course Government and Politics #44 • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F0g4N415uw • 8:44 min • Media Regulation: Crash Course Government and Politics #45 • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6LKl4RKIew • 9 min

3. The Media Industry and Government The United States news media are among the world’s most vast and most free. Nevertheless, there is seemingly little variety in what is reported.

4. Mass media play important roles in American politics such as: • Watchdogs of government • Conveyors of information to the public • Political resources to be used by the government and politicians

5. Different media have distinct characteristics on the communication of political news. Television News Reaches more individuals than any other news source Provides little depth of coverage. Most news is made up of “sound bites” or short reports using a phrase or two to report the news. Resembles newspaper headlines connected to pictures Types of Media

6. Sound Bites • These short bits of phrases are presented to the public as representative of the entire message from a candidate or government official. • Often these sound bites are used to skew the message directed towards the viewer/listener. The short bits of info are chosen by the media and may be used to influence the public.

7. Sound Bitesa short extract from a recorded interview • http://video.foxnews.com/v/5265950807001/?#sp=show-clips Top political sound bites of 2016 FOX http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/14/politics/democratic-debate-2015-best-moments-clinton-sanders/ CNN Dem Debate 2016

8. Radio News Is largely a headline service (but without TV’s pictures). All-news stations provide some more coverage, but are repetitious. Talk-radio has become an important political force in recent years. Newspapers Have lost their place as the dominant news source. Often set the agenda for broadcast news sources. Continue to be the primary source of news for the educated and influential.

9. The Internet • Has grown in importance in recent years • Could provide the depth of print coverage with the timeliness of broadcast • Blogs and other biased sites can skew opinion

10. Fake News • http://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-fake-news-60-minutes-producers-investigate/ • About 6 minutes • http://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-fake-news-60-minutes-producers-investigate/ • 13:09 minutes

11. Politics & Popular Culture The Role of Blogs and Blogging Web logs, or blogs, are increasingly important sources of political information and commentary for many Americans, particularly young Americans.

12. How to Lose the Presidency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5FzCeV0ZFc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6i-gYRAwM0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeZGePI62rU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7Ezg3krlYg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tmoSGmvR1o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8HX9M-ZXQc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5FzCeV0ZFchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6i-gYRAwM0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeZGePI62rUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7Ezg3krlYghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tmoSGmvR1ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8HX9M-ZXQc

13. The community of bloggers has played important roles organizing ideological groups on the left and on the right in political battles and fact checking mainstream media. Bloggers: Were central to Howard Dean’s presidential campaign Helped organize conservative opposition to President Bush’s nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court Led a backlash against Dan Rather and a CBS news story about President Bush’s service (ostensibly a lack of service) in the Texas Air National Guard

15. Media Organization and Ownership Regional and local news and television organizations are the main source of diversity of voice and perspectives in the American media as they emphasize the local stories most relevant to their audience.

16. Six Companies that control the Media http://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6 NOTE: This infographic is dated and is missing some key transactions. GE does not own NBC (or Comcast or any media) anymore. So that 6th company is now Comcast. And Time Warner doesn't own AOL, so Huffington Post isn't affiliated with them. Jun 14, 2012

17. 2016 Top US Media Companies Viacom — $9.61 billion in media revenue. ... Bertelsmann — $10.04 billion in media revenue. ... Facebook — $11.49 billion. ... 21st Century Fox — $18.67 billion in media revenue. ... Comcast — $19.72 billion in media revenue. ... The Walt Disney Company — $22.45 billion in media revenue. ... Alphabet — $59.62 billion in media revenue.

19. There is far less variation in the reporting of national news and events. • Most local newspapers are owned by large media organizations. • Most local television stations are affiliated with the major networks. • A great deal of news is influenced by major publications like the New York Times and the Washington Post. • CNN has considerable influence on cable television news.

20. The 1996 Telecommunications Act opened the door to a wave of mergers and consolidations in media ownership as big corporations took over long standing news organizations like ABC, CBS, CNN, and NBC.

21. Regulation of the Broadcast Media Through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the government issues licenses and regulates the business and content of broadcast media.

22. Equal time rule: the requirement that broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office and equal opportunity to communicate their messages to the public right of rebuttal: FCC regulation giving individuals the right to have the opportunity to respond to personal attacks made on radio or television broadcasts. The FCC regulates broadcast media through various rules.

23. fairness doctrine: now defunct FCC regulation that required broadcasters who aired programs on controversial issues to provide time for opposing views.

24. News Coverage Journalists Whereas publishers like William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer used to be among the most politically powerful media officials, the news has become more of a reporters’ medium in recent years.

25. Subjects and Sources Subjects of news stories cultivate relationships with reporters to secure favorable coverage and a good image among targeted media consumers. Reporters and news organizations depend on sources who have expert knowledge of or access to valuable information.

26. Consumers Because they are businesses, news organizations must cater to the preferences and interests of their readers and viewers. They need to sell papers and ads in those papers to survive.

27. Media Power in American Politics Shaping Events Through their coverage, the media can shape American politics. Coverage played important roles in: • The civil rights movement • Vietnam • Watergate • Hurricane Katrina

28. Anderson Cooper & Hurricane Katrina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsuRCXiYGO4 A video recorded before the Katrina victims were evacuated from New Orleans to the Astrodome. At this time the people that chose to stay were still at the Superdome and the convention center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeWf0mdQqm8

29. Sources of Media Power • Agenda setting The power of the media to bring public attention to particular issues and problems • Framing  The power of the media to influence how events and issues are interpreted

30. Try as they might to set the press agenda and frame stories in a favorable way, politicians can not always control press coverage of events. For example, the devastation of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and the failed political response at all levels of government was impossible to spin and certainly knocked other stories to the back pages.

31. The Rise of Adversarial Journalism Whereas in the 19th century news organizations were controlled by political parties and, even for much of the 20th century, reporters were beholden to the politicians they covered, starting with Vietnam and Watergate, the press started to perform the role of government watchdog.

32. In recent years, the adversarial media has become increasingly partisan. As news sources proliferate to include not only broadcast networks and newspapers but also cable news channels, talk radio, and websites on the Internet designed to appeal to specific enclaves, the dissemination of news is increasingly politicized.

33. The Media’s Impact on Electoral PoliticsCh 8-3 • Television and the internet have influenced political campaigns by making candidates more concerned about public “image” and less dependent on party organizations than ever before. • The issues the media focuses on determine what the public thinks about, not what it thinks.

34. Does the Media Report or Make the news?

35. WHAT DO YOU THINK? • Do reporters have too much power in American politics? • How does the way an issue is framed affect politics? • Should reporters be better watchdogs of the government? Do they sometimes take this role too far?

36. Review Questions More than ________ of the daily newspapers in the United States are owned by large conglomerates such as the Hearst or Gannett corporations. • One-quarter • One-half • Three-quarters • 90 percent C

37. Review Questions American radio and television are regulated by: • State governments • The Federal Communications Commission • Local governments • All of the above B

38. Review Questions Broadcasters must provide candidates for the same political office equal opportunities to communicate their messages to the public. This is the: • Equal time rule • Right to rebuttal rule • Fairness doctrine • Equal access rule A

39. Review Questions The FCC requires broadcasters to provide individuals the right to respond to personal attacks, which is known as the: • Equal time rule • Right of rebuttal • Fairness doctrine • None of the above B

40. Review Questions Which of the following is a federally licensed media outlet? • NBC television • Newsweek magazine • New York Times • Slate magazine on the Internet A