The Mass Media and American Politics

1. The Mass Media and American Politics

2. The Mass Media • Mass Media • The technical devices used to communicate information and entertainment to a large population • News Media • The mass media that provide the public with news and information about issues, events, and personalities • International News • National News • Local News • Elite News • New York Times • PBS • Meet the Press

3. Print, Broadcast and Internet • Print Media • Newspapers • Magazines • Broadcast Media • Radio • Television • Internet

4. Print Media • Newspapers • Daily coverage • 80% of households receive a newspaper • 40% of households read the paper and fewer actually read the news • USA Today • Wall Street Journal • New York Times • Washington Post • Magazines • More in-depth coverage with weekly and monthly publications • May also appeal to specific audiences • Modern Maturity (AARP) • Time • Newsweek • O • Atlantic Monthly

5. Broadcast • Radio • Prominent 1930s-50s • FDR Fireside Chats • Now very little news coverage • Talk Programs • Dominated by conservative talk hosts • Rush Limbaugh • Sean Hannity • Television • 57% of Americans watch nightly news • Considered most trusted news source • Younger Americans get news and information from late night talk shows and news parodies • Leno • Letterman • Stephen Colbert • Jon Stewart

6. Internet • 23% of Americans get their news from the internet and number is growing • 75% of young Americans prefer the internet as source of news and political information • YouTube • Blogs (Daily Kos)

7. Functions of the News Media • Reporting the News • Interpreting the News • Influencing Opinions • Setting the Agenda • Political Socialization

8. Reporting the News • “Newsmaking” • Time and space constraints lead to decisions as to what is newsworthy

9. Interpreting the News • Reporters, editors, and producers have discretion as to how an event, issue or personality will be portrayed • Words • Images • Context • How do we really know that what we see is what is real? • What do you see in the picture? • Research shows little impact on changing opinions • Political views anchored by preexisting attitudes • Selective Perception or Perceptual Screening • Note exceptions to these findings • Media coverage of economy • 1960 Presidential Debate • 1984 Presidential Debate

10. Experiment • Go to the following website by clicking on the link • Visual Cognition Lab • Count the number of times the ball is passed between the players • How many did you count?

11. Did You See the Gorilla Walk Through the Scene?Now, do you really trust what you see!!!

12. Setting Agenda • Media identifies problems that should be addressed by government • Violent crime is often listed among the most serious problems facing nation • Violent Crime Rates actually decreasing • Local news coverage of violent crime may account for public concern • Unemployment or Recession • War on Terror in 2004 • Economic Crisis of 2008 • Forces public officials to address issues that are of concern to the voting public • Issue life cycle is dependent on media coverage • Famine in Africa • Natalie Holloway in Aruba • New Orleans and Katrina versus Alabama and Mississippi communities

13. Political Socialization • Information forms the basis of attitudes about issues, events and personalities • Particularly true for foreign policy issues • May be impacted by selective perception or influence of other agents of socialization

14. The Media IndustryLocal versus National Ownership • Locally owned until 1970s and framing of news stories • National Ownership/Affiliation leads to a nationalization of news stories • Corporate Newspapers • New York Times • Gannett • Hearst • Tribute Company • AH Belo • National Wire Services • Associated Press • Reuters • Local Station Affiliations • ABC • CBS • NBC • FOX • CNN

15. The Media IndustryGovernment versus Private Ownership • Government owned or controlled media has little if any ability to question government policies or actions • Chinese Central Television • South African Broadcasting • Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation • US media is generally owned by corporations and has more discretion to question government policies or actions • ABC by Disney • CBS by Viacom • NBC by General Electric • FOX by NewsCorp • CNN by Time-Warner

16. The Media IndustryProfits and Politics • Advertising provides the profits for corporate media • Audience size is critical • Determines Ad rates • American Idol $700,000 for 30 seconds • Desperate Housewives $500,000 for 30 seconds • Super Bowl $2.7 million for 30 seconds • Ratings • Nielsen for TV • Arbitron for Radio • Subscription/Circulation rates for newspapers and magazines • Web sites measure hits • Media compete for market share • Product must attract large audiences to sell to advertisers • Push sensationalism and scandals • Yellow journalism and muckraking • Investigatory journalism

17. Bias in the Media • Pro- or Anti-Government • Pro-Government • FDR • JFK • Anti-Government • Vietnam War • Watergate • Conservative or Liberal • Reporters, editors and publishers generally more liberal, but there is a cadre of conservative journalists • MSNBC vs FOX News • Nation vs National Review • Does business interests dictate news coverage? • MSNBC removes Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from debate coverage • ABC removes Reagan docudrama

18. Regulation of the Print Media • Print Enjoys Broad 1st Amendment Protection • Freedom of Speech • Freedom of Press • Alien and Sedition Acts • Doctrine of Prior Restrant • Comic books voluntarily “censored” since 1950s • Federal and State Laws re Obscenity • Ulysses • Howl • Naked Lunch • American Library Association reports on banned literary works • Catcher in the Rye • Of Mice and Men • Harry Potter • The Golden Compass • The Giver

19. Libel and Slander • 1st Amendment does not protect false statements that cause damage • Libel is written • Slander is spoken • Generally must prove • Statement False • Causes Damages • Individuals in public eye must prove • Statement False • Causes Damages • Made with Malice or Reckless Disregard of the Truth • Parodies are not subject to defamation suits • Hustler Magazine v. Falwell • Mad TV and Saturday Night Live

20. Regulation of the Broadcast Media • Federal Radio Act • Federal Communications Act • Federal Communications Commission • Broadcast Licenses • Renewed • Traditionally limited number of stations owned, but has since been relaxed • In FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, US Supreme Court extend regulatory power to include offensive broadcast • Georg Carlin’s Seven Dirty Words • Super Bowl Wardrobe Malfunction • Satellite subscription broadcasts granted greater latitude re broadcasts • Howard Stern on Sirius • Soprano’s on HBO

21. Political Broadcast Rules • Equal Time Requirement • Must offer to sale equal time to political campaigns • Does not apply to news broadcasts or talk show hosts • Right of Rebuttal • Gives target of investigative report the opportunity to rebut allegations • Generally a no comment or did return phone calls • Fairness Doctrine • Gives opposing points of view • Repealed during Reagan on grounds chilled free speech • Shield Laws • Protects reporters from revealing sources • Traditionally, jailed for contempt for failing to identify unnamed or confidential sources

22. Internet Regulation • Internet is a combination of print and broadcast media • If print, then protected by the 1st Amendment • If broadcast, government has greater regulatory power • Courts have had difficulty in determining the extent to which the internet can be regulated • Adult Sites • Virtual Child Porn • Gambling

23. Covering Government • The White House • White House Press Corp • White House Press Secretary • Congress • Congressional Press Corp • Local media • C-Span • US Supreme Court • Supreme Court Press Corp • Nina Totenberg of NPR • Sketches of Court in Action • No cameras allowed inside US Supreme Court

24. Covering the Candidates • Media is principle link between voters and candidates • Replacing the parties • Enables candidates to reach more prospective voters • Note the practice of televising candidate/voter interactions as carried out before TV • Candidate must convey positive image • Words • Mannerisms • Appearance • Personality

25. Media Impact on Campaigns • Creates Name Recognition • Media as agent for vetting candidates • Sorts out list of contenders from pretenders • Influence Contributors • If candidate viewed as viable this will increase campaign contributions • If candidate portrayed as inconsequential then campaign contributions will evaporate • Elizabeth Dole in 2000 • Fred Thompson in 2008 • Influences Voters • Note the impact of selective perception • In 2008, The two year campaign increased Obama’s standing and his consistent debate performances solidified voter approval • McCain’s popularity with the media kept his campaign alive when many wrote him off

26. Media and the Campaign • Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary are significant media events • Winner of these events achieves front runner status and is “projected” to be the party nominee • In 2004, Howard Dean loses early and his “meltdown” doomed his presidential run • Watch the Dean video • Then click on the remix for fun • In 2008, Obama’s organization skill results in Iowa win and he becomes the media’s favorite • In 2008, Clinton’s win in New Hampshire keeps her in the race • Candidates may spend a year courting voters in Iowa and New Hampshire • Media covers subsequent primaries like horse race • Focus on negative stories, weaknesses, and verbal blunders • Obama and the flag pin • McCain and “my friends”

27. Media Bias and the Candidates • Dan Rather and Memogate • 60 Minutes II report on GW Bush’s National Guard duty • Rather announces he has memos • Memos later proven to be forgeries • ABC and Fact Checking • News directive to fact check Bush statements, but not Kerry statements • Fox News and Swiftboating • Sean Hannity airs night after night interviews with Vietnam Vets who served with Kerry questioning his leadership • Gives rise to term of Swiftboating meaning to attack candidate through media with questionable allegations • Fox News and Obama • Repeated broadcasts depicting or insinuating that Obama is Muslim or un-American • Led to website created to attack the attacks • MSNBC and John MCCain • Olbermann, Matthews removed from debate coverage following “partisan” critiques of conventions