Chapter 10

1. Chapter 10 The News Media: Communicating Political Images

2. Theodore H. White The press in America… determines what people will think and talk about–an authority that in other nations is reserved for tyrants, priests, parties, and mandarins.

3. Introduction • News: • Timely • Dramatic • Compelling • Events • News Media (the Press) • provides a selective depiction of reality because it emphasizes dramatic events and excludes slow, steady processes

4. The Development of the News Media: From Partisanship to Objective Journalism • From a Partisan Press to an “Objective” One • early American newspapers were supported by the political parties • Gazette of the U.S.- founded to promote the policies of G. Washington • National Gazette- formed as an opposition to the Republican party

5. The Development of the News Media: From Partisanship to Objective Journalism • “Yellow Journalism” • emphasis on sensationalism • led to the Spanish-American war • Objective Journalism • the reporter's job is to report the facts and cover alternative sides of a partisan debate • Descriptive Reporting • in the 1960’s the vast majority of news was descriptive • reporters stick to the “facts” • Interpretive Reporting • today most news is interpretive • analysis & explanation of developments • Most newspapers have a partisan bias on their editorial pages

6. The Development of the News Media: From Partisanship to Objective Journalism • The Development of the Broadcast Media • Radio and Television: The Truly National Media • reached millions of people simultaneously • opened a direct, instantaneous channel between a leader and the people • Government Licensing and Regulation of Broadcasters • based on the scarcity of broadcasting frequencies • The Communications Act (1934)-FCC • regulates signal strength, ad rates, fees, and election coverage policies • equal time requirement • broadcasters cannot sell or give time to one political candidate and then provide it to another

7. Historical Development: From the Nation’s Founding to Today • The rise of the “new” news • The end of the Fairness Doctrine • Required broadcasters to “afford reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views of public importance” • Broadcasters could not promote one party or issue position at the expense of another • Cable news • CNN • Founded by Ted Turner in 1980 • Chose to pursue a path of partisan neutrality • Fox News • Founded by Rupert Murdoch in 1996 • Chose a partisan (conservative ) format

8. Historical Development: From the Nation’s Founding to Today • The rise of the “new” news • Partisan radio talk shows • Without the Fairness Doctrine, radio programmers were free to move to a politically partisan format • Emergence of the Internet • Low-cost entry compared with other mass media • Provides ordinary citizens an opportunity to exercise their free press rights • Some “new” news outlets a stunning success • The Drudge Report, Daily Kos, Instapundit

9. Freedom and Conformity in the U.S. News Media • The government provides lots of freedom • 1st Amendment & tradition of free expression • libel laws favor the press over a public figure • prior restraint of the press is rarely permissible • fair and open debate allows the public to weigh and choose among competing arguments • The government provides economic support • Special postal rates • Low broadcasting fees • Substantial audience reach • Millions of viewers and readers

10. Freedom and Conformity in the U.S. News Media • Pack Journalism • Major news organizations only differ in the way in which they present stories about the same topic • AP, Reuters, NY Times wire services

11. Freedom and Conformity in the U.S. News Media • Domination of the News Production • News Values and Imperatives • NY Times • stets a general standard of news reporting • sets the agenda for other news organizations • a pioneer in objective journalism • the “bulletin board” for other major newspapers • “Megamedia”: Mergers, Profits, and the News

12. The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform • The Signaler Role • Alert the public to important developments • Informing the public of important news as quickly as possible • U.S. media well-equipped to play this role • Performed by the traditional media • Wire services (AP, UPI, Reuters) • Daily newspapers • Television networks • Agenda-setting of U.S. media results in similarity in national news everywhere • News media are meant to inform the public, but also need to attract an audience • Media focus on politics instead of policy

14. The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform • The Common-Carrier Role • Conduit for political communication • the press should provide a channel through which political leaders can communicate their views to the public • the press serves as a link between the public and its leaders • the presidency receives more coverage than any other institution • TV news has become more journalist-centered • Topics sometimes distilled to the “sound bite” • time showing the presidential candidates speaking has declined • 1960’s- 40+ seconds • today- -10 seconds • Framing: the way events are cast • Priming: the process by which a communicated message, because of its content, activates certain opinions but not others

15. The Shrinking Sound Bite of Television Campaign Coverage

16. The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform • The Watchdog Role • Objective journalism fosters watchdog reporting • Iraqi prisoners • Watergate scandal • great example of the press as a government watchdog • “Bad news” • most news today tends to be negative • WikiLeaks • Bradley Manning: hero or villain? • “Collateral Murder” • Watchdog function failures • Post-9/11 terrorist attacks- Iraq War • Internet has expanded watchdog capacity of media

18. The Politics of News • Partisan function • Traditional media: mostly neutral • Talk shows: mostly conservative • The Internet: mostly liberal

19. Favorability Rating of Cable Television News Outlets, by Party Identification

20. The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform • The Public-Representative Role • The idea that the press represents “the people” • the press is least equipped to serve in this role • they are not accountable to the people, they are accountable to their shareholders

21. Organizing the Public in the Media Age • News creates a pseudo-community. • Media serves as a channel for the expression of public opinion. • A “mass” versus a “public.” • Mass- people without connection • Public- people connected through organizations or networks that enable them to act in concert

22. Attention to News • The shrinking audience for news • Television contributed to news consumption until 1980s • Expansion of cable reduced news consumption • More news available, but alternate programming aids avoidance of news

23. Attention to News • Age and attention to news • News audience typically older adults • Reading habits versus on-demand access • Young adults more inclined toward partisan news sources • Internet has provided more news outlets but has not increased overall news consumption • Widening “information gap” between older and younger adults

24. Media and the Public in the Internet Age • Old traditional media dominated by a few outlets • Traditional media still major players but with smaller audience • Fragmented news sources have led to partisan polarization among audience

25. States in the Nation