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This article explores the three main functions of mass media in a free society: informing the public, setting the policy agenda, and serving as a watchdog. It also discusses the role of media in educating citizens, providing entertainment, serving the economic system, and types of media bias.
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“What you see is news; what you know is background; what you feel is opinion.” -Lester Market, New York Times editor (1894-1977)
Mass Media Three types of mass media: • 1) Print Media (newspapers, magazines) • 2) Broadcast Media (TV, radio) • 3) Internet
Function: Informing the Public The media are the major source of information used by citizens to find out what is going on in the world. Through the media citizens are also able to receive the ideas and opinions of others and , in turn, form their own opinions.
Government and Media Government uses media to reach the public through: • News releases and briefings • Press Conferences • Media Events • Campaign Advertising Media have an impact on public opinion toward government and the state of the nation
Function: Setting the Policy Agenda By reporting those issues that are near and dear to the citizens or issues that they, themselves, deem important, the media set the policy agenda.
Function: Educate Citizens / Influence Politicians With editorials, columnist, and commentaries the media try to educate the citizens and influence the decision-makers. They want us, from their perspective, to know the “right thing” and the decision makers to “do the right thing.”
Function: Serving as a Watchdog As citizens, we don’t have the time or resources to monitor what the government is doing, so we have to rely on the media. We expect the media to sound an alarm if the government is violating a law or if citizens’ constitutional rights are being infringed.
Function: Providing Entertainment The media, in order to reach the greatest number of people, must entertain as well as inform. To remain a viable enterprise, the media have to succeed in the marketplace
Function: Serving Economic System Through advertising, the media bring together the buyers and sellers of goods and services.
Omission Leaving one side out of an article or series of articles over a period of time.
Selection of Sources Including more sources that support one view over another. (Consider: if 80% or more “experts” support one view over another, is it right, in the interests of “fairness,” to cite the same number of sources for each side?)
Story Selection A pattern of highlighting news stories that support one side of an issue over another.
Placement The location in the paper or article where a story or even is printed; a pattern of placing news stories so as to downplay information supportive of one side.
Labeling Comes in two forms: • Tagging of person from one party or group with extreme labels while leaving the other side unlabeled or with more mild labels. • A reporter identifies a person or group with positive labels, such as “an expert” or “independent consumer group.”
Spin Occurs when the story has only one interpretation of an event or policy, to the exclusion of the other. Spin involves tone-a reporter’s subjective comments about objective facts.
