Media Influence in American Politics?

1. Media Influence in American Politics? Myth or Reality? November 29th, 2005

2. Outfoxed -- Assumptions • journalism can/should be impartial • Fox’s product branding motto “Fair and Balanced” is the proper standard against which to judge Fox news coverage • focus on Fox as a propaganda machine vs. primarily a commercial venture • consumption of Fox news significantly contributes to shaping political views of viewing public

3. Is the Media/a Media Outlet Biased? • the conundrums of bias • impartiality vs. objectivity • impartiality (def: showing lack of favouritism – e.g. portraying diverse perceptions of the truth) • objectivity (def: based on observable phenomena – e.g. striving for “the truth”) • the problem with impartiality as a criteria for news coverage • what views to include? • balance of viewpoints may be biased • mainstream viewpoint may be biased

5. Is the Media/a Media Outlet Biased? • the conundrums of bias • impartiality vs. objectivity • the problem with objectivity as a criteria for news coverage • based on contestable assumption that facts can be cleanly separated from one’s subjective viewpoint • based on assumption that meaningful facts exist in a complex world and that news coverage could be free of interpretation – “Just the facts, ma’am...” • cedes significant power to journalists/news media in determining the truth

6. Outfoxed -- Assumptions • journalism can/should be impartial • Fox’s product branding motto “Fair and Balanced” is the proper standard against which to judge Fox news coverage • counter-argument – all media coverage is biased • bias may be more or less consistent with mainstream of public opinion • bias may be more or less overt • those who charge Fox with being biased (don’t agree with its political slant or argue that it does not mirror mainstream political views) are using the same criteria for judging bias as the Fox News claim that it is “fair and balanced”

7. Fair and Balanced? • Fox News is poorly geared towards propagandization • bias is overt • people recognize that Fox represents a particular point of view • journalists double as editorialists • seen in Outfoxed as problematic • less problematic than alernatives (no self-identified editorial commentary) • unsophisticated manipulation of news • emphasis on political conflict vs. ignoring political conflict

8. Mechanisms of Media Bias • distorted view of public events • what is there is biased • distorted view by leaving issues out • bias lies in what is not there • more sophisticated technique of media manipulation

9. Outfoxed -- Assumptions • journalism can/should be impartial • focus on Fox as a propaganda machine vs. primarily a commercial venture • counter-arguments... • FOX is a poor instrument of propaganda • FOX is primarily a commercial venture

10. Fox as a Commercial Venture • product lacking any journalistic value • lowered costs, higher profits • focus on product differentiation • creation of niche market • “fair and balanced” as branding technique • infotainment • focus on sensationalism • politics – focus on conflict

11. An Alternative Interpretation... • profitability is key • importance of audience to profitability • media is biased • media must cater to the view of its target audience • it mirrors (rather than shapes public opinion) • media concentration • perhaps not evidence that media can shape public views • may be evidence that media cannot shape public views

12. Regulating the Media • FCC (Federal Communications Commission) • existing FCC regulations on media ownership • ban on cross-ownership • restrictions on total number of stations/percentage of market • rule changes (June 2003) • revision on cross-ownership • revised rules on number of stations (in given market) • increased in overall allowable % of market (from 35% to 45%)

13. Regulating the Media • FCC rule changes • proponents • large newspaper chains and television networks (e.g. Fox) • the White House • opponents • various organizations • NRA, National Organization for Women, Conference of Catholic Bishops, etc. • owners of local television stations • resistance in the House

14. Outfoxed – Assumptions & Counter-Arguments • journalism can/should be impartial • Fox is less mainstream and more overtly biased than other media outlets – it is no less or more biased • focus on Fox as a propaganda machine vs. primarily a commercial venture • Fox is not a sophisticated propaganda machine • revolutionary attribute is in becoming a purely commercial venture (stripping serious journalism out of its coverage) • consumption of Fox news significantly contributes to shaping political views of viewing public • Fox mirrors the views of its viewing public

15. An Alternative Interpretation of Media Bias • content bias • commercialism • de-emphazising journalism -- emphasis on sensationalism • politics – emphasis on conflict • shared by all mainstream commercial media • explains difference between FOX and NPR in PIPA knowledge surveys • consumerism/commodity fetishism

16. An Alternative Interpretation of Media Bias • medium bias • the medium is the message (McLuhan) • television • creates passivity (not interactive) • atomizing • reduces political efficacy • creates perception that watching politics is the same as being involved in genuine political activity (and acts as a substitute) • weakens sense of community and emphasizes individualism

17. Main Points! • Outfoxed is based on a number of assumptions which are open to challenge • Fox may simply mirror an important segment of American public opinion • bias of the media may lie not in the content of specific outlets (e.g. Fox News) but in the broader commercial structure of the media in general • bias of the media may lie in the dominant form of media consumed (e.g. television)