The Mass Media and Politics

1. The Mass Media and Politics Chapter 8, Section 3 Mrs. Huston

2. Impact of the Media • Studies show that by the time a student graduates from high school, they have spent 11,000 hours in classrooms and 15,000 hours watching television • TV and other media have a HUGE impact on the lives of everyone in the country

3. Term Definition • Medium: a means of communication • Media—the plural of medium • Mass Media: those means of communication that can reach large, widely dispersed audiences at the same time

4. Types of Major Mass Media • Television • Internet • Newspapers • Radio • magazines

5. Connection to government • Not a part of the government, but are an important force in politics

6. What does the media provide? • Entertainment • News • Information • Etc.

7. Television • Boomed in the 1950s following WWII • 99% of US households have at least one TV • 66% have 3 or more

9. Trends • The four major networks are losing audience • Cable TV is gaining

10. Newspapers • Readership in traditional papers is down • Visits on newspaper websites has significantly increased • More than 66 million different visitors in the 1st quarter of 2008 • Increase of more than 12% over last year

11. History • Colonial newspapers influenced participation in the American Revolution • Freedom of the Press is in the 1st Amendment—one of our basic rights

12. Types of Papers • Most newspapers are local, but the Internet is expanding readership of major regional and national papers • Spokane Spokesman Review • Seattle Times • New York Times • Etc.

13. Radio • Began in the 1920s • Advertising and programming became national • Was a national entertainment and news medium

14. Major source of an era • Through the 30s & 40s radio was the entertainment and news leader • FDR’s fireside chats • War news, etc. • Didn’t die when TV came along

15. Magazines • Also began in colonial days • First political magazines began in the mid-1800s • Continued through the Progressive Reform era of the early 20th century • News magazines still rank high • Time, Newsweek, US News & World Report

16. Media’s impact • Public Agenda • Affect the issues about which people talk and think through their reporting • That, in turn, affects what policy makers will discuss • Including some things and omitting or downplaying others has a significant impact

17. Electoral Politics • TV has made candidates much less dependent on the party than they were formerly • TV & the Internet allow candidates to appeal directly to the people • Our impressions influence our votes

18. Campaigns • The best commercials for candidates • Take no more than a minute or two • Show people doing something • Focus on sound bites and photo ops

19. Limits on media influence • Only a small percentage of the public actually follows world, national and political news through the media • Of those who do follow the news, many don’t understand the coverage • People tend to follow sources that agree with their views

20. Other limits • Few public affairs programs are in “prime time” • Evening news shows have only about 22 minutes of actual program and some of that is “fluff” rather than real “news” • Don’t often get much depth • Newspaper readers often skip the political stories for the sports or comics

21. Your role • An unguarded democracy doesn’t last long • Citizens of a democracy have a duty to be informed and watchful to maintain their freedoms and rights

22. Take Responsibility The country’s future is in your hands.