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THE MEDIA

THE MEDIA. The 4 th Estate. TYPES OF NEWS MEDIA. Newspapers/Magazines Early 1800’s party press Late 1800’s yellow journalism Early 1900’s muckraking journalism Current trends electronic media diminish impact local news niches USA Today format sets trend investigative reporting

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THE MEDIA

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  1. THE MEDIA The 4th Estate

  2. TYPES OF NEWS MEDIA • Newspapers/Magazines • Early 1800’s party press • Late 1800’s yellow journalism • Early 1900’s muckraking journalism • Current trends • electronic media diminish impact • local news niches • USA Today format sets trend • investigative reporting • NYT/WPost/WSJournal remain influential

  3. Radio • FDR “fireside chats” • Conservative talk shows • Television • Early pivotal events • 1954 Army-McCarthy Hearings • 1960 Nixon-Kennedy debates • 1964-73 Vietnam > “living room war” • 1960’s CBS news w/Walter Cronkite • 1980’s CNN > 24-hour news cycle • World becomes global village

  4. Internet • The Good News: • rich source of information • communicate w/lawmakers • Internet “communities” • Facebook, etc. • MoveOn.orgvs Freedom’s Watch • More free speech opportunities • blogs • twitters • fundraising • The Bad News: • distinguishing good from bad info. • sifting through political bias • quality sacrificed for speed • expensive equipment/infrastructure In one 2005 study Wikipedia had 162 errors while Britannica had 123, or 2.92 mistakes per article for Britannica and 3.86 for Wikipedia.

  5. COVERING THE NEWS • The Mission • The Ideal: 1st Amendment Rights • watchdog for the people • check govt. abuse • The Real: corporate profits rule • report what sells • Infotainment • establish story narrative • simplicity over complexity • image over substance • media conglomerates • journalistic resources depleted • journalistic independence suffers

  6. Media in Politics • Gatekeeper • Influencing elections • “expectations” game:winning by not losing • creating an image • for the media / by the media • sound bites / photo-ops / pseudo-events • issue positions • promote your own • attack your opponent • scorekeeping – horse race journalism • Influencing policy • agenda-setting • issue-framing (media “spin”) • Watchdog: adversarial press FactCheck

  7. Media’s influence on the Public • The good: • plentiful information • easily accessed • some quality programming • The bad: • oversimplification of issues • easy manipulation of people • passive nature of TV viewing • The ugly: • corrupting influence (sex/violence/morals, etc.) • undermines community activism • limits of influence - variations in: • political socialization • selective exposure/perception • needs • recall/comprehension

  8. Governing with the Media • President – the winner • promote policies • formal speeches • pseudo-events • PR consultants/firms • strategic leaks / trial balloons • high-profile international travel • the press conference: self-serving or essential link • Congress – the loser • fragmented structure • no single voice • easy to blame • re-active not pro-active

  9. Media Bias • Too liberal: • post-Watergate prejudice? • 61% of reporters Democratic • advocates for social causes • explores nuance • Too conservative: • 60% editors moderate to conservative • corporate execs. favor status quo • profits guide news not idealism • radio / cable / internet change focus • conservative think-tanks feed media

  10. Too insulated: • reporters “cozy” with politicians • roles blend/overlap • “inside the Beltway” bias • The reality: • conflicting evidence • COMMERCIAL BIAS - controversy sells • FRONT RUNNERS / INCUMBENTS “BIAS” • post-Watergate adversarial journalism • more Republican presidents

  11. Confronting bias:read / listen / think critically • Who are the sources? • attribution vs. unnamed • trial balloons • credibility of news org. • Is loaded language used? • Does an eye-catching image distort the reality? • Are opposing sides presented? • Are misleading numbers used? Lies, damn lies, and statistics!!

  12. Regulating TV & Radio • 1934: Fed. Communication Commission (FCC): limited and open airwaves can be regulated (Frequency Allocation Chart) • renewable TV / Radio licenses • meet “community needs” • equal time rule / political editorializing rule (candidates) • right-of-reply rule • reasonable access rule (issues) • fairness doctrine • mandated equal coverage (issues) • repealed 1987 – voluntarily followed now • 1996 Telecommunications Act • limits on station ownership lifted • cross-media ownership restrictions lifted • TV / radio / newspaper / telephone / cable companies overlap

  13. You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war."

  14. November. November.

  15. Sen. Joseph McCarthy hunts for communists in the government.

  16. A noble profession inspired by the ideals of Thomas Jefferson “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” “Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it." “The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure."

  17. Enough already!!

  18. MEDIA CONGLOMERATES

  19. Michael Dukakis shows he’s TOUGH on defense. …or not…

  20. Clinton “wins” with a second place finish in New Hampshire

  21. Vice President Bush attacks Governor Dukakis. Another Massachusetts bleeding heart liberal! Negative ads work, so both parties use them

  22. …nuff said…

  23. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

  24. You lie!

  25. Woodward and Bernstein bring down a president.

  26. Since 1969, Republicans have been in power for 28 years. The watchdog roll can give the impression of political bias Democrats have held office for 12 years

  27. GAO: Bush promotion of Medicare shift illegal Videos made to look like news reports violated anti-propaganda law National Media, Inc, a media consulting firm working for Bush’s re-election, gets multi-million dollar contract to promote new Medicare law. Columnist George Will acts as consultant for President Reagan

  28. LIBERAL! Religious Right! Feminist! Tax and Spend! Racist! Patriot! Axis of Evil! Family Values! Neo-Con!

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