Media Trends and RulesCh. 15

What is narrowcasting?How has citizen journalism changed how

news is recorded and spread?What rules prevent the media from complete

“free speech”?

Figure 15.1- Where Americans Get News

Current media trends

• Print media broadcast media new media• No national newspaper, mostly a result of the large size

of the US and no set major city– Some national newspapers more prominent than others (WaPo,

LATimes, NYTimes, WSJ)– Pronounced effect on major national broadcast networks (ABC,

NBC, CBS, FOX)• Network affiliates are local stations• Wire services distribute news around the globe (AP, Reuters, UPI)

• Some national news magazines, online web-based magazines and information– US News and World Report, Time, Newsweek– Salon.com; Huffington Post; Slate.com

• Increasing use of “experts” or “pundits”—those people that have professional experience with a specific topic invited to share their knowledge

• Narrowcasting—targeting media programming at specific populations within society – Ideological– cultural

• Public overall discontent with the media• Technological innovations

– Blogging– Citizen journalism—when average people cover

news-worthy events either as amateur writers, bloggers, or photojournalists

• blurring line between print and broadcast• Consumption of the news in different ways• Public has “greater voice”?

Media Consolidation

• Private ownership of government-regulated airwaves– pressure to increase consolidation for market shares – fewer competitors

• Fear that consolidation could lead to limited flow of information and ideas – Could intentionally manipulate news– Market forces on sensationalism, entertainment,

avoidance of certain issues

Rules governing the media• Journalistic standards (not government-based)

– Integrity, oversight, “Code of Ethics”, ombudsmen

• Government regulation of electronic media– Airwaves are “public property” rented out – Telecommunications Act of 1996—deregulation of

some electronic media; creates multimedia corps.– Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

• Content regulation– Equal time rule—stations must sell air time equally to

all candidates in political campaign– Fairness doctrine (eliminated 2011)—broadcasting

stations had to present controversial issues in a balanced manner

Controlling media

NY Times Co. vs U.S. (1971)—SC ruled that government could not prevent publication of classified materials (Pentagon Papers)– establishes prior restraint—the government

cannot censor the press– Protects First Amendment rights– New issues with journalists in war zones– Not the same in other democratic countries

(i.e., Britain)

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)—simply publishing a defamatory falsehood is not enough to justify libel– Establishes “actual malice” principle– Elected officials and candidates must prove

publisher believed statement was false or acted recklessly in printing statement

– Loosens how journalists may approach discussion of a public figure

Review!1. Where do most news sources actually get their news?

What is the difference between an affiliate and a wire service?

2. Why might news networks use “pundits” in their shows? How might that lead to “narrowcasting” in some instances?

3. How is the media regulated? Give examples.

4. What is the difference between the two court cases we covered? Why do you think the rulings went in favor of the plaintiff (those who want the case tried) instead of the defendant (those who are “on trial”)?