Political Cynicism & Mass Media Culture

Brian McCarthy

November 27, 2015

• “… we depend on the media for almost everything we learn about politics, and it is therefore almost impossible to think positively about either our leaders or about the political process” (Wolfsfeld 82).

OverviewPeople are always complaining that, ‘we don’t have great leaders like we used to’ (Wolfsfeld 76). Our ideas and notions with regards to our leaders are directly related to the news media. In fact, our ideas with regards to the world (politics, culture, media), in general, are directly related to the news media.

“Following politics in the United States sometimes becomes the equivalent of watching endless episodes of America’s Funniest Home Videos” (Wolfsfled 75).

Overviewcontinued

Political cynicism results (at least in part) from an over-saturation of media exposure. This is because the mainstream media is often more concerned with ratings than substance. And what constitutes good ratings? It’s drama- good stories. But is this type of cynicism an unfortunate byproduct of unnecessary negativity or, is it a healthy aspect of a democratic society?

Topics• political cynicism defined• Spiral of cynicism• politics-media-politics cycle• news frames & ideology• sensationalism, infotainment & tabloid journalism• political humor• 2016 presidential race• statistics

Political CynicismThe widespread belief that elected officials are working towards their own self interests and are actively engaged in dishonest behavior most of the time (Dancey 412).

Spiral of CynicismAuthors Joseph N. Cappella and Kathleen Hall Johnson argue that voter cynicism is caused by the mainstream media’s “framing” of political events. However, they also suggest that political leaders may be motivated by less-than-altruistic influences- meaning that news coverage isn’t really cynical at all.

Spiral of Cynicismcontinued

“It is a spiral because the fact that journalists are looking for cynical stories means that politicians believe they need to provide these types of stories, especially about their rivals, in order to get into the news. The public then receives a constant flow of negative news about their leaders and this increases their own cynicism about the political system. Finally, journalists become even more convinced that this is what the audience wants and put an even greater emphasis on cynical coverage. The greatest danger from all this is that people lose faith in the political system” (Wolfsfeld 74).

Politics-Media-PoliticsA cause and effect type relationship that begins with an event that alters the political landscape which the media is forced to respond to. Politics are then further impacted by the media’s coverage of the initial event.

Politics-Media-Politics continued

“… the emphasis on drama in the news can have an important impact on the political process” (Wolfsfeld 86).

Example: Donald Trump (front-runner for the 2016 GOP nomination) says something controversial.The media responds by repeating his statement on multiple platforms.Trump’s reputation is altered in some way which fuels more conversation.

News Frames & IdeologyNews Frame: The way something is presented to the audience and how it influences the choices people make about how to process that information (Davie, Framing Theory).Ideology: A set of ideas that structure’s a group’s reality (Littlejohn & Foss 318).

“… the way journalists cover election campaigns is telling” (Wolfsfeld 76).

News Frames & Ideologycontinued

Examples of News Frames: Economic Inequality, Climate Change and The War on Terror.

The news media almost always use a ‘strategic frame’ to cover politics (Wolfsfeld 74).

News Frames & Ideologycontinued

News frames are particular ways of looking at events, and they’re impossible to avoid. And although all news stories need to be “crafted”, framing can result in biased, one-sided and limited viewpoints. News frames not only reflect the values of the news media but society as a whole. It’s important to ask whether the media shapes public opinions or whether collective cultural values shape the media.

Sensationalism, Infotainment & Tabloid Journalism

Sensationalism: the use of shocking details to cause a lot of excitement or interest(“Sensationalism”).Infotainment: television programs that present information (such as news) in a way that is meant to be entertaining (“Infotainment”).Tabloid Journalism: type of popular, largely sensationalistic journalism (Gossel).

Sensationalism, Infotainment & Tabloid Journalism

continued

“Gotcha” journalism: “… journalism designed to elicit damaging answers or information from people - leading questions that get them to admit guilt, or to say things that could be construed as guilty (Mayer).“simple, straight-forward questions that cannot be answered by inept politicians” (Bun).

Sensationalism, Infotainment & Tabloid Journalism

continued

This type of content embellishes and exaggerates topical public issues while capitalizing and exploiting popular figures- usually via humor or fear. This content contributes to “media malaise”- the idea that continual exposure to the negativity in the media leads to cynical citizens (Wolfsfeld 81).

“Exposure to infotainment rather than hard news leads citizens to view politics via the lens of entertainment”. (Airely 438).

Political HumorIt’s arguable that political humor does more to contribute to the health of a society than it does to detract from it. Shows like The Daily Show, Real Time with Bill Maher and Saturday Night Live (SNL) offer a subversive and alternative viewpoint.

“Late night talk show hosts frequently begin their show by mocking politicians” (Wolfsfeld 80).

Political Humorcontinued

“Thinking about political humor is important because an increasingly high number of young people apparently depend on comedy shows for their political information. A 2004 Pew Research Center report found that 21 percent of young people (ages 18-29) claimed that they regularly get political information from comedy TV shows” (Wolfsfeld 79-8).

Humor contains the acids to cut through the effluence and show us the light at the end of the sewer (Lamb).

Political Humorcontinued

Although the majority of young people may get their news from “fake” news programs, that shouldn’t indicate that these shows don’t have value. Besides, the so-called “real” news often capitalizes on stories with entertainment value- thereby perpetuating the cycle of cynicism.

2016 Presidential RaceWe’ve seen the rise and continued success of some unlikely contenders: e.g., Trump, Carson. Americans have become disillusioned with traditional politicians. These candidates also provide a certain amount of entertainment value which contributes to their appeal.

“Public opinion polls consistently show Americans are cynical about the ethical standards of elected officials” (Dancey).

2016 Presidential Racecontinued

Horse race journalism is a controversial style of political coverage (Brettschneider).This type of reporting can contribute to cynical attitudes by minimalizing the candidates positions on important topics.

from March 2012

Statistics

“The public continues to express considerable cynicism about politics and elected officials. More than three-quarters (76%) agree that “elected officials in Washington lose touch with the people pretty quickly.” More than half (51%) agree that “people like me don’t have any say about what the government does” (Pew Research Center).

Statisticscontinued

However, the news isn’t entirely negative.

Young people are more positive about elected officials. Currently, 43% of people under 30 say that officials care about what people like them think (Pew Research Center).

“Conclusions regarding the effects of a commercialized media environment or infotainment news are mixed …” (Airely 438).

Wrap-up

• Political and voter cynicism is a general lack of faith in politicians and institutions. It’s a belief that our leaders act only in their own self-interests, and this viewpoint is at partially fueled by the media’s near-constant display of negative coverage.

Wrap-upcontinued

Media outlets need to “frame” certain events in order to establish a context for understanding, and it’s true that as Americans, we receive the majority of our information through traditional and digital media platforms- some reputable, others … not so much.

Wrap-upcontinued

Many late-night talk shows portray our leaders humorously- allowing us to look at our officials in a new light. Such alternative viewpoints may contribute to levels of political cynicism, but may also be indicative of a healthy balance of ideas.

Wrap-upcontinued

Recent studies tend to show that many American’s believe politicians to be insincere, and entertainment-based news programs imbue our leaders with a certain amount of celebrity status which can minimalize a leader’s stance on important topics.

SOURCES• Wolfsfeld, G. Making Sense of Media & Politics: Five Principles in Political

Communication. New York, NY: Routledge, 2011. Print.• Dancey, Logan. “The Consequences of Political Cynicism: How Cynicism Shapes

Citizens’ Reactions to Political Scandals.” Political Behavior 34 (2012): 411-414. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.

• Ariely, Gay. “Does Commercialized Political Coverage Undermine Political Trust?: Evidence Across European Countries.” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. 59.3 (2015): 438-449. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.

• Brettschneider, Frank. “Horse Race Coverage”. The International Encyclopedia of Communication. Wolfgang Donsbach, 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2015.

• “What is gotcha journalism and gotcha questions? What are some examples?” Quora. 30 May. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2015.

• Bun. “Gotcha Journalism”. Urban Dictionary. 30 Sept. 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2015.• Davie, G., “Framing Theory.” Mass Communication Theory. The Twenty Ten

Theme, Web. 20 Nov. 2015.

SOURCEScontinued

• Littlejohn, Stephen W., Karen A. Foss. Theories of Human Communication. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005. Print.

• “Sensationalism” Merriam-Webster. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015• “Infotainment” Merriam-Webster. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015• Gossel, D. “Tabloid Journalism” . Encyclopedia Britannica: School and Library Subscribers.

Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 7 Nov. 2014. Web. 22 Nov. 2015. • Lamb, Christopher. “Humor Brings Light Instead of Darkness to Political Ads.” The Huffington

Post. 22 Sept. 2014. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.• “Independents Take Center Stage in Obama Era- Section 8: Politics and Political Participation.”

Pew Research Center: U.S. Politics & Policy. Pew Research Center, 21 May. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

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SOURCES (Images)continued

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