RULES GOVERNING THE

MEDIA

W I L SON 12 B

PRIOR RESTRAINTCensorship of informationFirst Amendment rightAlmost always upheld by the courts

Newspapers sued for libel, obscenityElectronic media regulated through licensing

Near v. MinnesotaNY Times v. SullivanMiami Herald v. Tornillo

CONFIDENTIALITY

Reporters want to protect sources

Prosecution needs to collect evidence

Myron FarberJudith MillerPentagon Papers

DEREGULATION Easy to renew licenseConsolidated ownershipFairness DoctrineOne-sided “news” programmingControversial (political right)Equal Time DoctrineAccess for all candidates

Lower prices for airtimeDebate rules

NATIONAL MEDIA BIASPublic views:

liberal, secular, materialisticTalk radio

why conservative?commercial ratingsmore people identifyreject major media outletsliberal cleavages

Most try to be neutral and objectivenot editorials

STUDIES OF BIASchoice of feature stories• Generalizations about politicians• Sources and quotes• Spin on economic circumstances

Types of storiesroutine – covers major events, factualfeature – not regularly covered, reporter effort and

biasinsider – secrets, leaks, political influence

INFLUENCETrial balloon – intentional leaks to test public

reactionLoaded language – words that imply value judgmentSelective attention – following news that agrees

with me• Endorsements may help incumbents• Decide what policy issues are important• Candidates believe media has great influence• Personal experience limits influence

ESSAY QUESTIO

N

To what degree do you believe the politics of members of the news media influence their reporting?

What should be done to avoid this bias?