the media chapter 10
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The Media Chapter 10. Candidate Centered Campaigns. Role of the Media. Gatekeeper: influence what subjects become national political issues, and for how long Scorekeeper: the national media help make political reputations, horserace journalism - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The MediaChapter 10
Candidate Centered Campaigns
Role of the Media• Gatekeeper: influence what subjects
become national political issues, and for how long
• Scorekeeper: the national media help make political reputations, horserace journalism
• Watchdog: Following closely the front-runner candidates, searching for any past or current history that will make “news”—media maintains close eye on all important happenings of major candidates
Horserace Journalism
Kentucky Derby (1987)
• Media coverage that focuses on poll results and political battles
instead of policy issues• Refers to almost exclusive
reporting on candidate differences rather than similarities
Media’s effect on political preferences?
• It’s unclear…research is lackingBUT…• TV may influence the political
agenda• People unlikely to take cues from
the media about things that affect them personally
• Media usually does more to REINFORCE beliefs than CHANGE opinion
Trends in News Coveragemedia = primary link to American
politics• TV: news reduced to 15-45 second
sound bites• Rise of Talk Radio
– 9 out of 10 Americans listen to radio (esp. in cars)
– Radio personalities: Rush, Oliver North, Stern
– “legit” news radio
Trends in News Coveragemedia = primary link to
American politics• Newspapers: even w/ competition from Internet & cable, 63 million Americans read the paper– National papers: – Intense advertising competition– 60% of cities have competing
newspapers
Trends in News Coveragemedia = primary link to
American politics• Media Conglomerates: mega news empires– Disney/ESPN/ABC – Time Warner/Turner Broadcasting
– Gannett Corp. own 92 daily newspapers & 11 radio and cable stations
Criticism of the Media• Profit Motive: Strong competition,
must keep one step ahead• Sensationalism and “feeding
frenzy”• Homogenization of the news:
uniform consistency• Bias• Irresponsible
Who Regulates the Media?• FCC: Federal Communications
Commission—regulates electronic media
• Supreme Court consistently upholds 1st Amendment right of written press including great latitude with celebrities and politicians
• YOU do!—through ratings
Maxims of Media Relations• All secrets become public knowledge.
The more important the secret, the sooner it becomes known.
• All stories written about me are inaccurate; all stories written about you are entirely accurate.
• The rosier the news, the higher-ranking official who announces it.
• Always release bad news on a Saturday night. Few people notice it.
• Never argue with a person who buys ink by the barrel.
Freedom of Information Act• Originally created to give the
citizens information and access to the executive branch which had traditionally been secretive in divulging info.
• Now known as “Sunshine Laws” in the states because they allow full disclosure of all public documents
Does the Media Have a Liberal Bias?
• Only in regards to journalism as a profession. Journalists and broadcasters as a group favor the Democratic Party
Liberal Bias• News is not necessarily liberal
because:• 1. News comes from official
sources• 2. Journalists are trained to report
objectively from both sides of an issue
• 3. Editors and publishers are conservative and influence the final message
• 4. Media is owned by big business thus conservative
Significance of the Media in America
• Linkage Institution: connects people to their government
• Other linkage institutions-political parties and interest groups