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Presentation by Eric Miller, Blinn College, Bryan, Texas.
The News Media: Communicating Political Images
Chapter 10
Theodore H. WhiteThe press in America…
determines what people will think and talk about–an authority that in other nations is reserved for
tyrants, priests, parties, and mandarins.
News:TimelyDramaticCompellingEvents
News Media (the Press)provides a selective
depiction of reality because it emphasizes dramatic events and excludes slow, steady processes
Introduction
From a Partisan Press to an “Objective” One
early American newspapers were supported by the political partiesGazette of the U.S.- founded
to promote the policies of G. Washington
National Gazette- formed as an opposition to the Republican party
The Development of the News Media: From Partisanship to Objective Journalism
“Yellow Journalism”emphasis on sensationalismled to the Spanish-American war
Objective Journalismthe reporter's job is to report the facts
and cover alternative sides of a partisan debate
Descriptive Reporting in the 1960’s the vast majority of news
was descriptivereporters stick to the “facts”
Interpretive Reportingtoday most news is interpretiveanalysis & explanation of developments
Most newspapers have a partisan bias on their editorial pages
The Development of the News Media: From Partisanship to Objective Journalism
The Development of the Broadcast MediaRadio and Television: The Truly National Media
reached millions of people simultaneouslyopened a direct, instantaneous channel between a
leader and the peopleGovernment Licensing and Regulation of
Broadcastersbased on the scarcity of broadcasting frequenciesThe Communications Act (1934)-FCC
regulates signal strength, ad rates, fees, and election coverage policies
equal time requirement broadcasters cannot sell or give time to one political candidate
and then provide it to another
The Development of the News Media: From Partisanship to Objective Journalism
Historical Development: From the Nation’s Founding to TodayThe rise of the “new” news
The end of the Fairness DoctrineRequired broadcasters to “afford reasonable
opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views of public importance”
Broadcasters could not promote one party or issue position at the expense of another
Cable newsCNN
Founded by Ted Turner in 1980Chose to pursue a path of partisan neutrality
Fox NewsFounded by Rupert Murdoch in 1996Chose a partisan (conservative ) format
Historical Development: From the Nation’s Founding to TodayThe rise of the “new” news
Partisan radio talk showsWithout the Fairness Doctrine, radio programmers
were free to move to a politically partisan formatEmergence of the Internet
Low-cost entry compared with other mass mediaProvides ordinary citizens an opportunity to
exercise their free press rightsSome “new” news outlets a stunning success
The Drudge Report, Daily Kos, Instapundit
The government provides lots of freedom1st Amendment & tradition of free expressionlibel laws favor the press over a public figureprior restraint of the press is rarely permissiblefair and open debate allows the public to weigh
and choose among competing argumentsThe government provides economic support
Special postal ratesLow broadcasting fees
Substantial audience reachMillions of viewers and readers
Freedom and Conformity in the U.S. News Media
Pack JournalismMajor news organizations only differ in the way
in which they present stories about the same topic
AP, Reuters, NY Times wire services
Freedom and Conformity in the U.S. News Media
Domination of the News Production
News Values and ImperativesNY Times
stets a general standard of news reporting
sets the agenda for other news organizations
a pioneer in objective journalismthe “bulletin board” for other
major newspapers
“Megamedia”: Mergers, Profits, and the News
Freedom and Conformity in the U.S. News Media
The Signaler RoleAlert the public to important developments
Informing the public of important news as quickly as possible
U.S. media well-equipped to play this rolePerformed by the traditional media
Wire services (AP, UPI, Reuters)Daily newspapersTelevision networks
Agenda-setting of U.S. media results in similarity in national news everywhere
News media are meant to inform the public, but also need to attract an audience
Media focus on politics instead of policy
The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform
The Common-Carrier RoleConduit for political communication
the press should provide a channel through which political leaders can communicate their views to the public
the press serves as a link between the public and its leadersthe presidency receives more coverage than any other
institutionTV news has become more journalist-centeredTopics sometimes distilled to the “sound bite”
time showing the presidential candidates speaking has declined 1960’s- 40+ seconds today- -10 seconds
Framing: the way events are castPriming: the process by which a communicated message,
because of its content, activates certain opinions but not others
The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform
The Shrinking Sound Bite of Television Campaign Coverage
The Watchdog RoleObjective journalism fosters
watchdog reportingIraqi prisonersWatergate scandal
great example of the press as a government watchdog
“Bad news” most news today tends to be negative
WikiLeaks Bradley Manning: hero or villain? “Collateral Murder”
Watchdog function failuresPost-9/11 terrorist attacks- Iraq War
Internet has expanded watchdog capacity of media
The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform
The Politics of NewsPartisan function
Traditional media: mostly neutralTalk shows: mostly conservativeThe Internet: mostly liberal
Favorability Rating of Cable Television News Outlets, by Party Identification
The Public-Representative RoleThe idea that the press represents “the people”the press is least equipped to serve in this rolethey are not accountable to the people, they
are accountable to their shareholders
The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform
News creates a pseudo-community.Media serves as a channel for the expression
of public opinion.A “mass” versus a “public.”
Mass- people without connectionPublic- people connected through
organizations or networks that enable them to act in concert
Organizing the Public in the Media Age
Attention to NewsThe shrinking audience for news
Television contributed to news consumption until 1980s
Expansion of cable reduced news consumptionMore news available, but alternate
programming aids avoidance of news
Attention to NewsAge and attention to news
News audience typically older adultsReading habits versus on-demand accessYoung adults more inclined toward partisan
news sourcesInternet has provided more news outlets but
has not increased overall news consumptionWidening “information gap” between older and
younger adults
Media and the Public in the Internet AgeOld traditional media dominated by a few
outletsTraditional media still major players but with
smaller audienceFragmented news sources have led to
partisan polarization among audience
States in the Nation