1. Magruder’s American Government
C H A P T E R 8 Mass Media and Public Opinion
© 2001 by Prentice Hall, Inc.

2. What is a Linkage Institution?
A linkage institutions connects citizens to the government and vice-versa
A medium is a means of communication; it transmits some kind of information.
There are five major mass media are particularly important in American politics:
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3. The Role of Mass Media Newspapers
A linkage institutions connects citizens to the government and vice-versa
A medium is a means of communication; it transmits some kind of information.
There are five major mass media are particularly important in American politics:
Newspapers
The first newspapers carried mostly political news.
Despite dramatically declining circulation, 42 million Americans read a newspaper on a regular basis.
Studies show that individuals who get their information from print sources, like newspapers, are much more informed than those who rely on television.
Less coverage of local news.
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4. The Role of Mass Media Magazines
While there are several magazines devoted to political news, they lag behind titles such as Good Housekeeping or Popular Mechanics in overall circulation.
AARP The Magazine
Family Circle
AARP The Bulletin
National Geographic
Better Homes and Gardens
People
Game Informer Magazine
Readers Digest
Good Housekeeping
Time
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5. The Role of Mass Media Radio
Americans spend a little less than 15 hours per week listening to the radio.
NPR has emerged as a legitimate news source
There are many conservative talk radio programs that have large audiences – Rush Limbaugh averages 14 millions listeners.
Talk radio is very interactive.
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6. Television The Role of Mass Media
Television is the main source for political news in the United States.
Television advertising is the largest expense in political campaigns today.
Television coverage of politics is often shallow – it does not coverage the issues, but rather engages in horse race journalism.
In recent years there has been an increase in overtly partisan news channels and shows – Fox News v. MSNBC
Television news is also dominated by a 24 hour news cycles and intense competition to be first to break a story.
“Fake news”
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7. The Internet Social Media The Role of Mass Media
37% of Americans go online at least once a week for news.
Online audience tends to be younger, more affluent, and male
Not all sources are credible
Social Media
Over 25% (38% of those under the age of 30)of Americans get their news from a social media source – Twitter, Facebook, etc.
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8. The Role of Mass Media Media Issues Consolidation
Today 90% of what Americans read, hear, or see is controlled by 6 corporations – GE, Newscorp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, CBS
This leads to homogenization of the news – loss of alternative viewpoints.
Intense competition has led to a “if it bleeds, it leads” approach
Loss of trust in the media
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9. The Role of Mass Media
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10. The Role of Mass Media
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11. The Media and Politics The Public Agenda Electoral Politics
The media play a very large role in shaping the public agenda, the societal problems that political leaders and citizens agree need government attention.
It is not correct that the media tell the people what to think; but it is clear that they tell the people what to think about.
Electoral Politics
Today, television allows candidates to appeal directly to the people, without the help of a party organization.
Candidates regularly try to use media coverage to their advantage.
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12. The Three Roles of the Media
The Media and Politics
The Three Roles of the Media
Watchdog
The media often reveals waste in government, wrongdoing by officials, or problems in American society.
Gatekeeper
The media helps to create the public agenda, or those issues that people pay attention to. Sometimes this causes the public to pay attention to issues that aren’t all that important.
They also help determine which candidates get attention
Scorekeeper
Keeps track of who is ahead in the polls, where politicians go to deliver speeches, who won elections, etc.
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13. Limits on Media Influence
Many media sources mostly skim the news, reporting only what their news editors judge to be the most important and/or most interesting stories of the day.
In-depth coverage of public affairs is available to those who want it and will seek it out.
Selective Perception - Most people seek out information that reinforces what they already believe.
Conservatives watch Fox, Liberals watch MSNBC
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