1. Pearson Education, Inc. © 2005 Chapter 6 THE MASS MEDIA

2. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 News Media Coverage of the War and Occupation in Iraq Both liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans complained of biased media coverage of the war in Iraq Democratic complaints: –media failed to seriously examine Bush administration’s arguments for the war –media paid little attention to public opposition to the war –practice of embedding reporters distorted information about the war Republican complaints: –media quickly turned defeatist after a temporary slowing of progress in taking Baghdad –during the occupation, media focused on problems

3. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Roles of the News Media in Democracy The central idea of democracy is that ordinary citizens should control what their government does. Yet, this requires that citizens have comprehensive, accurate, and objective information about politics.

4. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Specifically, the media should: –Act as a watchdog over government –Clarify what electoral choices the public has –Present a full and enlightening set of ideas about public policy to the public

5. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 The Media Landscape Newspapers –penny papers –yellow journalism –wire services –tend to provide more comprehensive and high- quality information, but Americans increasingly favor radio and television

6. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Magazines Journals of opinion Weekly newsmagazines Large-circulation magazines Specialized journals

7. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Radio –Commercial radio stations with broad audiences established in the 1920s –Stations all over the country were organized into networks that shared news and other programs –Resurgence of modern radio Call-in talk shows Public Broadcasting Stations

8. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Television –Invented just before World War II –Adopted on a large scale in the 1950s –Most people name television as their most important source of news.

9. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 The Internet –new sources of information (both reliable and spurious) –new mechanism for communication among citizens, and between citizens and government –potential for anyone to become a reporter, editor, and publisher “blogs” –potential for organizing collective actions demonstrations against the war in Iraq

10. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Organization of the Mass Media Corporate ownership –profit motive –infotainment Increasing concentration of ownership Centralization and homogenization of major media, yet diversity in smaller media

11. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Political Newsmaking The limited geography of political news Dependence on official sources –Beats and routines –Military actions –Mutual needs “Newsworthiness” Templates Episodic foreign coverage Interpreting –think tanks

12. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Is the News Biased? Observers disagree about whether the media are biased in a liberal or a conservative direction. –Liberal Democratic reporters –Conservative Republican owners What constitutes bias?

13. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Prevailing Themes in Political News Nationalism Approval of the American Economic System Negativity and Scandal Infotainment –pundits Limited, Fragmented, and Incoherent Political Information

14. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Effects of the Media on Politics Agenda Setting Framing and Effects on Policy Preferences Impact on Policymaking Cynicism

15. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Government Regulation of the Media Government has less legal control over the media in the United States than in most other countries. Print media –Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) –prior restraint –wartime controls

16. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Government Regulation of the Media Electronic media –Government licensing of the airwaves Radio Act of 1927 Federal Communications Act of 1934 Telecommunications Act of 1996 Revocation of “35% rule” (2002) growing FCC concerns about media decency

17. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 Government Regulation of the Media Electronic media –Public service broadcasting –Fairness doctrine –Equal-time provision –Rate regulation The Internet –USA Patriot Act (2001)

18. Pearson Education, Inc © 2005 The Media and Democracy Democracy is weakened if the mass media fail to present informative, analytical, and sophisticated coverage of political issues. A shortage of good information makes it difficult for citizens to form intelligent political judgments.