Chapter 6 THE MASS MEDIA

Vernon Jordan Meets the Press Linda Tripp secretly taped conversations with Monica Lewinsky about her sexual relationship with President Bill Clinton. Based on innuendo, major TV networks and news magazines presented scandalous allegations surrounding Presidential confidant, Vernon Jordon, without having listened to the tapes. When the tapes were made public, these allegations proved baseless. The story illustrates that the media are more concerned with sensationalism than with informing the public about important and substantive political and policy issues.

Roles of the Mass 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.

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

In addition, the mass media –serve as vehicles for government, political parties, and interest groups to speak to citizens –serve as channels of communication among political and governmental institutions –are themselves political actors with their own goals and interests.

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

Magazines Journals of opinion Weekly newsmagazines Large-circulation magazines Specialized journals

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

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

The Internet –new sources of information (both reliable and spurious) –new mechanism for communication among citizens, and between citizens and government –currently, though, less than 20% Americans use the Internet for political information

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

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

Is the News Biased? Observers disagree about whether the media are biased in a liberal or a conservative direction. –Liberal reporters –Conservative owners What constitutes bias?

Prevailing Themes in Political News Nationalism Approval of the American Economic System Negativity and Scandal Infotainment –pundits Limited, Fragmented, and Incoherent Political Information

Effects of the Media on Politics Agenda Setting Framing and Effects on Policy Preferences Impact on Policymaking Cynicism

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

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) –Public service broadcasting –Fairness doctrine –Equal-time provision –Rate regulation The Internet –USA Patriot Act (2001)

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.