1. The Media Why is the media important? What are the media’s biases? Does the media serve democracy?

2. Why does the press matter? How does the press affect public opinion? Priming: the news influences which issues we judge to be the most important issues of the day.

3. Ranking of most important issue facing America: Iyengar and Kinder, Experiment 1 Before experiment 1.Inflation 2.Pollution 3.Unemployment 4.Energy 5.Civil Rights 6.Defense preparedness After experiment 1.Inflation 2.Defense preparedness 3.Pollution 4.Unemployment 5.Energy 6.Civil Rights

4. What should the news cover to inform democratic citizens?

5. Jon Stewart’s critique “A free and independent press is essential to the health of a functioning democracy. It serves to inform the voting public on matters relevant to its well-being. Why they’ve stopped doing that is a mystery. I mean, 300 camera crews outside a courthouse to see what Kobe Bryant is wearing when the judge sets his hearing date, while false information used to send our country to war goes unchecked? What the f*** happened?”

6. Two reasons why we get the news that we do News is a product, and citizens are consumers Journalists and editors subscribe to some professional norms

7. The news as a product A public good Can vary a lot in quality

8. Citizens as news consumers Rational ignorance People seek news for duty, diversion, and drama

9. The mix of hard and soft news offered is not determined by their relative importance to society. What are the characteristics of the news that is produced? Why is that the case?

10. Not all stories will be told. Production of news is costly. If/how a story is told depends on how many people are interested in it… And how desirable those people are to advertisers.

11. Homogeneity, poor quality Competition makes standards harder to enforce Journalists competing for the same story incur costs by creating a story from scratch—easier to herd. Technology makes it cheaper to buy rather than create new information.

12. Can get Conservative FOX News Owners can prefer profits, public goods, and partisan ends in varying degrees Can make a profit in a niche market Corporations prefer profits

13. Same stories over and over Cheaper to create Technology creates demands for quick, superficial coverage

14. Not much hard news is produced Bias toward low cost programming Bias against information that appeals only to small audiences Consumers do not calculate society’s benefit when making private consumption decisions

15. Journalism as a profession A journalist’s job –Get a story in the paper –Get a front page story –Be respected by peers Consequences: All the same stories Biases toward opposition & conflict Cozy relationships with sources

16. Does the media serve democracy? If not, whose fault is it?

17. Can the media be made to serve democracy? Taxes and subsidies Make information available cheaply Change property rights of broadcasters Stimulation of demand through education Creation of professional norms