“the fourth branch” aka the media
Post on 13-Jan-2016
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“The Fourth Branch” aka The
MediaWhat is the role of the media?
(What should it be may be different that what it is)
How effective do you think it is?
How much influence does the media have in shaping policy?
How much influence do you think the media has in changing public opinion?
Brief historical overview The increasing rapid pace of electronic news
and television’s global coverage shortens the time frame for policy responses.
In 1961, when the Berlin Wall went up, President Kennedy had 8 days to respond to the provocative action.
In 1989, when the wall came down, President Bush was forced to respond overnight.
Penny Press and Yellow Journalism Less partisan, but not objective
Hearst and the Spanish American war- “You furnish the pictures and I’ll get you the war”.
“Yellow journalism”- cheap yellow paper, sensational late 1800s
Muckraking- Upton Sinclair Progressive Era- media became to be more independent
Party Press 1770-1820 Press was seen as an extension of party Until mid 1880s parties sold their proceedings Watch dog role –Jefferson’s relationship with
slave
Function:
Provides information and analysis about policy issues
Polling provides indicators for policy makers about public opinion
Reports and evaluates decisions of government
Roles watch dog-responsibility of media to make public
aware of corruption, incompetence, illegal, unethical actions by politicians
Agenda setter-focuses public attention on issues- is the tail wagging the dog?
The mass media may not be successful in telling people what to think, but they are stunningly successful in telling their audience what to think about.
Average sound bite for Presidential candidate in 1968 was 42 seconds by 2000 less than 10 seconds
Score keeper- media polls drive news, candidates performance constantly criticized, measured
Signaler- Alert the public about important developments
Horse-race journalism- term for primaries particularly-who is in lead, second etc.
Framing- how media presents context-KKK rally more accepted if defined as civil rights story, less if public safety issue (572)
Electronic Media Radio then television transformed media
Televised debate between Nixon Kennedy-radio listeners gave Nixon the edge, but Kennedy did well on tv. changed nature of campaigns
Youtube has brought changes-”His [Obama’s] speeches play well on YouTube, which allows for more than the five-second sound bites that have characterized the television era”- Marc Ambinder Atlantic Monthly June 2008
Television News A full transcript of the typical nightly
network news broadcasts – foreign and domestic – would not fill half of the front page of an average daily newspaper.
Yet ¾ of the American people routinely depend on this source for most of their foreign affairs information.
Watergate and Investigative Journalism Watch dog role becomes paramount-
Power of journalism Media begins to focus on personal lives of
politicians, had been out of bounds, Roosevelt,JFK, etc.
More sensational “If it bleeds it leads”
Press and Public Officials 566 Press release- on paper document with official
position given to reporters Press briefing- limited topic-announcements
then brief questions State Department or DOD Press Conference- statement then questions
on wide range of topics
On background- give info about rival, but won’t be the source
Deep background unsourced "Deep background" This term is used in the U.S., though not consistently. Most journalists would understand "deep background" to mean that the information may not be included in the article but is used by the journalist to enhance his or her view of the subject matter, or to act as a guide to other leads or sources. Most deep background information is confirmed
elsewhere before being reported Off the record- whatever official says can be
printed- but will get info somewhere else On the record
Journalists protect sources- Judith Miller went to jail for refusing to name her source re Scooter Libby Valerie Plame info.
Supreme Court Cases New York Times v United States 1971
Secret “Pentagon Papers” published Ruled that publication could NOT be blocked Can not use “prior restraint” unless “overwhelming”
justification such as military movements before or during war New York Times v Sullivan 1964
Libel requires proof of actual malice- a knowing or reckless disregard for the truth. NY Times found NOT guilty because malice not proved. So information could be wrong, but has to printed or released with malicious intention-difficult to prove.
http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1963/1963_39/
Government Regulation of the Electronic Media page 562 Print media are exempt from most
governmental regulation. Electronic media are
Airwaves are considered public property and are leased to networks and private broadcasters by the government.
Telecomm. Act 1996-deregulated much of electronic media so companies merged=“infotainment”
Government also allocates the use of frequencies and channels so that radio and TV do not overlap and jam each others' signals.
Content Regulation page 563 FCC equity-have to sell air time equally to
all candidates if they choose to sell any Fairness doctrine- rule required
broadcasters to cover events with contrasting views- NO longer in effect, although talk of bringing it back
The FCC
Federal Communications Commission 1934
Control airwaves for licenses and content 2003 changed rules about cross-
ownership so companies can now own different types of media outlets Can reach 45% of national audience at any one
time. So Time Warner can have movie, cable news and an entertainment show all on at same time-shill for one another
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