chapter 9 the media © 2009, pearson education fiorina, peterson, johnson, and mayer new american...

Chapter 9 The Media

© 2009, Pearson Education

Fiorina, Peterson, Johnson, and MayerNew American Democracy, Sixth Edition


Development of the Mass Media

Mass media– Forms of communication that are

technologically capable of reaching most people and economically affordable to most

– Have existed for less than two centuries– Political power related to control of information

Early newspapers weeklies– No reporters– They basically printed anything and everything


The Partisan Press and the Penny Press

As party politics developed, so did the parties’ relationships with newspapers– Most were one-sided– Printed the party line– Until the Civil War, almost all newspapers were

partisan• many received subsidies or patronage from

the party’s supporters


The Partisan Press and the Penny Press

Technological improvements made it easier to publish newspapers– Penny Press– Sensationalism—sells papers– Still partisan


Newspapers and Magazines 1865–1920

Publishers began to see that they need not alienate potential readers with highly partisan offerings.

– Partisanship became relegated to the editorial pages.

Yellow journalism

Pulitzer and Hearst

– Involvement in the declaration of war against Spain

Magazines — the first major national medium

– McClure’s

– Cosmopolitan

– Munsey’s

– Later Collier’s and the Saturday Evening Post

– Aimed at larger national audience of middle-class, educated readers

Muckraking


Radio

1920 – three important characteristics of U.S. radio– licensing system– importance of advertising– emergence of national

networks


Television

The first public demonstration of television took place at the N.Y. World’s Fair in 1939

May, 1949 – 6 percent of Americans owned a television set.

– Less than half of the public had ever seen a television program

– Ownership jumped to 45 percent in 1952 and to 90 percent in 1959


The Contemporary SceneTelevision– 99 percent of all households in U.S. have at least one

television– The network system had dominated, but has declined

dramatically due to UHF and cableNewspapers– Decline in number of cities with more than one

newspaper– Spread of chain ownership

Radio– Not dominant, but popular– Growth of talk radio (satellites allow for transmission of

one program to hundreds of stations)Magazines– As a news source, they are increasingly marginal– Growing in numbers, but few focus on government and

politics. However,Time and Newsweek rank in the top 20.


New MediaBeginning in the 1970s

Cable and satellite TV, VCRs, fax, e-mail, and the Internet – the media that have grown out of the technological advances of the past few decades

Will people use this new media to seek out political information?

New media may lead to small number of activists being very informed, while Americans in general are actually less knowledgeable about politics

Decentralized the ownership and control of media

How will all of this change American politics?


What Information Sources Do Americans Rely on?

Tough question to answer

– We encounter different media during our day

– Most people say television when asked directly

TV has been the public’s main source of information since in the 1960s

– But how much attention do they pay to this information; how much is retained?

– Halo effect

– News not well-defined concept


What Information Sources Do Americans Rely on?


Media Effects?1940s spread of radio danger to democracy?War of the Worlds and mass panicHypodermic model– direct and powerful capacity of the

media to put ideas into people’s heads

Minimal Effects School


Agenda Setting

Agenda setting– Occurs when the media affect which issues

and problems people think about, even if the media do not determine what positions people adopt

– SalienceCNN effect– Purported ability of TV to raise a distant

foreign affairs situation to national prominence by broadcasting vivid pictures


Priming and FramingPriming– Occurs when the media alter the standards

people use to evaluate political figures Framing– Occurs when the media induce people to

think about an issue along particular lines, as opposed to others


Socialization

The media may play a role in socializing individuals.– Ex: sex and violence on television – Not clear how this influences American politics– Could account for the widespread concern over

crime or increasing acceptance of sexual practices once considered deviant

Concerns over portrayal of government and minorities, particularly African Americans– X-Files, 24 examples. Leadership corrupts.

Good guys always rogue agents.– stereotyping minorities on TV


How Strong Are Media Effects?

Effects, like agenda setting, framing and priming, depend on both the characteristics of the audience and the nature of the information

Those who are uninterested in and uninformed about politics are most susceptible to agenda setting

Partisans are inclined to think in terms of issues at the core of their party’s concerns

Can have impact but it depends on

– Who is being reached

– What is being covered


Media BiasesModern journalists present themselves as objective

Supposed to report events and conflicts accurately so that voters can make informed judgments

Yet many observers believe that the media do skew the news

– Ideological bias, spin

– Selection bias

– Professional bias


Media Biases


Prospects for Change

News media are private, profit-making enterprisesRespond to public demandsLike to change only if public demands such change


The Media and Electoral Politics

Transmit information about problems and issuesThis information helps voters make their choices.But does media bias cause media coverage to fall short of the ideal?


Campaign CoverageThis is an area where the media are criticized heavily– Charge: The media provide little coverage of

policy issues– Charge: The media concentrate on issues

such as character at the expense of genuine policy and expertise issues

– Charge: reporters intermediate too much


The Conventions

Since 1972, and the stabilization of presidential nominations, conventions have lessened in importanceMedia coverage has dropped– The more the party managers tried to package

their message to please television, the less the major networks were interested

– Now the convention coverage venues are cable and the Internet


The Presidential Debates

No other campaign events earn the ratings that the presidential debates earn

First televised debates were in 1960

– Nixon and Kennedy

– Radio listeners thought Nixon won; TV viewers thought Kennedy won

Studies show that performance in the debates can sway the undecided voter


Media Coverage of Government

Media coverage of government is similar to that of campaignsFrom the news media perspective, government and the work it does is pretty dullFor that reason, there is relatively little news coverage of itWhen they do cover government– Emphasis is on president– Emphasis is on conflict– Emphasis is on the negative

The response: officials have exaggerated the problem

chapter 9 the media © 2009, pearson education fiorina, peterson, johnson, and mayer new american...

Documents

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pearson educationradio1920

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