INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA PSYCHOLOGY

Presented By: SHUBHAM YADAV

The Media and Politics

Politics in the Age of Mass Media

TOPIC:-

The activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between parties having power.Activities aimed at improving someone's status or increasing power within an organization

POLITICS :-

Communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data, or promotional messages are disseminated. Media includes every broadcasting and narrowcasting medium such as newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax, and internet

MEDIA :-INTRODUCTION:-

Freedom of the Press

Origins of freedom of the press:

Colonial-era printing press

“Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom…of the press…”

• Influence of the printing press

• Ideals of the Enlightenment• Pamphlets and papers during

the American Revolution

What Is the Press?Traditional forms: Non-traditional forms:• Newspapers• Magazines• Pamphlets• Posters

• Radio• Television• Internet

Free Press: Essential to Democracy

• The media as the “fourth branch” of government

• Important benefits of a free press:

— Open expression of ideas— Advances collective knowledge and

understanding— Communication with government

representatives— Allows for peaceful social change— Protects individual rights

Media and Elections

•Politicians and media have a symbiotic relationship•Media focus on conflict and negative advertisements•Media focus on frontrunners and the horserace•Campaigns focus on spin and sound bites

Media and Politics

•Theories of Media and Politics•Patterson•Sabato•Zaller

•Media and Elections•Debates•Conventions•Ads

Patterson’s Out of Order

• Trends in media coverage of elections

1.Tone of coverage Positive to negative

2.Style Descriptive to interpretive

3.Issues Policy issues to reporters’ issues

Patterson’s Out of Order

Consequences1. Tone of coverage Positive to negative

Consequence: Voters distrust candidates, government, media

2. Style Descriptive to interpretiveConsequence: Voters less informed

3. Issues Policy issues to reporters’ issuesConsequence: Voters adopt media frames/primes

Sabato’s Feeding Frenzy

Lapdog journalism (1941-1966) Reporting that served and reinforced the political establishment.

Watchdog (1966-1974) Scrutinized and checked the behavior of political elites by undertaking

independent investigations into statements made by public officials. Junkyard dog (1974 to present)

Reporting that is often and harsh, aggressive intrusive, where feeding frenzies flourish and gossip reaches print.

Causes of the Feeding Frenzy

•Advances in media technology

•Competitive pressure

•Political events

Zaller’s Theory of Media Politics

• Theory of campaign coverage needs to take into account the different interests of voters, media, and candidates

1. Voters: "Don’t waste my time"; "Tell me only what I need to know"

2. Candidates: Use journalists to "Get Our Story Out"

3. Journalists: Maximize their "voice" in the news

Media and Elections: Conventions

• In the past, party conventions were much more important

• Today, they are media events• Nothing new happens• Scripted events, speeches

• Today, conventions usually give candidates a positive bump in the “horserace”• These bumps are short-lived

Media and Elections: Ads

•Political advertising: positive vs. negative• Positive advertising

• Seek to define yourself before your opponent does it for you• Negative advertising

• Does it work?•Yes Voters remember negative ads longer than positive ads

•Negative ads provide information to voters

For Your Attention