OUTLINE GITELSON CHAPTER 9 MEDIA
AND POLITICS (3)
Introduction:
power of media due to "myth of media
manipulation": media directs/dominates how public thinks
about
politics. Manipulation not confined to specific group.
I)
Rise of Media
A) Early days (pgs. 236-237)
a) Before Civil War, press reached just elite
audiences. (p. 236)
b) Media were partisan papers
meaning they were pro-their own party and against
their
opponents.
(p. 236)
c) Commercial
papers: the ONLY alternative source. Appealed to
merchants/traders. Short on
politics. (p. 236)
d) With New
York Sun came age of mass journalism. (p. 236)
e) Penny Press: 1st
generation papers with mass appeal to the large public. (For example: NY
Sun).
Mostly local news. Specialized in sensationalism. Scandalous events=increase
popularity. (p. 237)
1)
sensationalism occurred more toward end of 19th
century. (p. 237)
2)
3)
4) NY World and NY Journal were described as yellow
journalism: named for "yellow kid"
comic strip
appeared in World and Journal. Had bold
headlines, drawings, color features
to get
attention. (p. 237)
f) Conservative paper(the
NY Times) developed by Adolph Ochs. Goal: to give news impartially.
Became standard of journalism. (p. 237)
g) Yellow journalism still present, but less
mainstream. (p. 237)
B) Broadcast Media (p. 237)
a) KDKA: 1st regularly scheduled radio
station. (p. 237)
b) Early stations: were non-profit, public
services to educate citizens. (p.
237)
c) FRC(Federal Radio
Commission). Was before FCC. (p. 237)
d) Nonprofit stations disappeared. Replaced by
commercial=to increase profit due to
advertising.
e) FDR: fireside chats, friendly discussions.
(p. 238)
f ) Programming news
shows were resisted until CBS came. (p. 238)
g) Radio/TV always from a commercial venture. Popular,
profitable quiz shows were preferred. (p. 238)
h) TV
changed especially after JFK v. Nixon televised debate.
Became prime source of news for
most Americans. (p. 238)
i) Majority of people view TV as most believable news source. (p. 238)
C) Diversity/Concentration (p. 238)
a) Ownership in a few hands=threatened diversity of
expression. Ownership of major TV
stations
were in fewer
hands. (p. 240)
b)
Newspaper competition decreased
recently. (p. 240)
c)
Major networks lost to new competitors(FOX, cable) in
later 20th century. (p. 240)
d)
Many believe technology destroying centralized/concentrated media. (p. 240)
D) Government regulation: Exercises little control compared with other
nations. However, in
there is some control, especially over
radio/television. (Control over printed
material limited to
obscenity/libel-see chapter 4.) (p. 241)
a) Licensing: FCC created due to limited frequencies. Monitors/regulated
airway use(radio/TV)
and
issues licenses(TV renewed every 5 years; radio
every 2). While the
the media, the vague mandates stated by the FCC gives the
broadcasting as compared with other nations.
This is shown through the denial of few
applications requested for licensing. (p. 242)
b) Equal
time rule: created to promote equal opportunity
for broadcasting. Means if one station
allows campaigning, others must be allowed,
give same rates. Is MOST SIGNIFICANT FCC
requirement. (p. 242)
II)
What is News (pgs. 242-244)
A) NY
Times motto: "All the News that’s fit to print". (p. 242)
B) Newspapers have more advertising
than news. NEWS HOLE(news, human interest stories, pure
entertainment features) occupies less than half
of paper. (p. 242)
C) Network TV news=more limited in what will be shown. News picked from many events. "News is what
those in news business decide is news."
(p. 243)
D) Main
criteria when picking stories: (p. 243)
1) Must be timely/novel or "breaking stories". Show
things that dont happen often. (p. 243)
2)
Must have violence, conflict, disaster, or
scandal. (p. 243)
3) Familiarity. Involve people that public already
know. Unknown people are usually shown as
victims. (p. 243)
E) Interviews
relied on more than printed documents, by reporters. (p. 243)
F) Those providing pithy(meaningful, meaty) comments
are preferred. (p. 243)
G) Fear of missing big
stories=mainstream journalist report things without getting all of the facts.
(p. 243)
H) All-news
outlets: Talk shows/infotainment mostly stress
opinions, not news. (p. 244)
III)
Effects of mass media: know
effects on society/people (G 244-246)
A) Critics say it has effect on PASSIVE
audience(those that lack
knowledge) or those that DONT have
settled political beliefs or firmly held opinions. (p.
246)
B) Reason why it cannot change FIRM
political beliefs is people exercise selective
exposure: getting the
information that support their
beliefs. (p. 246)
C) Selective perception: existing beliefs influence way people interpret what they see. (p. 246)
D) TV news has significant effect in
shaping public attribution of responsibility. (p. 246)
E) TV coverage either episodic or
thematic: (p. 246)
1) Episodic:
focus on individual. Is live, on scene reporting. An individual is given responsibility. (p. 246)
2) Thematic:
issue put on larger more abstract content. In-depth
background. Responsibility placed
on society
or motive/actions of public officials. (p. 246)
F) Setting the agenda: (p. 246-247)
a) Press has less impact on known issues. (p. 246)
b) Priming:
Media's ability to isolate particular issue/event/theme in news to evaluate politicians.
Influences people's standards when judging. HIGHLIGHTING tactics/strategies by media to
influence.
(p. 247 & 250)
IV)
Conducting Politics in Media: old and new (G 247-250)
A) pseudo-events: staged
events to make media coverage for
politician's goals. (p. 247)
a)
Interesting/symbolic visuals are provided for evening news. (p. 247)
b)
NATIONAL CONVENTIONS = MOST popular example of pseudo-event.
c)
"Public opinions poll":
press's version of pseudo-event. (p. 247)
B) Conventions faced with declining
audience. (p. 248)
C) Bush v. Clinton talking before
elections had less speaking time than journalist. Had only had "sound
bites":
speaking time for only a few seconds. (p. 248)
D) VNR(Video News Release) to local
TV stations allow candidates to speak directly to public. Local
anchors seldom hard on candidates. (p. 248)
E) Candidates also turning to "the new media": radio call in
shows, early morning TV programs, televised
town meetings, late-night entertainment. (p.
248)
F) Media-oriented politics diverts
attention from issue toward campaign strategies. (p. 249)
G) "Horse-race method"
of presidential election. 2/3 of campaign coverage in print media dealt with
campaign strategies. (p. 249)
H) Journalist defense of covering campaign tactics: audience prefers it more than issues. (p. 250)
V)
Uneasy alliance between Government and Media (pgs. 250-254)
-Goals
conflict. Still, they are dependent on each other.
A) Covering the president: (p.251)
a) Portrayals
of presidents more negative as term
progresses. (p.251)
b) Some
high-level White House staff are directly involved in
media relations. (p.251)
c) Reporters repeat to public the info
given to them by press secretary.
This allows president to be
source
of news rather than subjects. (p.251)
d) Press conferences: typically begins
with short statement. President
speaks directly to public.
Questioning time is reduced. (p.251)
e) List of possible questions to be
asked is prepared and answered in advance. For example:
President Reagan held "mock
news conferences".(p.252)
f ) Reporters sympathetic
to administration were called "known friendlies": were seated in
front, to
President's right. Told to "go to right" if questioning became
uncomfortable. Still, embarrassment
unavoidable. (p.252)
g) Full text
of speeches available electronically (Internet) to avoid press summaries.
(p.252)
B) Leaks to press: Trial balloons are leaks knowingly made
by the administration for
administration's purposes. (p. 253)
C) Covering Congress: media pays less attention to them because there are so many. There's not one
sole person to focus on. (p. 253)
a) Coverage
occurs only when partisan conflict or
scandal happens. (p. 254)
b) Congress
members often get favorable attention especially from home-state media. (p. 254)
D) Covering
Courts: Because of commonly occurring misinterpretation of rulings, courts don’t hold press
conferences to explain
rulings. (p. 254)
VI)
Conclusion (pgs. 254-255)
A) Media
play important role in framing issues, setting
political agenda. (p. 254)
B) Media greatly affect
political/business conduct. (p. 255)
C) There is little evidence of journalist using distorted info to manipulate news. Journalists often
feel that
they are being manipulated to spread the
candidate's agendas to the public. (p. 255)