Jounalism in History US media has much more freedom than in other countries Our media is privately owned Only need licenses from the govt to operate GB politicians can sue media that pokes fun at them ID: 329502
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Slide1
The MediaSlide2
Jounalism in History
US media has much more freedom than in other countries
Our media is privately owned
Only need licenses from the gov’t to operate
GB – politicians can sue media that pokes fun at them.
FR – controlled by national agency that decides what to show publicSlide3
Some people believe since the media is a business, they will distort facts to satisfy advertisers and readers
Probably isn’t true because: they have different types of advertisers and readers Slide4
The Party Press
Early
Republic
– early factions and parties created and controlled newspapers to further their interest
Circulation was small
Newspapers expensive
Very few large advertisers to help pay for it
Political parties or presidents provided gov’t money to help pay for newspapers
Very partisan viewsSlide5
Popular Press
New development:
High speed rotary press can print thousands quickly and cheaply
Invention of telegraph got news to newspapers quickly
1848 – creation of the
Associated Press
Telegraphed non-biased stories to newspapers all over the USSlide6
Newspapers became cheaper in urban areas because retailers put ads in papersNow if newspapers were partisan, it was because of the views of their editors
Began to attract readers with “sensationalism” and “yellow journalism”Slide7
Magazines of Opinion
began to discuss issues of public policy around late 1800’s and early 1900’s
Developed a national constituency for certain issues like “
trustbusting
”, reforming civil service, etc.
“
muckrakers
” were intent on exposing bad behavior in business or politics
Set pattern for “
investigative reporting
”Slide8
Big newspapers started buying up competitionSensationalism
gradually reduced
Today’s magazines focus mostly on politics and they are a declining marketSlide9
Electronic Journalism
Radio – 1920’s
Television – 1940’s
Major change in the way news was gathered and disseminated
Politicians can speak directly to viewers without having to speak through someone who can change their words and toneSlide10
Disadvantage: people can ignore the
tv
or radio – tune out or change the channel
Also, more expensive than newspapers
The number and length of stories
tv
and radio can carry is much smaller than newspapers
Don’t’ want to bore the people!Slide11
Politicians have to do something bold to gain tv
or radio time
Or have lots of $ to buy it
President is the only one who can get free time whenever he wants
Until the 1990’s, the “big three” networks controlled 80% of viewership (ABC, NBC, CBS)Slide12
Now there are competitors and evening news has changed a lotThe average sound bite has dropped from 42 seconds in 1968 to 7.3 in 2000 for prez. candidates
Now there is cable
tv
, early morning news, entertainment shows, “news-magazine” shows that give politicians the spotlight Slide13
Politicians favor call-in formats, town meetings, human interest interviews and appearances on entertainment shows
Do not like “
talking heads
” news shows
Clearly – most politicians love the spotlight
One easy way for politicians to get the spotlight is criticize the presidentSlide14
Internet
Newest electronic source of news
Summaries, newspapers, magazines, gossip, chats
You can join rooms that have similar political views
The ultimate free market in political news
Hard to ban, control or regulateSlide15
Structure of the Media
Relationship between journalism and politics is two way street:
Politicians take advantage of the media available to them
The media uses politicians as a way to entertain and inform audiences
However, the media can select, edit and serve the story they wantSlide16
Degree of Competition
Number of daily newspapers had dropped dramatically
Large papers have bought smaller ones
Many metropolitan areas have readership areas that overlap
People now get most of their news from televisionSlide17
Radio and TV are becoming more competitiveOver 1,000 local television stations
Over 11,000 cable stations
Almost 10,000 radio stations
Some broadcast nothing but news
Some have a specialized followingSlide18
The American press is made up of locally
owned and managed businesses
In other countries, the media are owned and operated with a
national
audience in mind
US newspapers,
tv
and radio are oriented to local markets and local audiencesSlide19
Until mid 1990’s, no one could own and operate more than one newspaper, one AM, one FM or one
tv
station in a given market
According to the
Federal Communications Commission
Networks can’t force local stations to accept a particular broadcast, but most doSlide20
National Media
Associated Press
and
United Press International
provide most of the national news
Three truly national newspapers:
Wall Street Journal
,
Christian Science Monitor, USA Today
However,
New York Times
and
Washington Post
have gotten a national readership because so many politicians use them
Also,
tv and local newspapers use their storiesSlide21
Existence of national press is important for two reasons:1. gov’t officials pay attention to what they say
2. reporters for them are better educated and generally have more liberal views – they write more “investigative” storiesSlide22
National press plays role of gatekeeper, scorekeeper and watchdog for the federal gov’t
Gatekeeper
:
Can influence which subjects become issues and for how longSlide23
Scorekeeper:
Keep track of and help make political reputations – decide who is winning and losing
After the scorekeepers decide a politician is important, they become the
watchdog
:
Every move is scrutinized and reported onSlide24
Rules Governing the Media
Newspapers and magazines do not need a license to publish
Their freedom to publish can’t be restrained in advance
They are liable only under certain highly restricted circumstances
1
st
Amendment provides much protectionSlide25
If something is published that is libelous, or obscene or incites someone to commit an illegal act, they can be sued
Those terms have been defined so narrowly that it is hard for any court to convict the pressSlide26
Confidentiality of Sources
Some states have passed laws that protect sources
Federal government does not agree
In most cases, the courts have to decide
In general the Supreme Court has said the gov’t has the right to compel reporters to divulge infoSlide27
Regulating Broadcasting
No one can operate a radio or television station without a license from the FCC – renewable
There is a movement to deregulate broadcasting
The argument is that there are so many stations on the air that competition should be allowed
Citizens can choose what they want to hear or seeSlide28
Radio has been deregulated the most1996 –
Telecommunications Act
allowed one company to own as many as 8 stations in large markets (5 in smaller ones) – as many as they wanted nationally
Result – many more news radio showsSlide29
Content of tv and radio is still regulated:
1.
equal time rule
: if a station sells time to one candidate, they must sell equal time to the opposing candidate.
2.
right of reply rule
: if a person is attacked, they must have the right to reply on that same station
3.
political editorializing rule
: if a broadcaster endorses a candidate, the opposing candidate must have a right to reply.Slide30
Campaigning
The “equal time rule” applies
TV stations and networks can sponsor debates limited to the major candidates
Presidential candidates buy national time
Others buy local time
Market
– an area easily reached by a television signal
200 of them in USSlide31
Effects of the Media on POlitics
research suggests that what appears in print or on air does effect
how
citizens think and
what
they think about
TV and radio suffer from a process called “
selective attention
” (what teenagers have
)
Citizens see and hear only what they wantSlide32
If this is true, why is millions spent on advertising each year for consumer items?Because, if the ad persuades them to buy something, not much is at stake
However, if the ad convinces them to vote for a candidate, they are stuck with them for 2 + yearsSlide33
Effects of the media have less to do with how people vote -more to do with how politics is conducted - politicians are perceived – and how policies are formulated
Media helps set the political agenda on issues that the citizens don’t have much personal experience with
But, the media has
less influence over
how people react
to things that affect
them directly.Slide34
Interpreting Political News
Americans worry that editors and reporters allow their personal political beliefs to influence the stories
Americans tend to accept what they hear or read as truth, especially if they have no prior knowledge.
According to polls, journalists are much more liberal than the publicSlide35
Are News Stories “Slanted?”
Several factors play into how stories are written:
Need to meet a deadline
Desire to attract an audience
Obligation to be fair and tell the truth
Need to develop sources among people of different viewsSlide36
To understand circumstances under which a reporter’s opinion is likely to affect a story, you must know the three types of stories:
1.
routine stories
– public events regularly covered – simple, easy to describe
Ex: president takes a trip, bill passes CongressSlide37
2.
feature stories
: reporter takes the initiative to chose an event, write about it and persuade an editor to run it.
Ex: controversial ruling, investigations, etc.
3.
insider stories
: someone with inside knowledge tells a reporter, possibly a “leak”, and the reporter engages in “investigative reporting”
How reliable is the source? What is their motive?Slide38
Routine stories are covered almost the same way by all reportersAP and Reuters supply stories almost as they happen to all media outlets
Even routine stories can be incorrectly reported
Feature and insider stories must be selectedSlide39
The selection process includes what the reporter thinks is importantAlso may include stories that go along with his political beliefs
Newspapers are using more feature stories to compete with magazines and
tv
The media puts their own “spin” on feature storiesSlide40
Why Do We Have So Many “Leaks?”
America’s government is the “leakiest” in the world.
Members often leak stories to benefit them
Why do we have them? The Constitution
We have separate branches that compete with each other for power (use the press to your advantage, make the other side look bad)Slide41
Other democratic nations don’t have as many leaks.Why?
Because the Prime Minister is chosen from the majority party, so no need for competition to get upper hand
Also, not against the law for press to receive or print government secretsSlide42
Since Vietnam, Watergate and Iran-Contra, politicians have come to distrust one anotherSo, reporters are less inclined to accept at face value what politicians say in “official statements”
Rather find someone who will give them the “real story”Slide43
We have an “adversarial press
” – one that is suspicious of “official” things and rather break an embarrassing story to bring them kudos
All this has led to an era of “
attack journalism
”
They cover any rumor, gaffes, etc. that involve politicians
This used to be tabooSlide44
The media’s growing cynicism about the government is the same that the public feels about the media
Most people believe the media slants their coverage, has too much influence over events and abuse its constitutional privileges
Most Americans dislike “biased” journalism
None of this looks like it will change in the futureSlide45
Sensationalism in the Media
In the “old days” the “
sexcapades
” of FDR, JFK and MLK were all known about by reporters, but not reported on
Today, famous figures can’t get away with that.
What changed?
The economics of journalism and ideas of reportersSlide46
Until the 1970’s, it was just the “big three” now there is a lot of competition and they are in the business to make money
Have to rely on “sensational” news stories – sex, violence and intrigue
Also, reporters are more likely to be easily manipulated by sources
Now many break stories that only have one sourceSlide47
Government Constraints on Journalists
A reporter is only as good as their sources
Important to keep sources happy
15,000-20,000 staffers for Congress members means it is always possible to find a source
Number of press officers on gov’t payroll has increased in recent decades
They can try to win journalistic friends by offering “leaks” or background stories