Listen to McChesney (Media mergers) I. Mass Media Major questions:

what political functions of the media? what systematic political bias in US media?

A. Political Functions Media, broadly defined =

• “press” and “entertainment” • TV, Internet, radio, print, etc.

1. Newsmaking/reporting

decide what stories worth reporting on decisions shape public opinion (public policy) on

issues “distant” from public view

• Sudan (Dafur), • Nigeria (Niger River Delta • Rwanda, East Timor, etc.

news organizations making stories that were not news • Opinion polls

Political actors work to “stage” events to influence

these decisions

• rally • speeches • press conferences • press releases • protests • campaign events

2. Interpretation (S. Iynegar & Ansolobehere)

Framing the issue Placing an event in “context” Speculating about consequences Giving “meaning” to story Attributing “cause” of some event

All this can shape how viewer responds Examples:

• 1) Frontrunner presidential candidates Story often is “did they meet expectations?” "expectation" as defined by media Iowa caucus, Jan 2008:

(delegates elected from precints going to Iowa state convention in May)

delegates % support • Obama 940 38% • Edwards 744 30% • Clinton 737 29% • Richardson 53 2% • Biden 23 1%

0.001% of American voters....

New Hampshire Primary Jan 2008: Votes % natl delegates Clinton 112,400 39% 9

Obama 104,800 37% 12 Edwards 48,700 17% 1 Richardson 13,300 5% .01 % of All national delegates Other Examples: Howard Dean, 2004 (McCain v. Bush ’00) 48% 30%

(Clinton v. Tsongas '92) 24% 34% (Dole v. Buchanan '96)

28% 26% (LBJ v. McCarthy ' 68) 49% 42% 2) Experiments on attitudes about joblessness social vs. individual “spin” Interpretation, again:

Framing the issue Placing an event in “context” Speculating about consequences Giving “meaning” to story Attributing “cause” of some event

3. Political Socialization (Ansolabehre et al) Television • Transmit basic social/political values to individuals • Defines what “legitimate” behavior is

ex: Sit coms & divorce, mixed race relations, single parents, etc ex: why was Dan Quayle so concerned about Ellen? about Murphy Brown? Grand Theft Auto II, music.... • Media a primary factor in socialization of kids • Kids knowl. of “good” and “bad” guys in politics from TV

• adults mostly know about political events via TV • most widely used source for political info

o 70% get most information from TV by 2005 o 25% reported this in 1970

o 13% get info from newspapers only

• people think the most credible sources of information are:

o 60% TV o 20% print o 10%..radio

Media Socialization Effects Today: Fragmentation of News media: 39% read daily newspaper (down from 59% in 1993) 55% watch local news (down from 77% in 1993) 34% watch natl nightly news (down from 61% in 1993) 22% watch CNN (down from 35% in 1993) 25% watch Fox news (zero in 1993) 20% "new" outlets (late eve. news, Daily Show) 16% listen to NPR (up from 9% in 1994) 25%+ use Internet news sites (zero in 1993) HUGE age differences: 56% of people 65 and over watch network news 18% of people 18-29 watch 46% of people 65 and over watch cable news 29% of people 18-29 watch cable news 70% of people 65 and over read newspapers 29 % of people 18-29 25% of people 65 and over use Internet 78% of people 18-29 use Internet

Partisan differences:

o 41% of Fox viewers are Republican, 29% Dem, 22 % Ind. o 44% of CNN viewers are Democrats, 25% Rep, 25 % Ind

o 66% of conservatives watch local TV, 54% of liberals o 41% of conservatives watch Fox, 20% of liberals o 13% of conservatives listen to NPR, 33% of liberals o 12% of conservatives get news on-line, 22% of liberals

o 20% of conservatives listen to Rush, 3% of liberals o 2% of conservatives watch Steward, 14% of liberals

o Fox viewers least knowledgable, least educated o O'Reily, Daily Show viewers most knowledable

Selective exposure may limit effect of media "bias" Fragmentation may limit socialization effects Is TV still our prime socialization agent? avg. household tuned in = 8 hours 11 minutes per day (2005) 7 hours 15 minutes per day (1995)

7 hours 07 minutes pre day (1985) 6 hours 18 minutes per day (1975) 5 hours 32 minutes per day (1965) 5 hours 01 minute per day (1955) 4 hours 35 minutes per day (1950) ex: “where were you when...” 4. Persuasion and Propaganda

• direct efforts at changing opinion & attitudes interest groups firms, corporations candidates governments officeholders

• persuasion

o communication designed to provide information to change opinion

• propaganda

o use of information is highly selective o for sake of arguer

paid media

advertising

free media spin doctors

5. Agenda Setting

• combine : o reporting o interpretation o political socialization o propaganda/persuasion

media’s prime political function = setting public agenda

• public agendas don’t just happen • political actors compete in media arena to define

it

• defining problems of society that deserve attention

• “definition of alternatives is the supreme

instrument of power” Questions:

How much autonomy does media itself have in defining political agenda?

If media has political power, how is it used?

What political bias?

Does the US media meet criteria for democracy?

II. Three Theories of Media Bias A. “Lapdog” of Corporate Power (M. Parenti) A Class bias in how media covers politics

1. Press not “free” It is a business

a. content controlled by need to profit multi-billion dollar industry advertising = revenue news not a public service

a way to sell ads ratings = value of ad revenue b. Media/News industry = oligopoly Small # of firms “compete” Same firms/Individuals control multiple media sources

eg: Rupert Murdoch owns (owned),

• newspapers in UK, Europe, Asia, NY, Chicago, • cable in Asia, Europe, US, • Fox TV network in US, etc

T. Turner, W. Annenberg c. Consolidation = narrow range of perspectives

by 1996, 11 corporations controlled production and circulation of over 50% of :

Newspaper Magazines TV Books Movies • 46 in 1981 • 24 in 1986 • 17 in 1990 • 11 in 1996

Today, maybe 6 firms control 50% of all media content

fewer owners increasingly global horizontal and vertical consolidation 1) Time Warner/AOL:

• Warner Books, • Little Brown, • Time Inc • CNN, HBO, • Warner Bros. • People, Money, dozens of magazines • AOL, TBS, TNT. • Cartoon Network • Atlanta Braves.

2) Disney:

• ABC broadcast TV network • Miramax • Touchstone • Buena Vista • ESPN, cable networks • Hyperion Books • 9 TV stations • 100 radio stations

3) Bertelsmann:

• Television & Radio in Europe • Random House • Bantam Books. Many other book publishers • Newspapers • Magazines • BMG music.

4) Viacom:

• CBS

• 35 TV stations, • UPN, MTV, Nickelodeon, TV Land, VH1 • Comedy Central • 120+ radio stations • Paramount Pictures • Touchstone Press • Scribner, Simon & Schuster (books)

5) News Corp. Rupert Murdoch.

• Fox broadcast network • Sky satelite TV (global) • many TV stations • radio • newspapers • 20th Century Fox • Harper Collins books • Lakers, Rangers, Kings

6) Vivendi:

• Geffin Records • part of NBC

??) GE:

• most of NBC • 28 TV stations • CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo, • Universal, Telemundo.

Print: handful of chains control 85% of US paper circulation (Gannet, Knight Ridder, Times Mirror, etc.)

less than 2% of US cities have competing news papers

3 corps control most magazine circulation:

Time-Warner News Corp (Murdoch) Gannet

TV: Early 90s, 20 owners control 50% of audience share Today, far fewer owners control more share 90% of local TV stations controlled by NBC/CBS/ABC (FOX) Even “public” TV depends on corporate $$ (Ford Foundation, etc.) d. Result = Mc News

pre-packaged market researched predictable same content at any source

e. Nature of bias in reporting (re: Parenti et al)

don’t critique ownership/corporate actions automatically anti-socialist

uncritically critical of actions opposed to US policy indirect editorial control over content via

hiring/promotion

don’t need overt censoring of reporters evidence: “what we don’t see...”

no coverage of politics outside “mainstream” • nothing beyond 2 major parties

no critical focus on US foreign policy no sympathetic treatment of labor issues

what we do see...

• horserace, substance-less political news • entertainment • sensationalism • crime

IRONY: as people expand their consumption of “news”, they surrender control of sensory info intake B. Press as Watchdog of Democracy • Press has continuing adversarial role • Press as the 4th branch of govt.

1. Automatically critical of incumbent govt.

classic model = Woodward & Bernstein (Watergate)

• find candidate shortcomings, • report on any scandals • uncover lies • protect against “disinformation”

Q: does same criticism applies to business practices? or to US for. policy? 2. Journalism a profession (and a business)

professional norms motivate reporters professional rewards linked to “scoop” on scandal professional ethics force neutrality in coverage

3. Media acts as another check on govt for politicians, press both an opportunity and problem

• politicians need press to communicate w/ public • press will be critical of pols communication • press may not reflect pols desired image

Game = two-stage flow of information: govt--->press---> public Media strategy for politicians = manage hostile media

communications office, public relations folks spin doctors staged events coordinated press releases, etc.

Presidents need media to govern:

• to build support for programs • to weaken support for opponents • to put pressure on Congress • to rally opinion

Does TV make modern presidents more powerfull? Less? 4. From this perspective, no political bias

media acts neutrally adjusts to criticism when directed against it

• if “too liberal”, moves one way over time • if “too consvervative,” moves the other way • if “too uncritical,” responds w/ more criticism

evidence: 1988 Prez election coverage too “pro-Bush” 1992, greater scrutiny of Bush Sr. Dan Rather & Bush jr. C. Third Perspective: Press as Too Liberal

(Lichters & Rothman)

Critique of media raised by conservatives...see mrc.org 1. National press corps journalists are liberal Democrats

• in ‘84, 76% voted Walter Mondale for President o (while just 44% of public voted Mondale)

• 80% of press coprs said the were “pro-choice” • 85% said OK for gays to teach in public schools

o compared to about 40% in US public at time 2. Journalists East-Coast “Elite”

• secular, non-religious • from eastern states • from a small set of schools

3. Press overly cynical about politics

• focus on o process o strategy o motives

• little focus on substance of policy

4. Press overly cynical re: “Middle America”

bias =

• pro-Democrat • ignore life “outside the beltway” • ignore experts • press reports their own opinions

examples: Treatment of Dan Quayle Nuclear power D. Press as Stupid and Lazy (James Fallows) 1. Incentives = Press cover “pure politics” --- not substance ask questions only fellow journalists care about

• pointless prediction • horserace • strategy • focus on personalities

"inside the beltway" echo chamber

• each side’s "spin" = news • horse-race polls as news

motives of people more important that action

2. Press spoon fed information by officials/candidates press/video releases as news no research, no investigation leaks = news report leaks even if lies w/o source see Jon Stewart 3. Reward system for reporters =

• talk show • lecture tours • book contracts

4. Result:

• political shows feature celebrity talking heads • shouting matches • simple, stupid left vs. right formula

Crossfire, Hardball, O’Reiley Factor, etc

E. Conclusions

• Which model best describes reality of US Media? • What evidence supports?

• Conservative ownership

o in realm of economics o some owners socially liberal

• For-profit business

o ratings drive content o Major firms lobby to limit competition o little competition

• Liberal reporters (and even editors)

• Entertainment media more liberal than news?