c hapter 12 t he m edia and p olitics copyright © 2012 cengage learning

CCHAPTERHAPTER 12 12TTHEHE M MEDIA ANDEDIA AND P POLITICSOLITICS

CCHAPTERHAPTER 12 12TTHEHE M MEDIA ANDEDIA AND P POLITICSOLITICS

Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning

CHAPTER 12: LEARNING CHAPTER 12: LEARNING OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVES

Describe the various functions that the media serve in the American political system

Understand the purpose and evolution of the Federal Communications Commission

Appreciate the evolution from a partisan press to a media focused on objectivityCopyright © 2012 Cengage Learning


Explain how changes in technology have transformed the nature of the media

Understand the large variety of media that cover news and provide opinion about government and politics, including both traditional media and “new” mediaCopyright © 2012 Cengage Learning


Learn that the ownership of media organizations is concentrated in large corporations

Assess changes in audience and readership patterns, and the impact of those changes on news coverage



Describe the different theories that have been developed to explain the effect that exposure to news has on viewers/readers

Identify common criticisms of media coverage of politics, including bias, sensationalism, and the concentration of corporate ownershipCopyright © 2012 Cengage Learning

A NEW MEDIUM ASSISTS IN THE CAUSE OF A NEW MEDIUM ASSISTS IN THE CAUSE OF LANDMARK LEGISLATION: NOW & THENLANDMARK LEGISLATION: NOW & THEN

The president and his congressional allies sought to pass landmark legislation that had failed for decades

Found an unexpected ally in a powerful new medium

Offered unprecedented and convenient access to information


Obama’s White House website discussing health care


COURTESY OF WHITEHOUSE.GOV

NOW … PRESIDENT OBAMA’S NOW … PRESIDENT OBAMA’S HEALTH CARE REFORMHEALTH CARE REFORM

The Internet brought the health care debate into the open

Exposed backroom deals and exaggerations in arguments both for and against reform

Obama took advantage of this to sell the plan which eventually overcame all obstacles


THEN…CIVIL RIGHTS THEN…CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATIONLEGISLATION

Television allowed viewers to witness police directing full pressure water hoses on African American school children

Watched police dogs set loose on civil rights demonstrators and numerous brutal beatings

The resulting public pressure spurred passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964


Southern police officials directing full pressure water hoses on African American school children, as seen on TV screen


BETTMANN/CORBIS

THE MEDIA IN AMERICAN THE MEDIA IN AMERICAN POLITICSPOLITICS

Publication and dissemination of a wide variety of political ideas

Offers a diversity of opinions and facilitates the free flow of information about local, national, and global events

Government must be prevented from using its power to stifle those with which it disagrees


GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF THE MEDIATHE MEDIA

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates electronic media through licensing and rules

Violations may be punished with license revocations or fines

Example: the radio broadcast of George Carlin’s “Seven Dirty Words”


GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF THE MEDIATHE MEDIA

Equal time rule: requires radio and TV stations to sell equal amounts of airtime to all political candidates who want to broadcast advertisements

1996 Telecommunications ActShifted the emphasis from regulating to

facilitating competition


FUNCTIONS OF THE MEDIA IN FUNCTIONS OF THE MEDIA IN AMERICAN POLITICSAMERICAN POLITICS

Providing objective coverage of events:

Objectivity—reporting events factually, accurately, fairly, and equitably

Signaling when important events occurProviding perspectives on all sides of

an issue or policy debate



Facilitating public debate:Helping frame issues Offering perspectives on how a problem

might be solvedProviding context and commentary on

political campaigns



Serving as government watchdog:The fourth branch of government, or

“fourth estate” Root out corruption and abuses of

power through investigative journalismExamples: “Muckrakers,” Woodward

and Bernstein, 60 Minutes, Dateline


Pulitzer prize-winning investigative reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward in 1973. Woodward and Bernstein investigated the Watergate scandal of the Nixon administration in 1973 and 1974 for the Washington Post.©BETTMANN/CORBIS


CHECK THE LIST:CHECK THE LIST: SIX LAPSES IN SIX LAPSES IN JOURNALISTIC ETHICSJOURNALISTIC ETHICS

1. Newsweek magazine—treatment of Iraqi detainees

2. The New York Times—John McCain’s Alleged Affair

3. Jayson Blair, New York Times4. Jack Kelley, USA Today5. Dateline NBC6. Mike Barnicle, Boston Globe


HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE MEDIATHE MEDIA

Before the American Revolution only a handful of newspapers were published

Early newspapers carried little information about politics or news events

Intense interest in the Revolution changed the nature and function of colonial newspapers



The Era of the Partisan Press (late 1700s to mid-1850s)

Newspapers supported a particular political party

Appealed mostly to readers who agreed with the political positions advocated by those publications



Technological developments: the rotary press, telegraph system, and expansion of the railroad system

Provided faster printing and distribution to more readers, at less cost, also…

Began distancing themselves from partisan positions to increase circulation


AMERICAN GOVERNMENT … IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT … IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVEHISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Can the Media Be Trusted to Tell the Truth?

William Randolph Hearst used “yellow journalism” to build a media empire

1898: Hearst’s newspapers may have played a role in leading the U.S. into the Spanish-American War


AMERICAN GOVERNMENT … IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT … IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVEHISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

The Drudge Report—touted as a top Internet “news” source

1998: gained fame for reporting lurid details of the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal

Rumors, not substantiated facts, serve as the basis for many of his stories, i.e. 2004—stories of Kerry’s alleged “affairs”


William Randolph HearstPHOTO: ©CORBIS


Matt DrudgePhoto: AP Photo/Michael Caulfield

THE EMERGENCE OF THE EMERGENCE OF ELECTRONIC MEDIAELECTRONIC MEDIA

FDR was the first leader to use radio Delivered comforting and inspiring

“fireside chats,” in the midst of the Great Depression and WW2

1950s: Joe Pyne hosted the first political talk radio show—foundation for many of today’s talk radio shows


THE EMERGENCE OF THE EMERGENCE OF ELECTRONIC MEDIAELECTRONIC MEDIA

Post–World War II, TV became the primary medium for political news

1950s: NBC and CBS developed the TV daily news (anchor/reporter) format still used today

1952: networks began selling air time to major party presidential candidates


PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES AND PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES AND THE POWER OF TELEVISIONTHE POWER OF TELEVISION

1960: Richard Nixon vs. John Kennedy First live presidential debate

Kennedy’s favorable TV performance was a key factor in his presidential win

More radio listeners thought Nixon won, whereas more TV viewers tended to think Kennedy won—Why?



Live televised debates didn’t occur again until 1976 President Gerald Ford vs. Jimmy Carter

Both were dressed to coordinate with the set; had numerous practice sessions; makeup ensured favorable appearances; and both sought a positive image



TV has transformed political campaigns and government policy making

Candidates are observed delivering speeches and responding to questions

Allows candidates to develop a carefully planned “image”


PRESIDENTIAL PRESS PRESIDENTIAL PRESS CONFERENCESCONFERENCES

Wilson was the first to hold regular and formal presidential news conferences

Eisenhower was the first to hold news conferences as we know them today Open to reporters from all types of

organizations, and

Questions aren’t pre-screened



Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson averaged about two monthly

Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan held fewer—less than one per month

Reagan began weekly radio addresses after having some difficulty with a press conference setting

Used by all presidents since Reagan



Clinton increased press conferences to two monthly, however—notably reduced during the Lewinsky scandal

G.W. Bush averaged only one per year during his first term

Preferred staged events, one-on-one interviews, televised speeches, and the weekly radio address


THE MASS MEDIA TODAYTHE MASS MEDIA TODAY

The Print Media:

Use of newspapers, magazines, and books has declined in recent decades

Today only about 1,500 newspapers are published on a daily basis with about 76 million readers

The rate keeps dropping as the Internet becomes a more popular source of news



Source: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1066/internet-overtakes-newspapers-as-news-source


The Electronic Media:Television, radio, and the Internet The New Media—Internet, DVDs, fax

machines, cell phones, satellites, and cable TV

Revolutionized the news business at every level



Television: its defining characteristic is its visual nature

The implied “reality” of seeing video or live broadcasts of events, is powerful

High-tech satellites allow people to view events as they occur even from the outer reaches of the universe



Radio:Commercial music programming, with

several minutes each hour allotted for news, sports, traffic reports, and weather

Talk radio is increasingly popular Several political talk shows attract an

especially large audience



The Internet: 1993—University of Illinois students developed MOSAIC, the first graphical Internet browser

Became NetscapeBy the mid-1990s, it was attracting

millions of usersUsers pursue news and information that

suits their interests



Internet: Enables users to be their own mass publisher

“Chat rooms” and online forums allow users to post opinions, ask questions, and engage in dialogue on issues

Blogs—combine an editorial page, personal Web page, and online diary of personal observations in real time



About 65% of Americans report they use personal computers regularly, and most are connected to the Internet

Digital divide: Internet users are more likely to be younger, middle and upper-class, better educated, and nonminority

95% of libraries offer Internet access


YOUR PERSPECTIVE . . . ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE . . . ON AMERICAN POLITICSAMERICAN POLITICS

Have you ever posted comments on a blog, whether your own, for a friend, or a reply to another blogger’s comments?

Find a blog that aligns with your own political interests or attitudes and read at least a week’s worth of posting and comments

What do you notice? Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning

YOUR PERSPECTIVE . . . ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE . . . ON AMERICAN POLITICSAMERICAN POLITICS

Do opinions tend to get debated or echoed within that blog?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of engaging in this form of political participation?


OWNERSHIP OF THE MEDIAOWNERSHIP OF THE MEDIA

Private ownership of the media allows for the free and open exchange of ideas

Concentration of ownership of the news media by large non-media corporations arguably has blurred the line between news and entertainment

SeeTable 12.1: Corporate Ownership of the Four Major Television News Outlets


OWNERSHIP OF THE MEDIAOWNERSHIP OF THE MEDIA

Public Broadcasting Act of 1967: Created the Corporation for Public

Broadcasting (CPB)—distributes federal funds to public, noncommercial radio and television stations

Examples: Public Broadcasting Service (PBS); National Public Radio (NPR), and Public Radio International (PRI)


THE EFFECTS OF THE MEDIATHE EFFECTS OF THE MEDIA

Minimal effects theory: factors such as party identification, have a much greater influence on the vote decision

Social learning theory: viewers imitate what they see on TV

Cultivation theory: heavy television exposure helps develop an individual’s overall view of the world


THE EFFECTS OF THE MEDIATHE EFFECTS OF THE MEDIA

Agenda setting: even though the effects of exposure may be minimal or difficult to gauge

The media are quite influential in telling the public what to think about


AMERICAN GOVERNMENT … IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT … IN POPULAR PERSPECTIVEPOPULAR PERSPECTIVE

Commercial Success of Fox News Created by Rupert Murdoch in 1996Most watched cable news network

today—larger audience than CNN and MSNBC combined

Examples: Bill O’Reilly, Glen Beck, Sean Hannity, Greta Van Susteren, etc.



Obama’s Director of Communications, Anita Dunn, stated: “We are going to treat them [Fox] the way we would treat an opponent…”

What do you think accounts for the success of Fox News? Why has it been so much more successful than CNBC or CNN in attracting large audiences?



Do you think that Fox’s coverage of the news is truly “objective,” or does it reflect a conservative perspective?

Likewise, does MSNBC’s news programming reflect a liberal perspective?


Fox News conservative talk show host Bill O’Reilly maintains a very high audience for his nightly cable TV show, The O’Reilly Factor.AP PHOTO/JEFF CHRISTENSEN


CRITICISMS OF THE NEWS MEDIACRITICISMS OF THE NEWS MEDIA

1. Concentration of ownership may result in a handful of companies promoting their own political objectives

2. Profit motive of private ownership drives companies to disproportionately cover sensationalized events

3. They are politically biased


AMERICAN GOVERNMENT . . . IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT . . . IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE:GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE:

Foreign Press: All Obama, All the Time

Obama’s political opponents often complain that he is more popular abroad than at home

Politico’s Michael Calderone wrote about this in a 2008 article


AMERICAN GOVERNMENT . . . IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT . . . IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE:GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE:

“…Obama’s face adorns newspaper and magazine covers worldwide…”

“…Reporters flock to foreign capitals for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's five-country tour…”

“He’s being celebrated like a victorious Roman general...”


Obama speaking to a crowd in Berlin


Source: Michael Calderone, “Foreign Press: All Obama, All of the Time,” www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11972.html, Politico, June 22, 2008.

NOW & THEN: MAKING THE NOW & THEN: MAKING THE CONNECTIONCONNECTION

Presidents Johnson and Obama took advantage of relatively new media to successfully win long-term political struggles

The U.S. media remain as important a political institution as any in our system of government


POLITICS INTERACTIVE!POLITICS INTERACTIVE!

Comedy Television: A New Rite of Passage for Presidents and Candidates

Go to www.cengage.com/dautrich/americangovernment/2e

Find the politics interactive link for a discussion of comedy news shows


POLITICS INTERACTIVE!POLITICS INTERACTIVE!

Note how The Daily Show’s coverage can affect an election campaign

Consult the various links that explore how the structure of the American news media has changed

And where these comedy news shows fit in the new pecking order


President Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno


AP PHOTO/GERALD HERBERT

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