political cartoons

THE MASS MEDIAAssessing Public Opinion

The Mass Media Medium: means of communication which

transmit some kind of information Media is simply the plural form of a

“medium” Described as “mirrors” or “molders” of

opinion Four major mass media are involved in

American politics

Television Mass media are not a part of

government Mass media do not exist primarily to

influence government, yet they are an important force in politics

Television replaced newspapers as the principle source of political information in the 1960s

Television There is at least one television set in 98%

of the nation’s 120 million households Three major networks dominate the air:

1. Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)2. American Broadcasting Company (ABC)3. National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

As popular as these stations are, they are becoming overshadowed by independent broadcasting Cable Television

Newspaper Newspapers were one of the first means

of spreading political news in the U.S. First regularly published newspaper in the

U.S.- Boston News-Letter (c. 1704) By 1775 there were 37 newspapers

circulating in the New England area Expressing the constitutional First

Amendment right to “free press”

Newspaper Newspapers rank second to television as

the public’s primary source of information about government and politics Number of newspaper providers and

readers have declined since the 1980s 1920- Over 2,000 daily newspapers 1980- 1,745 daily newspapers 2000- 1,500 daily newspapers

Radio 1920- one-third of American households

owned a radio By 1933, over 60% of American households

listened to the radio in their homes Radio had assumed much of the role in

American society that television has today FDR was the first major public figure to use

radio effectively Fireside Chats

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/medialist.php?presid=32



Radio Radio remains a major source of news

and political information Majority of radio programs offer listeners

local perspectives Making radio an appealing medium for

American citizens Most cities offer at least one radio

station that broadcasts news all day NPR

Magazines Magazines have offered an independent

medium to Americans since the early 1700s 1741- Benjamin Franklin began his General

Magazine There are over 12,000 magazines

published in the U.S. today Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report Most circulated news magazines

Magazines In one way or another, magazines relate

to some point of public affairs

Vs.

Public Agenda The public issues on which the people’s

attention is focused Framing: refers to the social construction

of a social phenomenon by mass media sources or specific political or social movements or organizations Selective process over an individual’s

perception

Public Opinion Immediate response to a policy/idea Expectation is… our opinions should

reflect our values, but our opinions are ever-changing “domain specific”- voters look at current

events as a basis for their opinions

Political Cartoons Identify the public issue that these

political cartoons are addressing What are your opinions of this medium?

Political Cartoons

political cartoons

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