7/11/18
AP GOV
MASS MEDIA &
THE POLITICAL AGENDA
REVIEWED!
Government in America(Pearson) Chapter 7
American Government: (Wilson) Chapter 12
Institutions & Policies
• Types of media:
– Print: newspapers, magazines,
journals
– Digital / Electronic: TV, social
media, internet, podcast, blogs
etc.
• Various forms of media provide
ciAzens with poliAcal informaAon
and influence the ways in which
they parAcipate poliAcally
• 1st amendment is super important
to the media
• The media contributes to the
development of an individual’s
poliAcal aFtudes and values
through the process of poliAcal
socializaAon
• The media is a linkage insAtuAon
DEVELOPMENT OF MEDIA POLITICS
• Back in the day
• Franklin Roosevelt really
changed the game in the
relationship between the
Presidency and the media
– Rise of radio in the 1920s
– Fireside chats
– Disability
• 1960 Presidential election
– Rise of TV ownership in
the 1950s
– JFK vs. Nixon 1st
televised Presidential
debate
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DEVELOPMENT OF MEDIA POLITICS
• Vietnam War really changed the
relationship between the press
and the government
– “credibility gap”
• Watergate scandal
• Rise of investigative journalism
• Bill Clinton’s affair with White
House intern Monica Lewinsky
– Increasing focus on politicians
personal lives
• New phases in the media &
politics: cable television (1980s),
the internet (90s), and social
media. 24 hours news cycle
• Increased reliance on social
media for campaign
communication and fundraising
DEVELOPMENT OF MEDIA POLITICS
• Print media has been on
the decline
• New communication
technologies and
advances in social media
have profoundly
influenced how citizens
routinely acquire
– political information,
– including news events,
– investigative journalism,
– election coverage, and
– political commentary
DEVELOPMENT OF MEDIA POLITICS
• 1st networks used the term “broadcast”
– Hope to reach and appeal to a broad
audience
• Rise of cable TV led to specialized channels
– Narrowcasting: programming targeting a
specific, narrow interest
• Ongoing debate about government
regulation of electronic media
• Congress created the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
– Intended to regulate the use of the
airwaves
– Seeks to prevent monopolies
– Stations must serve the public interest
– Fair treatment rule: if station sells
advertising to one candidate, it must be
willing to sell it to other candidates
running for office
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REPORTING THE NEWS
Presenting the News:
• In spite of the advancements
in media and increased
media choices, most news
coverage lacks substance
– New is oftentimes reduced
to sound bites
• Bias in the News
– Bias is when a certain
perspective is advocated or
advanced
– Ideologically oriented
programming
– Impact of media ownership
into the hands of a few
companies
• Rise of fake news has led to
uncertainty over the
credibility of news sources &
information
REPORTING THE NEWS
• Trial balloons are when
information is
intentionally leaked in
order to gauge the
political reaction
• Talking heads: political
commentators on the
news
• Adversarial press: media
is suspicious of
government officials,
seeks to expose lies and/
or negative stories
• Watchdog function of the
press
– “Fourth estate”
THE NEWS AND PUBLIC OPINION
• The public’s views about politicians and
public policy is influenced by the media
– Attention / coverage given to certain
candidates
– Attention / coverage given to certain
stories, policies, and/or problems
• Mistakes and/or negative media coverage
can sink a campaign.
• Communication technology has changed
the president’s relationship with the
national constituency and the other
branches
– Rapid response to political issues
– Rise of social media for campaigning
and fundraising
– Nationally broadcast State of the
Union messages
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THE NEWS AND PUBLIC OPINION
• Politicians and interest
groups can bring
issues to the public via
various media events
• The media plays an
important role in
setting the policy
agenda
– Platform of issues
that politicians,
political parties,
and/or interest
groups find
important
