![*church ranks #10
# includes: videos, video games, internet – including social media,
computer apps., movies; network TV near bottom
#other items no longer significant enough to be listed
note lack of adult influence and control; youth see all persons as
1950s
Home
School
Church
Peers
TV
1980s
Home
Peers
TV
School
Church
1990s
Peers
TV [cable]
Home
School
*
2000s
# Media
Actual ranking [from various polling sources]
Every reason to
believe the
influence of
media will only
increase as
others are
replaced with
new technologies](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/influencinggovernment-media-140323212914-phpapp01/85/Influencing-government-media-4-320.jpg)
![Mass Media includes…
• Newspapers
• News magazines, periodicals and
journals
• Radio
– Regular news programming
– Talk shows like Rush Limbaugh, etc.
• Television: both broadcast and
cable
• Online sources: [the line gets fuzzy here]
– Internet news sources – domestic and
international
– News and politics blogs
– Topic specific websites
– Organization websites
– Social media, YouTube, etc.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/influencinggovernment-media-140323212914-phpapp01/85/Influencing-government-media-5-320.jpg)
![Approval Ratings of Past PresidentsApproval Ratings of Past Presidents
What’s the trend? How much is the media responsible, or is it just reporting?
How might that affect Congressional races? [we talked about this]
Or relations between Congress and the President? [we talked about this, too.]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/influencinggovernment-media-140323212914-phpapp01/85/Influencing-government-media-12-320.jpg)
![Downsides of Mass MediaDownsides of Mass Media
• Mass media has long lasting
effect on public opinion
• It gives the impression that the
media knows what everyone is
thinking – the omniscient press
• Spiral of Silence – people often
uncomfortable with a minority opinion
• Media can create public
impressions, including false
impressions. [E.g. the Tet offensive
in Vietnam – coverage made things
out of control, to the untrained eye,
when in fact they weren’t so much]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/influencinggovernment-media-140323212914-phpapp01/85/Influencing-government-media-17-320.jpg)
Influencing government media
- 1. Influencing GovernmentInfluencing Government Part One – the MediaPart One – the Media
- 2. Formation of public opinion – how did we get here? • Personal BackgroundPersonal Background – Formative years, etc.Formative years, etc. • Family politicsFamily politics • Religious beliefsReligious beliefs • Personal ethicsPersonal ethics • Mass mediaMass media • Public officials/elitesPublic officials/elites • Interest groupsInterest groups
- 3. Five Major Influences on Youth in AmericaFive Major Influences on Youth in America Of the 5 influence factors listed below, which had the greatest influence on American youth’s beliefs, priorities, etc. in each of the decades listed on the chart? school church home peers TV Rank by degree of influence by decades: 1 being the most influential; 5 being the least. Do this in your notes – copy the chart and rank the items by decade. 50s 80s 90s 2000s 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5
- 4. *church ranks #10 # includes: videos, video games, internet – including social media, computer apps., movies; network TV near bottom #other items no longer significant enough to be listed note lack of adult influence and control; youth see all persons as 1950s Home School Church Peers TV 1980s Home Peers TV School Church 1990s Peers TV [cable] Home School * 2000s # Media Actual ranking [from various polling sources] Every reason to believe the influence of media will only increase as others are replaced with new technologies
- 5. Mass Media includes… • Newspapers • News magazines, periodicals and journals • Radio – Regular news programming – Talk shows like Rush Limbaugh, etc. • Television: both broadcast and cable • Online sources: [the line gets fuzzy here] – Internet news sources – domestic and international – News and politics blogs – Topic specific websites – Organization websites – Social media, YouTube, etc.
- 6. The next several slides containThe next several slides contain graphs about different types ofgraphs about different types of media and their use. Look at themmedia and their use. Look at them and….and…. • What is the graph telling us? • What does it imply about media trends? • What social/political impact might such trends have on: – Elections and campaigns – Formation of public opinion – People’s level and types of political activity
- 7. Where do people get their information?
- 11. • What are the implications of this trend?
- 12. Approval Ratings of Past PresidentsApproval Ratings of Past Presidents What’s the trend? How much is the media responsible, or is it just reporting? How might that affect Congressional races? [we talked about this] Or relations between Congress and the President? [we talked about this, too.]
- 13. • “Dirty Laundry” - Don Henley • lyrics
- 14. Fair and balanced?Fair and balanced? In the USA, The Christian Science Monitor and C-SPAN are considered the least biased news sources. FOX News (conservative) and MSNBC (liberal) are thought to be the most biased news sources.
- 15. The Media’s Impact • Coverage – The media makes it possible for people to run for office that normally wouldn’t – Issues brought up that would otherwise escape notice • Public Agenda – Issues considered most significant to government officials • Watchdog – investigative journalism – Journalists are eager to expose government waste or corruption – Muckrakers, Watergate, etc.
- 16. • Editorial power - can’t cover everything, so media picks what’s “important” E.g. war in Balkans v. genocide in Rwanda • Framing issues - power to shape how events and issues are interpreted • E.g. - Episodic coverage of poverty – focusing on one family to tell the whole story; • Priming - affects public’s evaluation of leaders • E.g. - Reporting on campaigns like a horse race rather than issues and records; focus on scandal or other specific aspect of personality that colors how their actions and words are perceived. • Historically media covered what the executive branch fed to them. • E.g.. FDR • Vietnam ended the somewhat friendly relationship between the executive branch and the media. • Impact of media diluted when people go only to those sources with whose slant they agree, or go to multiple and varied sources
- 17. Downsides of Mass MediaDownsides of Mass Media • Mass media has long lasting effect on public opinion • It gives the impression that the media knows what everyone is thinking – the omniscient press • Spiral of Silence – people often uncomfortable with a minority opinion • Media can create public impressions, including false impressions. [E.g. the Tet offensive in Vietnam – coverage made things out of control, to the untrained eye, when in fact they weren’t so much]
- 18. Propaganda techniques • The Bandwagon – “We’re sure to win”, “Polls show our candidate pulling ahead” • Name-Calling – Do not vote for (Insert Name Here) – “soft on crime” • Endorsement – Oprah backs Obama. – Bruce Willis stumps for Bush • Stacked Cards – Listing accomplishments – Listing failures • Glittering Generality – Using emotions “Change” “Yes we can!” “Hope!” – Big on impact – small on content • Just Plain Folks – I am just like you – “My parents were working people” • Transfer – Associating a patriotic symbol or key event with a candidate
- 19. Advantages of Mass Media • The media is the primary source of information to the public. • Offers different opinions and viewpoints on issues and candidates. • People become more knowledgeable on the issues and they become more educated voters . • It makes it easy for the public to gain access to information • Necessary to the life of a democracy, which requires an informed public. We don’t have the time and resources – the press does.
- 20. Freedom of the Press • Under the first amendment the media are free from prior restraint, or government censorship of material before it is published. – New York Times v. United States (1971) • Limits – No one is free to publish false information that will harm someone’s reputation. (known as libel) • Regulating the Media – FCC (Federal Communications Commission) – They cannot censor broadcasts but they can penalize stations that violate their rules » (anyone remember the 2004 Super Bowl?)