American Government and Politics Today

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Chapter Eleven: The Media and Cyberpolitics

Learning Objectives 2

 Identify the major functions performed

by the mass media in our society, including entertainment, reporting news, identifying public problems, socializing new generations, and providing a political forum.

Learning Objectives 3

Trace the historical development of the press from the colonial period to modern electronic media:     

A partisan press. Development of mass-readership newspapers. The popular press and yellow journalism. The advent of radio and TV. The appearance of cable TV and the Internet.

Learning Objectives 4

 Discuss campaign advertising, “spin” and the 



 

presidential debates. Describe the relationship between the First Amendment protection of freedom of the press and government’s regulation of the media. Explain the media’s impact on politics, both on electoral politics and the investigative reporting of the government. Explain the ways that “new media” have influenced the functions performed by media. Evaluate different forms of alleged bias in the media.

The Media’s Functions 5

 Entertainment

 Reporting the News  Identifying Public Problems  Socializing a New Generation

 Providing a Political Forum  Making Profits

A History of the Media in the United States 6

 The rise of the political press  Development of mass-readership

newspapers  The popular press and yellow journalism  The age of the electromagnetic signal

A History of the Media in the United States 7

 The Revolution in Electronic Media  Cable

TV—Narrowcasting  Talk show politics and Internet broadcasting  The Internet, blogging, and podcasting

The Primacy of Television 8

 Increase in News-Type Programming  TV’s Influence on the Political Process

The Media and Political Campaigns 9

 Advertising  Management of News Coverage

 Presidential Debates  Political Campaigns and the Internet

The Media and the Government 10

Media and the Presidency:  Setting the Public Agenda  Investigative Reporting

Government Regulation of the Media 11

Government regulates the controlling ownership of the media.

Government Regulation of the Media 12

Control of Content:  Control of media broadcasting  Control of media during 2nd Gulf War

 Control of media during war on terrorism

Bias in the Media 13

 Studies show that many in the media favor the

political left.  Media has been accused of racial profiling.  Media is biased in its self-interest: ratings and

making money.

Web Links 14

 Slate: publication offering analysis about

politics, news, and culture: www.slate.com.  MediaChannel: provides information and

diverse perspectives, and includes links to news media around the world, as well as alternative media: www.mediachannel.org.  The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press: offers up-to-date research on the public and its use of the media: www.peoplepress.org.

What If…The Media Had to Reveal All Their Sources? 15

Many reporters’ sources are willing to talk on condition that they remain anonymous. If news sources were not protected:  Reporters would lose sources of information.  Public officials might become more corrupt.  Lawsuits may increase.

You Can Make a Difference: Being a Critical Consumer of the News 16

 Few Americans take the time to become critical

consumers of the news.  To guarantee that your beliefs are truly your

own and that they represent your values, you need to obtain accurate information from the media and avoid being swayed by subliminal appeals, loaded terms, or outright bias.

You Can Make a Difference: Being a Critical Consumer of the News 17

Sources of news:  Blogs  Consider reading the news rather than

watching it on TV.

You Can Make a Difference: Being a Critical Consumer of the News 18

For more information on the media:  National Association of Broadcasters: www.nab.org.  Accuracy in Media (conservative group):

www.aim.org.  People for the American Way (a liberal group):

www.pfaw.org.