Mass Media

POSC 121

Braunwarth

Ideal Media Functions in Democracies

Provide accounts to the public of political events

Contribute to the enactment of policy

Guard against the abuse of governmental power

Alienated From Reality 99.5% of homes w/

electricity have TVs 95% watch some TV every

day Ave Home: TV on 8 hrs/day Ave Adult: watches 5

hrs/day By age 6: more time

watching TV than will speak to father for rest of your life

Importance of Television “Television news is news that

matters” This is the primary source of

political information in the U.S. For 60% -70% of the population it is

the sole source Shapes the public’s conception of

political life in pervasive ways Primary source of political

information Incredible power to shape public

thinking Are a number of “gatekeeping”

concerns that determine what will become news

Mediated Reality People are increasingly alienated from a

direct experience of reality Especially social and political reality Live in a mediated reality Social and Political reality are social

constructions which become the objective reality of political action

Almost entirely occurs through the mass media

Information and a Democratic Citizenry

Why important for Political Information? In order for democracy to function well

masses require access to both accurate information as well as some context of the larger social forces within which this information makes sense

The Business of the News

News is a business, a big business. The demands and limitations that arise from the drive to

make money have a major effect on the content of the news.

The subtle ways that business imperatives shape content are very important to the construction of our mediated political reality.

What are they selling? Not space, but you - the audience If you wanted to maximize the audience for a news

broadcast, what would the news look like?

Commercial Concerns

Lengthy explanations of the complexity of politics or visuals and sound bites?

Government at work or scandal and negativity? Enlightening or Entertaining? Event-Driven spontaneous news with good pictures

or more substantive political analysis? The news is going to be Sensational, Superficial,

and Controversial In sum, the Spectacle > the Substance of politics

Ownership and Control In the U.S., we pride ourselves on our “free” media; free

from what? Free from government control But not free from the requirements of the market News marketplace today is shaped by what will

maximize an audience Ratings are the ultimate in democracy; people get what

they want Is this the same as the public interest? Gives people what they want to hear, not what they need

to know Marketing the News drives news to the lowest common

denominator

Homogenized Content

Jefferson wrote that he would rather live in a country with lots of newspapers and no government than a country with government but no newspapers, why?

Fear of concentrated power and a lack of diversity

Homogenized News

Market forces have lead to an increased consolidation of news media outlets

Facilitated by weakening of FCC rules Leads to less diversity and more

homogenization Don’t hear a variety of perspectives Exacerbated by “pack journalism” so no one

gets “scooped” or stands alone

Homogenized Content

This decreases diversity in the mainstream news Present essentially the same information in an

effort to non-partisan and objective In order to compete for the largest audience, are

you going to challenge viewers’ understandings or give the information that confirms their possible erroneous expectations and stereotypes?

John Stuart Mill Government is needed to create the conditions that

enable people to create happiness and avoid pain Preference is given to the pleasures of the cultivated

mind over base animal appetites Liberty is key: the only purpose for which power can be

rightfully exercised over another…is to prevent harm to others

Critical of racism and sexism Advocated worker protections and control Also concerned about the tyranny of tastes and opinions

John Stuart Mill: On Conformity, Individuality, and Liberty

Mill worries about the tyranny of public opinion

For J.S. Mill, very important to be exposed to a variety of opinions and a diversity of ideas

“Marketplace of Ideas” What would Mill think of our “free” private

news media?

Private “Free” Media Does the mass media

contribute to or short-circuit the democratic process?

Do we have the information necessary to make well-informed decisions?

How does our discussion of the mass news media relate to the course theme of power v. freedom?

“News Media and Democracy” (ch. 9 reader)

Do “news spectators” get accurate contextualized information?

It turns out the news is central to the creation of a narrow, stereotyped political reality.

Do news stories change specific beliefs? It may not change specific beliefs but it will tell

you what to think about (agenda setting) and how to think about it (Iyengar and Kinder). Examples? What’s the big issue now?

“News Media and Democracy”

Similarly, the media’s emphasis on episodic framing leads spectators to attribute blame and responsibility on individual actors rather than larger social forces (Iyengar). Examples?

The media tends to cover the strategy of political actors rather than the substance of policy. How does this make news spectators feel?

Manipulated and, consequently, cynical Also, because it is so fragmented and superficial it is

very difficult to learn meaningful political relationships (Bennett).

The Media Makes Us Stupid?

A study given soon after we invaded Iraq asked if respondents agreed to any of three statements:

Saddam Hussein has been directly linked with the 09/11/01 attacks

Weapons of Mass Destruction have been found in Iraq

World Opinion Favored the U.S. led Invasion of Iraq Which are true? All are “egregious misperceptions”

Who agreed with at least one statement?

All Americans NPR/PBS Fox CBS ABC NBC CNN Print

60% 23% 80% 71% 61% 55% 55% 47%

Homogenized Content

What about Cyberspace? The “Information Superhighway?

Will it foster democratic communication and information sharing?

Or, will it go the way of other media: toward corporate concentration and control?

While both are occurring, the latter seems to be predominate

Norm of Objectivity

Don’t want to appear biased 1. So present “both” sides of an issue

1. 3rd perspectives are excluded2. Gives equal weight to minor perspectives

2. Limit to “Objective” Sources1. Other/non-elite sources excluded2. Bias toward the perspectives of the elite

1. Gives greater power to official sources to construct/”spin” public opinion

2. Don’t want to appear bias so won’t point out efforts to manipulate

Norm of Objectivity

In elections, hear about strategy and the “horse race”, not candidates’ positions

Don’t hear a variety of perspectives Do we have all the information necessary

to make good decisions? Enough to develop emotions but not well-

informed opinions

Media Bias

There are many who claim that the mass news media is biased toward either the left or the right

One of the problems with claims based on observation is that observation is based on one’s own perspective

Like planetary motion, a theory of media bias should be based on logic and facts

Elite Bias

What facts would support the argument that the news is biased toward the views of the corporate and economic elite?

If those who controlled the media (owners and advertisers) were members of the economic elite

Is this the case? Why would the views of the owners and

advertisers affect the news? Any accepted theory of human nature

Elite Bias

What kind of evidence would dispute this argument?

If we found messages critical of the elite perspective

Do we find these? Reporters may be

liberal but work in an environment controlled by corporate conservatives and perform accordingly

Elite Bias

In short, a few number of large corporations own almost all mass news media outlets

If not outright bias toward the worldview of the corporate and economic elite, it would be odd to find messages critical of this position on these media

This is further unsurprising as this world view is widely shared by the population

Not a bias toward either party but a bias toward both mainstream parties

Elite Bias

We might find criticism of specific companies if it meets the demand for spectacle: plane crashes, tobacco, etc.

The lack of criticism of a corporate perspective would not affect the news media’s emphasis on spectacle and sensation