American Government and Politics Today

Chapter 10

The Media and Cyberpolitics

The Media’s Functions

Entertainment Reporting the news Identifying public problems

Setting the public agendaThe investigative function

Socializing new generations Providing a political forum Making profits

History of the Media in the U.S.

The rise of the political press Development of mass-readership newspapers The popular press and yellow journalism The age of the electromagnetic signal The revolution of electronic media

Cable TV Narrowcasting

Talk show politics and Internet broadcasting The Internet, blogging and podcasting

The Primacy of Television

Currently the most influential type of media is television.

In 1963, the major networks devoted only eleven minutes a day to national news (a 15-minute show minus ad time). Today that is up to about three hours. Many all-news channels are also available.

The Primacy of Television (cont.)

Television’s Influence on the Political Process.

Viewers can actually see news and history as it is happening.

The Media and Political Campaigns

Voters now receive most information from the electronic media, especially television. There are three types of television coverage employed by a campaign:

Advertising Management of News Coverage

Planning political events to accommodate the press Developing a good working relationship with

reporters. Convincing the media to put the right “spin” or

interpretation on a story. Political Debates

The Media and Political Campaigns (cont.)

Political Campaigns and the Internet In recent campaigns, the Internet has played

an increasingly prominent role, as candidates use Web sites to convey their messages as well as solicit contributions. The Internet also has been a useful tool for voters, with one study reporting that one-fifth of voters had used the Internet to obtain information about elections.

The Media and Political Campaigns (cont.)

The Media’s Impact on the Voters A limitation on the media’s impact is

that many viewers pay selective attention and mostly notice coverage that confirms their own beliefs. The media’s focus on the “horse-race” aspects of the contest limits coverage of the issues.

The Media and the Government

By focusing attention on controversial actions, the media can sometimes pressure the government into changing course.The media and the presidentSetting the public agenda

Government Regulation of the Media

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has far more control over the broadcast media than it does over print.

Controlling ownership of the media Media conglomerates Reevaluating the rules

Government Control of Content Control of broadcasting The Second Gulf War and “embedded reporters”

The Public’s Right to Media Access

Bias in the Media

Do the Media Have a Partisan Bias?

A Commercial Bias?

Questions for Critical Thinking

How has the role of media evolved in recent times? What topics are more likely to receive national news coverage? Why is this so?

Why are First Amendment protections so important? Do you support any limitations on First Amendment protections? What about television or radio shows that incite violence or demonstrate hate? Should these shows be limited? Who should get to decide what is acceptable? Why is this important?