Origins of freedom of the press:

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Colonial-era printing press

“Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom…of the press…”

• Influence of the printing press

• Ideals of the Enlightenment

• Pamphlets and papers during the American Revolution

Traditional forms:

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Non-traditional forms:

• Newspapers• Concentration of

ownership

• Magazines

• Pamphlets

• Posters

• Radio

• Television• Personalizes

communication to masses, individualizes the news

• Internet• Technology gap

• Reliable?

“Wikimedia” meet the need for people to participate in the news

Instantaneous, on demand, and tailored to their liking

Sources are interactive so the consumer can respond directly to the provider

Information consumers can also be information producers

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Will government officials listen more to the people? Will they respond to calls for change? Will they replace negative actions with better behavior?

Will citizens become more informed or more tolerant? Will they feel that their voices are being heard? Will it be easier for them to organize and take action?

Will policy itself reflect a broader consensus of the citizens and not just private interests? Will new policies contain new and different ideas? Will such policies actually improve the situation or conditions under which people live?

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What impact will new media have on government leaders, citizens, and policy?

Television is unique◦ Has the ability to reach millions of people and

provides almost all our political knowledge by showing us a world larger than we know

◦ Power of Cronkite

Is the media, however, unbiased and all inconclusive, or selective?

Will we admire journalists the way we did Cronkite?

Should the media be controlled?

“I did not realize the importance of communications and the overriding importance of what is on the evening television news. If I am not on, or there with a message, someone else is, with their message.” Bill Clinton

“When I think of the millions of dollars that go into one lousy 30-second television spot advertising a deodorant, it seems to me unbelievable that we don’t do a better job in seeing that presidential appearances always have the best professional advice whenever they are to be covered on TV.” Nixon

Concentration and centralization of ownership◦ A nationalization of news

occurring meaning less variety of opinions and information

◦ 6 major media companies that own TV stations, radio stations, newspapers, magazines, trade publications, movie studios, and production companies

Narrowcasting◦ Cable and internet

media catering to specialized audiences that further fragment society Telemundo and

Univision for example ESPN, History

Channel, C-SPAN

Columbia University study found:◦ 11% of time was taken

up with written or edited stories

◦ The role of the reporter was to talk, a lot

◦ Stories were repeated without new information

◦ Coverage was spotty, ignoring many important topics

All in all, Cable news was “talk radio on television”

The idealism of the potential of TV as a medium is disappearing; cable is more about profit and not about prestige

The media as the “fourth branch” of government

Important benefits of a free press:

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— Open expression of ideas

— Advances collective knowledge and understanding

— Communication with government representatives

— Allows for peaceful social change

— Protects individual rights

Entertainment◦ Media outlets also tend to blur

between news and entertainment (larger audience means more money)

Informing the public◦ Newsworthiness (again, money)

Agenda setting◦ Effect of policy entrepreneurs

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New York World headline from the Spanish-American War

Lasswell’s social effects of media◦ Surveillance-watchdog function “eyes and

ears to the world” Investigative journalism-how far can they go?

◦ Interpretation-civil rights movement, Iraq war, representation of poor Bias

◦ Socialization-teaching facts and values Presenting a forum for the exchange of

ideas

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Police drag away a

civil rights protester

President Nixon leaving the White House after his resignation

Measure Public Opinion◦ Polling

Random sampling Sampling error

◦ Criticisms Creates a bandwagon effect Forces politicians to change policies becoming followers and

not leaders Pollsters can elicit certain responses by how the question is

asked Do you favor keeping a large number of US troops in Iraq until

there is a stable government or bringing most of our troops home in the next year.—Harris poll

Do you think the US should keep its military forces in Iraq until civil order is restored there, even if that means continued US military casualties, or, do you think the US should withdraw its military forces from Iraq in order to avoid further military casualties, even if it means civil order is not restored there?-- ABC/Washington Post poll

The media tends to focus on the “horse-race” and designating front-runners has a negative effect on other candidates◦ Also, how are candidates portrayed

How much candidates spend on advertising◦ @ $70 million spent on TV advertising and news

coverage of campaigns has shrunk increasing the use of sound bites (which are shorter)

The media, especially TV’s effect on a candidate’s image◦ Would Washington, Lincoln, FDR been elected if

their was TV then?◦ Is image more important then ideas?

Radio as a tool for political communication President Franklin Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” and

press conferences Inventor of modern media politics

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FDR giving a “fireside chat”

“Eisenhower Answers America”

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Opening shot of Eisenhower’s commercial

The Nixon–Kennedy debates President Kennedy and his use of television

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— Facing his doubters

— Presidential press conferences

Ronald Reagan: “The Great Communicator”Choreographed public appearances

Attack advertising “Daisy Girl”: Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 presidential campaign

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A shot of the “Daisy Girl” from LBJ’s 1964 ad

www.livingroomcandidate.com

Attack advertising Willie Horton:

George H.W. Bush’s 1988 presidential campaign

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Bush’s “Willie Horton” ad

Perot campaigning on

television

The “infomercial”

• Ross Perot’s 1992 presidential campaign

Stories sponsored by government agencies to inform the public

Use of trial balloons◦ Announce upcoming◦ Discredit political opponents

News or propaganda? GAO report Columnists paid by government

agencies to endorse programs Practice misleads American

public

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Freedom of press vs. national security◦ Accountability vs.

safety Right to privacy in

media◦ Public figures vs.

private figures◦ Cox Broadcasting

Corp. v. Cohn (1975) Releasing rape victim’s

name

Libel laws◦ Actual malice toward

an individual Censorship?

◦ FCC’s job Equal time rule

◦ Presidential debates exclusion of 3rd parties

◦ Fairness doctrine-hurt AM radio talk shows