The Media
What is meant by the Media?
 News organizations and journalists of either the print
(newspapers, magazines), broadcast (TV, radio), or internet
(websites, newsfeeds, blogs)
Views of the Media
 Libertarian View
 Social Responsibility Theory
 Agenda setting prevails
Media provide linkage
 A link between the masses & government
 “Pseudo-Events”
 Appear spontaneous, but are scripted for appeal
 Groundbreakings, school ceremonies
Media as a Watchdog
 The media has a watchdog role as the “eyes and ears of the
world”
 Fact-Checking
 Investigative reporting
 “Muckraking”
 Exposing societal ills such as corruption
 Upton Sinclair’s, The Jungle
 Watergate
 Abu Ghraib
Media as a Watchdog
 Media are often controlled by the government
News Agency of the Republic of Iran (IRNA)
The national Police chief has
verified confiscation of a number
of squirrels, equipped with
eavesdropping devices, on the
Iraqi border. Reportedly, when
asked about the confiscation of
14 spy squirrels, he stated, “I
have heard about it, but I do not
have precise information”. IRNA
adds, “These squirrels were
equipped by foreign intelligence
services, but were captured two
weeks ago by the Police”.
Media as a Watchdog
 Media are often controlled by the government
 What about the U.S.?
The Media in campaigns
 Determining “front-running candidates”
 Charging for advertising
 Televising debates
 Portraying charismatic politicians as more “electable”
Mass Media
 “For it seems more certain now
than ever that the bloody
experience of Vietnam is to end
in a stalemate”-Walter Cronkite,
February 1968
 “That’s it. If I’ve lost Cronkite,
I’ve lost middle America” President Johnson
Brief history of print media

First newspaper: Boston NewsLetter, April 1704

1837 –Telegraph invented

1848, creation of the Associated
Press

Revolutionary War

Federalist Papers

Yellow journalism

1833, advent of the penny press

Centralization of ownership of
newspapers in early 20th
century has continued

Print newspapers are QUICKLY
dying out
History of the Mass Media:
Radio
 Radio Act of 1927
 Established the airwaves as a public
good, subject to governmental
oversight
 The Federal Communications
Commission (1934)
 Fairness Doctrine (1940s)
History of the Mass Media: Television
 Unlike newspapers and radio stations, high costs dictated that
almost from the beginning, TV stations were affiliated with
networks, thus centralizing ownership
 Ratings /profit driven, particularly cable
 24-hours news explodes during the 1990s
The Internet
 A revolution for politics
 Broadcasting is essentially free
 Not a large audience, but a gigantic potential audience
 Direct channel between parties/candidates and citizens
Media Bias
 The Media IS UNDENIABLY biased
 They do not randomly select what they cover
 They choose when/where/how long to cover it
 What about liberal v. conservative?
 Often unclear, even with specific news outlets
 Investigators carry own biases
Media Bias
 General Trends
 Ethno-centric foreign affairs coverage
 Dependent on official sources
 Incumbents not challenged as often
 Negativity and Scandal given much greater attention
A Closing Note
 Stewart on Crossfire
Chapters covered on the Exam
 Federalism
 Public Opinion/Interest
 Elections
 Parties
 Interest Groups
 Media