The Media
Chapter 12
Journalism in American Political
History
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New Media
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Blog – series, or log, of discussion items on a
page of World Wide Web.
Old Media
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Newspapers and television stations
Cont…
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All public officials have a love- hate
relationship with newspapers television
and the other media of mass
communication.
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For the advancement of their careers
But fear the media’s power of criticize,
expose, and destroy.
Cont…
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The press in this country is among the
freest in the world.
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Ex: The laws governing libel are much stricter
in Great Britain than in the US.
England official secret Act
The Party Press
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Newspapers were expensive
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These newspapers circulated chiefly among the
political and commercial elites, who could afford the
high subscription prices Federalists created the
Gazette of the US.
The Republicans created the National gazette
Andrew Jackson created the Washington Globe
All papers were one sided on a issue.
There were over fifty journalists on the
government payroll during era.
The Popular Press
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Publisher printed thousands of copies of a
newspaper cheaply and quickly.
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The invention of the telegraph in the 1840s meant
that news from Washington could be flushed almost
immediately to New York, Boston etc. providing local
papers with access to info that once only the
Washington papers enjoyed.
In 1860 the Government printing office was
established, putting an end to most of the printing
contracts that Washington newspapers had once
enjoyed.
Cont…
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Attack a large readership was with
sensationalism: violence, romance, and
patriotism.
Magazines of Opinion
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Growing middle class “Yellow journalism”
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The Nation, the Atlantic monthly and Harpers
1850’s/ 1860s
Cosmopolitan although politics dominated the
pages most national magazines in the late
1900s, today is magazines laws on popular
entertainment and leisure activities.
Electronic Journalism
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1920 was the beginning for radio and 1940 was
when news was televised.
This brought up a major change in politics,
because politicians understood that they could
get a wider view of audience if they were able to
talk to the public, without actually being there.
So politicians tried to work the television and the
radio towards their advantage if they were really
skilled enough to get votes or support.
Cont…
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The downside towards this is that people
could choose to ignore the broadcast or
just not listen at all.
But eventually electronic media started
growing towards a point where the
majority of Americans have access to it.
And the “big three” televised networks are
ABC, CBS, and NBC, who claim more than
80% of the viewers.
The Internet
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The newest electronic source is the internet.
Half of Americans have a computer or some sort
of access to the internet.
Campaigns and other politician issues can be
discuss in blogs, web logs, and other things over
the internet.
Its also a major use to discuss criticisms and
mass politics…and its faster. (you can laterally
bust a quickie)
Are the National Media Biased?
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Its been traced back to the 1980 that the
media is more liberal than the average
citizen. But even then the media is broken
down up into distinctive racial and ethnic
groups.
At times people will be influence by what
people
The Structure of the Media
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Politics take advantage of the
communication the media provides.
The Media tends to portray many stories
differently by editing around the truth.
Rules Governing the Media
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Radio and television stations must have a
government license to operate and must achieve
a variety of government regulations.
Newspapers and magazines need no license to
publish, their freedom to publish may not be
restrained.
Once something is published, a newspaper or
magazine may be sued or prosecuted if the
material is libelous obscene or if it incites
someone to commit and illegal act.
Confidentiality of Sources
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Reporters believe that they should have
the right to keep confidential the sources
of their stories, some states agree and
other states don’t.
Regulating Broadcasting
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No one may operate a radio or television
station without a license from the federal
communication.
Many stations are allowed to compete with
other stations to see who serves its
community better.
People can choose what they want to hear
or see without the governments shaping
the content.
Campaigning
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Candidates wish to campaign on radio or
television, equal rules apply.
A station or network could not broadcast a
debate between the democratic and
republican candidates for an office without
inviting other candidates.
Candidates can buy time at favorable rates
on television.
Are the national media biased?
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Trial Balloon: information leaked to the
media to test public reaction to a possible
policy.
Loaded Language: words that imply a
value judgment, used to persuade a
reader without having made a serious
argument.
Cont…
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Routine Stories: media stories about
events that are regularly covered by
reporters.
Feature Stories: Media stories about
events that, though public, are not
regularly covered by reporters.
Insider Stories: media stories about events
that are not usually made public.
Cont…
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Selective Attention: Paying attention only
to those news stories with which one
already agrees.
Adversarial Press: the tendency of the
national media to be suspicious of officials
and eager to reveal unflattering stories
about them.