Media as a Linkage Institution
Why is media a linkage institution?
• Media educates citizens and politicians
• For politicians, candidates, and interest
groups:
– They use media to communicate a message
integral to political success
• Politicians want to: gain control of and
influence the political agenda
Media Events!
• Politicians will often hold media events to
communicate an image
• Typically, a candidate will spend 60-70% of his/her
campaign funds on television ads, commercials, print
media, etc.
• Media Event example:
– President Barack Obama
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-QDfEMXAgk
– What is President Obama proposing in this video? What is
he trying to do/change?
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Types of media
• Broadcast media: television programs, more
popularly watched and followed
– Examples: Nightly News (not with Brian Williams
anymore…womp womp), ABC World News
Tonight, etc.
• Print media: written news articles; these are
commonly more popular amongst the more
politically informed, activist types
– Examples: The Washington Post, The New York
Times, The Washington Times, USA Today
The Rise of Cable News
• Narrowcasting: viewers can select what
information they want and what they do not
want (selective attention/”tuning stuff out”) and
they would rather watch sitcoms, TV dramas,
reality T.V., etc.
• As a result, the electorate is less knowledgeable,
more suspicious of politicians, more unaware of
everyday political activity, and
policymaking/agenda, and simply less politically
involved
20th Century (and beyond) Changes to
Media
• Radio, T.V., press conferences, debate, internet
(i.e. youtube debates, individual websites,
etc.)
• In the 1800s, we had yellow journalism;
today, we have investigative journalism =
detective-like reporting methods to unearth
scandals and negative interest stories
– Today, this makes news more adversarial and
watchdog
1960s- Present
• More negative
• More focused on politician’s daily behaviors
and personality lack of depth in content
• SOUND BITES: 10 seconds on average; in the
‘60s, they were 40 seconds
Roles of Media
• Watchdog
– Scrutinizing the behavior and decisions of public officials
– Since the 1970s, there has been a significant rise in the
popularity of investigative journalism
– Clips:
• http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/22/pentagon-violatedlaw-with-bergdahl-prisoner-swap-government-watchdog-says/
• http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/4d109s/investigatinginvestigative-journalism
• http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/44gj25/who-s-watchingthe-watchdog----liam-mccormack
• Flint, Michigan
Roles of Media, Con’t.
• Gatekeeper/agenda setter
– The media determines what they will print or
cover and in turn, this dramatically affects what
the public knows about
– Clip:
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/06/mediajobs-report-2012-election_n_1654738.html
Roles of Media, Con’t.
• Scorekeeper/horserace journalism
– Media keeps track of where candidates and those
in office stand in the polls, especially during an
election year
– Clip:
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/05/polls2012_n_2038645.html
• http://video.foxnews.com/v/4000389588001/pollnumbers-encouraging-mitt-romney/#sp=show-clips