In covering a political campaign,
the media is best described as a
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Watchdog
Scorekeeper
Muckraker
Gatekeeper
Cheerleader
B.
Scorekeeper
Under the Federal Communications
Commission’s equal time rules,
broadcasters must (Sabato 563)
A. Give free airtime to all candidates for public
office
B. Assure that both sides on a controversial subject
like abortion get equal time
C. Air debates for candidates running for office in
their market
D. Provide the same opportunity for all political
candidates to present their views
E. Take the diversity of their market into account in
deciding news coverage
D.
Provide the same opportunity
for all political candidates to
present their views
Audiences for SELECT Mass Media by Age Group (In
Percentages)
Age Group
Television
Newspaper
Internet
Viewing
Reading
Access
18-24 years
old
25-34 years
old
35-44 years
old
45-54 years
old
55-64 years
old
65+
92.2
73.3
58.7
92.4
77.0
53.3
92.4
80.5
53.8
93.7
83.5
54.8
94.7
82.4
35.1
96.5
78.1
10.7
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Which of the following statements is
NOT valid based on the above table?
A. Elderly Americans are less likely to check out a
candidate’s Web site.
B. Political ads on television reach the voting age
population.
C. Younger voters get more of their news from
newspapers than older voters.
D. The high rate of Internet use for 45-54 year olds
probably reflects the fact that they have access at
work.
E. The older a person is, the more likely he/she is
to watch television.
C.
Younger voters get more of their
news from newspapers than older
voters.
Which of the following
contemporary news outlets is
similar to the yellow journalism
of the late nineteenth century?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Network news programs
Radio talk shows
Newspapers like USA Today
All new cable stations
Tabloid press
E.
Tabloid Press
In a wide-ranging examination of American policy, the
Secretary of Defense states, “American troops are well-trained
and prepared to meet our nation’s commitments.” The reporter
who wrote these lines may have gotten the information from
The Secretary of Defense’s press conference at the Pentagon
A deep background interview with the Assistant Secretary of
Defense
III. An off-the-record interview with the Secretary of Defense
IV. A press briefing book prepared by the Pentagon’s public affairs
staff
A. I only
B. I and II only
C. IV only
D. I and IV only
E. I, II, and IV only
I.
II.
D.
The fact that election campaigns
are often reduced to sound bites
suggests that
A. Television provides superficial coverage of
politics
B. Politicians are not very dynamic speakers
C. Voters turn to newspapers and magazines to
understand the issues
D. Network news shows are too long
E. Editors need to take more responsibility for
programming
A.
Television provides
superficial coverage of
politics
Cross-ownership refers to
A. A company owning radio and television
stations in different parts of the country
B. Companies like Gannett that own numerous
newspapers
C. A company owning a newspaper and television
station in the same market
D. Entertainment giants like the Walt Disney
Company that own television networks
E. Cable companies that are the sole service
providers in a community
C.
A company owning a
newspaper and television
station in the same market
The purpose of the Communications
Decency Act, which was declared
unconstitutional by the Supreme Court,
was to
A. Require the FCC to limit indecent material on
television
B. Restrict minor’s access to indecent material over
the Internet
C. Make indecent phone calls a federal crime
D. Ban the use of certain language on the radio
E. Establish a rating system for network and cable
television
B.
Restrict minor’s access to
indecent material over the
Internet
All of the following work against
a liberal bias in the media
EXCEPT:
A. Most news about government and politics comes
B.
C.
D.
E.
from official sources,
Journalists are trained to be objective, and
present both sides of a story.
Editors and publishers are more conservative
than reporters.
Broadcast and print journalists as a group tend to
support the Democratic Party.
Major media outlets are owned by larger
corporations whose primary business is nor
news.
D.
Broadcast and print
journalists as a group tend to
support the Democratic Party.
The Supreme Court made it more
difficult for public officials
falsely attacked in the media to
sue for libel in
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
New York Times v. Sullivan
New York Times v. U.S.
Red Lion Broadcasting V. FCC
Engel v. Vitale
Bucley v. Valeo
A.
New York Times v. Sullivan
News coverage of Congress
A. Is devoted to scandals like the impeachment of
President Clinton
B. Is primarily the responsibility of C-SPAN
C. Focuses on the leadership in the House and the
Senate
D. Is influenced by the White House press secretary
E. Is more thorough on network television than in
the press
C.
Focuses on the leadership in the
House and the Senate
Which of the following
newspaper headlines suggests
investigative reporting?
A. “Abuse of Patients in Nursing Homes in
the State Uncovered”
B. “Fire Guts Office Structure; Arson
Suspected”
C. President to Hold Summit with Chinese
Leaders”
D. “Attorney General to Rule on Special
Prosecutor”
A.
“Abuse of Patients in Nursing
Homes in the State Uncovered”
The media plays a key role in
politics by
A. Determining who gets elected to state and
federal office
B. Helping to set the issues that political leaders
need to address
C. Presenting elected officials in the best possible
light to the public
D. Reinforcing values such as patriotism and family
E. Paying candidates for exclusive stories
B.
Helping to set the issues that
political leaders need to
address
In covering which of the following
stories would a reporter rely
primarily on news releases and press
briefings?
A. 2002 congressional elections
B. Senate hearings on the bankruptcy of a
major corporation
C. American troops in combat in Afghanistan
D. Death penalty case before the Supreme
Court
E. Major earthquake in California
C.
American troops in combat in
Afghanistan
Which of the following is NOT a
difference between local and
network news coverage?
A. Network news is limited to a half hour program.
B. Local news programs rely on multiple anchors.
C. The networks devote more time to “hard news”politics, world events, economy.
D. The networks have reporters based around the
country and the world.
E. Unless of national importance, the networks do
not regularly cover sports.
D.
The networks have reporters
based around the country and
the world.