LBriones Chapter 7: The Mass Media & the Political Agenda APGoPo
I Read chapter 7, answer the following Focus Questions and make sure you can define terms in the chapter.
1. What is the relationship between the media and a politician’s desire to convey a certain image?
2. Why do most scholars agree with LBJ’s theory on how the media changes the face of politics?
3. Why are political scientists skeptical of investigative journalists?
4. Why is the consolidation of media outlets into a series of chains a potentially dangerous trend?
5. In what ways does broadcast media influence presidential elections.
6. What is “bias,” and why are some new stories inherently “biased?”
7. What evidence supports Dan Rather’s claim that you cannot be a well-informed citizen simply by watching television?
8. What did the Los Angeles Times study and what did they discover?
9. How has television increased the trend of party de-alignment?
II. Examples of tv/radio personalities that have grown in their influence among followers (some may be blocked from view here at school because they’re identified as ‘blogs’): i. Al Sharpton (liberal) a. Rush Limbaugh b. Sean Hannity c. Bill O’Reilly d. Glenn Beck e. Bill Maher (liberal) f. Jon Stewart (liberal) g. Laura Ingram h. Michael Savage
Visit 3 websites above and identify bias. Please cite source.
III. Develop an answer to the following question by using any FIVE UNDERLINED keywords from the bank below.
In a dream, Barack Obama chats with former president FDR about leading a nation through challenging economic times. Obama listens, but interrupts briefly to explain how the mass media has transformed modern politics- in positive and negative ways. What does he say?
High-tech politics
Mass media
Media event
Narrowcasting
The dumb masses
Checks and balances
Policy agenda
Sound bites
Selective perception
Press conferences
Investigative journalism
Trial balloons
Internet
III. Choose ONE of the following FRQs to answer.
Public opinion polls
1. "The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed.
The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure." Thomas Jefferson wrote these words in
1823 to underscore the idea that a free press is the life-blood of democracy. Centuries later our society, culture, and mass media have evolved toward such great complexity that critics debate whether our modern press is enhancing or undermining our democratic way of life.
a.) Explain any TWO reasons why a “free press” is a vital cornerstone to a free and democratic society.
b.) Explain any TWO characteristics of the modern mass media that enhance our democratic society according to your in (a). explanation
c.) Explain any TWO characteristics of the modern mass media that undermine our democratic society according to your explanation in (a).
2. Although the basic functions of the mass media are no different today than they were at the birth of the republic, significant developments occurred during the 20th Century that forever changed the relationship between mass media and American politics. a.) Explain any TWO traditional roles/functions that mass media performs in modern America. b.) Identify any THREE historical developments in mass media below and explain their impact on American politics.
 FDR’s fireside chats
 Kennedy-Nixon televised debate of 1960
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The Watergate scandal
 Ronald Reagan’s presidency

The Internet (and related technologies)

LBriones Chapter 7: The Mass Media & the Political Agenda APGoPo
IV: Complete the following activity. Either email (or print) the final product to me on the due date.
You are a journalist for a struggling, local newspaper owned by a national media “chain.” It’s no secret among your colleagues that recent declines in readership spell doom (job-cuts) for many in the company unless they can adapt to the ever-changing environment. Recently the editor pulled you aside and confided in you: the parent company “News
Nation In c.” is planning another round of “downsizing” and your name is at the top of the list... “Unless, of course, you can find a way to punch up your journalism and prove that you’re not, what’s the word…expendable?” Knowing the owner of the paper is a staunch ____________________________________( insert ideology ), you quickly translate his thinly veiled advice - he’s not interested in news, he’s looking for __________________________( insert ideology )
“spin” that will appeal to the dominant demographic in the community. After some serious consideration, you abandon your journalistic principles and decide to give him, and his readers, exactly what they want. Gathering your notes on a developing story of local interest, you begin composing a report on the recent increase in teen pregnancy and STDs at Mead High School. To save your job, your article must include:
1. The predictable “who/what/when/where/why/so what” content to make it a complete news report, worthy of front page coverage.
2. Carefully crafted liberal or conservative bias; including at least THREE techniques highlighted in the article “Media
Bias.” Carefully search your “ Notes from the Scene ” on the next page to find subtle opportunities to apply the techniques. Both articles are found below.
3. A lead photo taken from the scene of the story (original or downloaded jpeg acceptable) AND a main headline that push your story on the front page. Your choice of photo and headline should ref lect Glassner’s observations in
“Culture of Fear.” (“if it bleeds, it leads”….see review here )
4. An originally crafted poll designed to measure and/or shape public opinion from the scene and/or community affected by the story. The language of the poll question/s must be intentionally crafted in a way that elicits specific bias/agenda of your story, and it must reflect at least ONE technique found in the “Top Ten Ways to Get Misleading
Poll Results.” Include the poll question/s and the results in the article either by addressing them explicitly or just displaying them in a margin or inset feature.
5. At least ONE reference to actual research on the topic, either woven into your article or displayed in a margin or inset feature. See articles: Kaisernetwork.org’s summary of a 2007 school policy in Portland, Maine and related findings TIME magazine’s “ How to Bring an End to the War over Sex-Ed .”
Your final product must be presented in typed format (Word, Publisher, or Mac equivalent), designed to reflect an authentic news article. Please carefully proof-read to eliminate careless lapses in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Your final product is due at the beginning of class on April 7 / 8.

LBriones Chapter 7: The Mass Media & the Political Agenda APGoPo
Hard Facts:

Recent surge in teen pregnancy at Mead High School (incidents tripled over 3 year period)
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Concerned community groups gathering to discuss causes/remedies

School board holding meetings to evaluate existing programs/brainstorm new ones
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School board and MHS have contacted other schools around the country who have programs that could be used as models (increased sex-ed curriculum and/or access to contraceptives in school)
Stakeholders:
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Students concerned about freedoms/invasion of privacy by school administrators
 Parents concerned about quality education…not moral education

Parents who want more moral/sex education and available contraception

Conservative groups/families asking for district-wide abstinence education
 Administrators questioning their role…asking for community input on programs

Counselors currently on the front lines of teen pregnancy…concerned about physical/social/emotional well-being of adolescent girls
Rumors (NOT confirmed):

Condoms and bananas in sex-ed classes???

Vicious Facebook bullying of teen mothers/promiscuous girls
 Abortions also on the rise?

Increased evangelical activities…prayer meetings, invitations to “repent” distributed on windshields
 “Everybody’s getting all worked-up over the teen mom thing, the sex-ed thing, but nobody wants to talk about the really freaky story here. Kids are just having sex with anybody they want and taking care of the consequences later…it’s like, sure, they tell their parents they’re sexually active but they don’t tell their parents about their abortion last week. It’s disgusting.”
- female student who wishes to remain anonymous
Interview sound bites:
MHS Principal Ben Strussell:
“The most important message we’re trying to communicate to parents and the community at large is that Mead High School is primarily concerned with quality education. Part of that mission, however, includes educating the whole child – which includes a basic responsibility to teach teenagers how to be safe and responsible, and how to make good decisions. Our approach to sex education is consistent with that philosophy; we want to give students information that will help empower them to make their own decisions. It’s not like we’re just trying to get a bunch of kids to go out and become sexually active.”
Concerned parent:
“Look, kids are out there having sex anyway and parents aren’t doing enough to educate their children about the consequences. I say give them the whole truth – and provide free condoms. If we have to choose between a generation of teen mothers and more open, permissive school policies I’ll choose the latter.”
Concerned parent:
“Great, sex is in their music, it’s in their movies, it’s all over their favorite tv shows – and now their school is going to hand out condoms and say it’s okay to have sex. Why aren’t these teen pregnancies and STD’s a wake-up call? Why do these tragedies – and that’s what they are, tragedies – always seems to cause school officials to say, “Hey, we need to talk more about sex!” I’ve got an idea, why don’t you teach my kids math, science, music, and social studies and leave the parenting to me?!”

LBriones Chapter 7: The Mass Media & the Political Agenda APGoPo
The information below is excerpted and adapted from How to Identify Liberal Media Bias by Brent H. Baker, Vice President for
Research and Publications at MediaResearchCenter.org.
Since citizens cannot cast informed votes or make knowledgeable decisions on matters of public policy if the information on which they depend is distorted, it is vital to American democracy that television news and other media be fair and unbiased.
Liberal bias in the news media is a reality. In a recent Pew Research Center Poll , the majority of
Americans believe that the mass media slant reports in favor of the liberal position on current issues. (For details of this poll, check out http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=829 .)
[The bias] is not the result of a vast leftwing conspiracy…[there is] an unconscious “groupthink” mentality that taints news coverage and allows only one side of a debate to receive a fair hearing. When that happens, the truth suffers. A reporter’s job is to present a balanced story. As you read, listen to and watch news stories, you probably already notice stories that you think are biased. To see if they really are biased, you need to determine if the story falls into at least one of the several forms in which bias occurs.
Bias by
– leaving one side out of an article, or a series of articles over a period of time; ignoring facts that tend to disprove liberal claims, or that support conservative beliefs; bias by omission can occur either within a story, or over the long term as a particular news outlet reports one set of events, but not another. To find instances of bias by omission, be aware of the conservative and liberal perspectives on current issues. See if the conservative perspective is included in stories on a particular event or policy.
Bias by
– including more sources that support one view over another. This bias can also be seen when a re porter uses such phrases as “experts believe”, “observers say,” or “most people believe”. Experts in news stories are like expert witnesses in trials. If you know whether the defense or the prosecution called a particular expert witness to the stand, you know which way the witness will testify. And when a news story only presents one side, it is obviously the side the reporter supports. (Journalists often go looking for quotes to fit their favorite argument into a news story.)
To find bias by use of experts or sources, stay alert to the affiliations and political perspective of those quoted as experts or authorities in news stories. Not all stories will include experts, but in those that do, make sure about an equal number of conservatives and liberals are quoted. If a story quotes non-experts, such as those portrayed as average citizens, check to be sure that about an equal number come from both sides of the issue in question.
Bias by
– a pattern of highlighting news stories that coincide with the agenda of the Left while ignoring stories that coincide with the agenda of the Right; printing a story or study released by a liberal group but ignoring studies on the same or similar topics released by conservative groups. To identify bias by story selection you’ll need to know the conservative and liberal sides of the issue. See how much coverage conservative issues get compared to issues on the liberal agenda. For example, if a liberal group puts out a study proving a liberal point, look at how much coverage it got compared to a conservative study issued a few days or weeks earlier. If charges of impropriety are

LBriones Chapter 7: The Mass Media & the Political Agenda APGoPo leveled at two politicians of approximately equal power, one liberal and one conservative, compare the amount of coverage given to each.
Bias by
– Story placement is a measure of how important the editor considers the story. Studies have shown that, in the case of the average newspaper reader and the average news story, most people read only the headline. Bias by placement is where in the paper or in an article a story or event is printed; a pattern of placing news stories so as to downplay information supportive of conservative views. To locate examples of bias by placement, observe where a newspaper places political stories. Or whenever you read a story, see how far into the story the conservative viewpoint first appears. In a fair and balanced story, the reporter would quote or summarize the liberal and conservative view at about the same place in the story. If n ot, you’ve found bias by placement.
Bias by
– Bias by labeling comes in two forms. The first is the tagging of conservative politicians and groups with extreme labels while leaving liberal politicians and groups unlabeled or with more mild labels. The second kind of bias by labeling occurs when a reporter not only fails to identify a liberal as a liberal, but describes the person or group with positive labels, such as “an expert” or
“independent consumer group”. In so doing, the reporter imparts an air of authority that the source does not deserve. If the “expert” is properly called a “conservative” or a “liberal” the news consumer can take that ideological slant into account when evaluating the accuracy of an assertion. When looking for bias by labeling, remember that not all labeling is biased or wrong. Bias by labeling is present when the story labels the conservative, but not the liberal; when the story uses more extreme sounding labels for the conservative than the libe ral (“ultra-conservative”, “far right”, but just “liberal” instead of “far left” and “ultraliberal”); and when the story misleadingly identifies a liberal official or group as an expert or independent watchdog organization.
Bias by
– Bias by spin occurs when the story has only one interpretation of an event or policy, to the exclusion of the other; spin involves tone – it’s a reporter’s subjective comments about objective facts; makes one side’s ideological perspective look better than another. To check if it’s spin, observe which interpretation of an event or policy a news story matches – the liberal or conservative. Many news stories do not reflect a particular spin. Others summarize the spin put on an event by both sides. But if a story reflects one to the exclusion of the o ther, then you’ve found bias by spin.