VITALS
Instructor: Jason Stonerook
(Ph.D. student, University of
Maryland—College Park)
Email: stonja01@umd.edu
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Class Term: June 2 – July 13, 2014
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POLITICS AND THE MEDIA
(GVPT 379B) • Summer 2014
Photograph: President Barack Obama at
news conference in the White House press
briefing room, March 6, 2012.
REUTERS/Jason Reed
COURSE DESCRIPTION
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This course examines the role the media and the various members of the news-oriented press
play in contemporary American politics. Particular attention will be paid to the motivations of
the press and political actors within today’s media system, how they interact with each other,
influence one another’s behavior, and both react to and engage with the public they serve. While
this course is concerned with the real world behavior of government officials, the press, and the
public in relation to politics and the media, we will also explore normative questions related to
the proper role the press should play in a democracy and what we should expect of politicians,
journalists, and citizens as they interact with the media. The themes we will address in this
course include:
• The First Amendment and Freedom of the Press
• Ethics of Journalism
• Marshall McLuhan and “The Medium is the Message”
• Journalistic Behavior
• Political Leadership in the Modern Mass Media Era
• Constructing the Political Spectacle
• Crafting the Political Message
• Changes in the Modern Media Landscape
(cont.)
Required Material
Texts:
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• Boorstin, Daniel. The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. New York:
Vintage, 1962/1992.
• Cook, Timothy. Governing with the News: The News Media as a Political Institution.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.
• Jamieson, Kathleen Hall. Dirty Politics: Deception, Distraction, and Democracy. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
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• Kovach, Bill and Tom Rosenstiel. The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople
Should Know and the Public Should Expect. New York: Three Rivers Press,
2001/2007.
In addition to the books listed above, you will also need to view the following films:
• Network. Dir. Sidney Lumet. Wr. Paddy Chayefsky. Perf. Faye Dunaway, William
Holden, Peter Finch, and Robert Duvall. MGM-UA. 1976.
• Quiz Show. Dir. Robert Redford. Wr. Paul Attanasio. Perf. John Turturro, Rob Morrow,
and Ralph Fiennes. Hollywood Pictures. 1994.
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NOTE: Just as it is your responsibility to find and read the books listed above, it is also your
responsibility to find and watch the films listed above. While the books are available at the
campus bookstore, I have not asked the bookstore to stock copies of the films. I would
encourage you to check Amazon, Netflix, or Barnes and Noble for availability. While
streaming the films is a legitimate option, you may want to buy DVD or Blue-Ray copies to
ensure you have access to the films in the event that the server you are accessing crashes or
should the film be removed from the streaming distributor. Also, because these films are not
new releases and therefore potentially limited in local stock, I would recommend getting a
hold of these films ASAP. This is not to say copies of these films are rare or that used copies
are hard to come by but that rather it may take some time for a copy to arrive after you have
placed an order.
Other selected readings are available on the McKeldin Library’s electronic course reserves and at
other online locations. For information about how to use electronic course reserves
(www.elms.umd.edu), please consult the information listed under the “Course Reserves on
Canvas ” link on this webpage: http://www.lib.umd.edu/UES/library_guides_research.html.
As needed, other web links are also provided in the schedule of readings in this syllabus.
(cont.)
Assignments
20%
25%
20%
25%
10%
Readings and Reading Quizzes
Due June 23
Due July 8
Due July 11
Every Wednesday
Every Wednesday
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Paper 1
Paper 2
Paper 3
Reading Quizzes
Discussion/Participation
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You should place the greatest emphasis in this course on the readings. Reading assignments are
specified on the schedule in this syllabus. Readings are assigned for every Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday, and Friday; you should complete the reading for that day on that day. The readings
have been broken up so that each daily reading assignment is generally organized around a
theme. (There is no penalty for not completing a reading assignment on a specific day; if, for
example, you are unable to complete a Thursday reading assignment, you can make it up on
Friday or over the weekend, but you will definitely want to complete it by the next Wednesday
[see below]. Also, feel free to read ahead.)
Additionally, I have posted a lot of extra material online to help guide your reading. YOU
SHOULD CONSULT THIS MATERIAL DAILY. This material includes questions that point
you toward key ideas or contentious issues in the texts, background information the readings do
not address or only skim over but that is really relevant to the topic, and powerpoint
presentations and short videos that can enrich your understanding of the readings. Some of the
readings are kind of tricky so I’ll do my best with these to increase your comprehension of their
ideas. I highly encourage you to devote some time daily to jotting down brief answers to the
posted reading guide questions.
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Reading quizzes will be administered every Wednesday. These quizzes will cover all the
material assigned since the previous Wednesday. They are designed to make sure you are
completing the readings and reading carefully. Each quiz will contain twelve questions and you
will have fifteen minutes to complete it. (Therefore, make sure you set aside fifteen
uninterrupted minutes on Wednesday to complete the quiz.) Of the six quizzes, the five quizzes
with the highest scores will be counted toward your final total quiz score. The quizzes are open
book quizzes and the questions will range in difficulty. Do not anticipate being able to look up
answers for each question during the fifteen minutes allotted for the quiz; I would encourage you
instead to read the assignments with care and set aside time to review the material before
starting. IMPORTANT: These quizzes are individual activities. Quiz scores should reflect the
efforts of the student taking the quiz and of that student only. They should be taken alone by the
student for whom the score will count. There should be no collaboration between individuals in
order to complete a quiz. No student should receive assistance from another person while
completing the quiz. Additionally, the content of a quiz should not be divulged to other students
at any time; this also means no hints or tips should be provided to others. Anyone who cheats on
a quiz in the above stated manner or assists another student in cheating on a quiz is in violation
of the university’s Code of Academic Integrity. Students who are caught cheating on a quiz will
(at a minimum) automatically receive zeroes for all quiz scores. If you are aware of cheating in
the course, you should report the violation to either the instructor or the Student Honor Council.
Papers
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You will need to complete three papers in this course. The first paper should be between 13001600 words in length (approximately four double-spaced pages) and will answer a prompt
addressing material from the first half of the course. The second paper should be between 20002300 words in length (approximately six double-spaced pages) and will use the course material
to analyze/evaluate a news event of your choice as a media event. The third paper should be
between 1300-1600 words in length and will review the film Quiz Show as a metaphor for a
mediated political culture.
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As with all assignments you submit at the University of Maryland, the papers you submit in this
course should be original works that you have created. Plagiarism is unacceptable and will be
reported to the university’s Academic Honor Council.
Discussion and Participation
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Every Wednesday, in addition to taking a quiz, you are required to participate in a discussion on
the course’s ELMS site. I will admit that this activity feels somewhat artificial to me, but some
students enjoy being able to discuss the class with their peers in an online format. The
requirements are simple: Between 12:01 AM and 11:59 PM on Wednesdays, I ask that you a.)
Post one paragraph-length answer to one of the questions posted online, and b.) Respond to a
post by one of your peers. Your answers can be somewhat informal (by which I mean not
academic formal but not text message informal) and can draw on examples from out of class if
you like. I only ask that you not bring up the quizzes during the discussion and that you be nice
to (even perhaps while being critical of) one another. Feel free to post as much and as often as
you like. Additionally, for those who may like to mix it up with their peers, I am going to single
out the 12:00-1:00 PM hour and the 7:00-8:00 PM hour as “gathering hours” during which I am
encouraging people to flock to the ELMS site in droves and engage one another in online chatter.
(We’ll see how that works.) I am only looking for you to participate in this activity and am not
going to evaluate what you post for quality (although I may nudge you if I sense you could put a
little more effort into the activity or if I think you could polish the work somewhat.)
Course Policies
Completing Course Work
The nature of an online course is such that you have somewhat more freedom to complete the
reading assignments at your own pace and perhaps to schedule other summertime activities
around your course work. For example, if you want to take a vacation to Disneyworld in the
middle of the course, you can do that since you don’t need to be on campus in a classroom.
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However, a vacation to Disneyworld or other activities such as internships, work, or weddings
does not excuse you from completing the assigned course work. You need to make sure you fit
adequate time into your schedule for this class. Additionally, make sure you set aside time on
Wednesday to complete the quizzes and contribute to the online discussion. Wednesday is the
only day you are required to go online and perform a specific class-related activity; otherwise,
how you decide to schedule your studying is up to you.
Late Work
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The three paper assignments are due by 8:00 PM on the days they are due. Any work turned in
after that time will be regarded as late and immediately have a small measure of points deducted
from its final score; after that, points will be deducted in proportion to how late it was turned in
up until the next assignment is due, after which the grade for a submitted paper will
automatically convert to an F. An F, however, is better than not turning in an assignment at all,
which results in a zero, so turn in all assignments regardless of how late you finish them. All
assignments must be turned in to me in order to pass the class. In the event you are unable to
complete an assignment due to a legitimate excuse, (i.e., extended illness, medical emergency,
family emergency, school-related activity, etc.) let me know as soon as possible and submit
documentation. Try to avoid problems that might arise on account of technological issues by
saving often and to multiple locations (i.e., hard drive, email.)
Additionally, you will only be able to take a make-up quiz if you are able to produce
documentation of a legitimate excuse. If you are not sure if an absence is excused, contact me.
And remember, you can miss one quiz and not have it count against your grade (although that
eliminates the room for error you have on the other quizzes.)
Questions or Concerns?
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The best way to contact me is by email. (stonja01@umd.edu) If you email me and your
message bounces back, copy my address from this document and paste it directly into your
email.
Course Design
I include this mainly to help you understand why the course is organized the way it is so that you
can get a feeling for how the class will “flow together” over the next six weeks.
The course is organized so that you have two days of reading/viewing and then at least one day
where, if you choose, you don’t have to do any readings.
Sunday
--
Monday
Reading
Tuesday
Reading
Wednesday
Quiz
Thursday
Reading
Friday
Reading
Saturday
--
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I put the break in the middle of the week rather than Friday so it doesn’t feel like a week-long
marathon of reading. Hopefully this way, you’ll have more frequent opportunities to step back
from the readings and contemplate their ideas rather than storm through them. The course is also
organized so that units basically begin every Thursday and run through the next Tuesday. Most
of the units are organized around a single book with supplemental readings (mostly recent
articles from The New Yorker) that illustrate the book’s arguments, provide additional context, or
update the book’s information. Some days have more readings than others, but you should be
able to balance that out between the days if you don’t have the time in one day to completely
finish the assignment. I tried to wind up the class near the beginning of the last week so that you
have time to finish the writing assignments.
COURSE SCHEDULE
June 3 (T):
Freedom of the Press Pt. 2: Regulating the Press
Prior Restraint: Excerpts from Near v. Minnesota; New York Times v. United
States; Nebraska Press Association v. Stuart
Defamation: Excerpts from New York Times Co. v. Sullivan; Hustler Magazine
v. Falwell
Fairness: Excerpt from Miami Herald Publishing v. Tornillo
QUIZ (Covers material from June 2-3)
Discussion on ELMS
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June 4 (W):
Jon Stewart on Crossfire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZE)
Freedom of the Press Pt. 1: Punishing Speech
Excerpts from Schenck v. United States; Abrams v. United States; Brandenberg
v. Ohio
“Telling Secrets” by Nicholas Lemann (The New Yorker, November 7, 2005)
“The Secret Sharer” by Jane Mayer (The New Yorker, May 23, 2011)
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June 2 (M):
June 5 (Th):
The Ethics of Journalism Pt. 1
Kovach and Rosenstiel (Introduction, Chapters 1-3)
June 6 (F):
The Ethics of Journalism Pt. 2
Kovach and Rosenstiel (Chapters 4-5)
“Fear and Favor” by Nicholas Lemann (The New Yorker, February 14, 2005)
“Fox among the Chickens” by Peter J. Boyer (The New Yorker, January 31,
2011)
“Freedom of Information” by Ken Auletta (The New Yorker, October 7, 2013)
June 9 (M):
The Ethics of Journalism Pt. 3
Kovach and Rosenstiel (Chapters 6-8)
June 10 (T):
The Ethics of Journalism Pt. 4
Kovach and Rosenstiel (Chapters 9-11)
Kevin Carter’s 1994 Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph
“The Medium is the Message”
Excerpt from Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan (Chapter 1: “The
Medium is the Message”)
June 12 (Th): Journalistic Behavior Pt. 1
Cook (Chapters 1-3)
Journalistic Behavior Pt. 2
Cook (Chapters 4-5)
“Non-Stop News” by Ken Auletta (The New Yorker, January 25, 2010)
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June 13 (F):
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June 11 (W): QUIZ (Covers material from June 5-10)
Discussion on ELMS
June 16 (M): Journalistic Behavior Pt. 3
Cook (Chapters 6-8)
Excerpt from Out of Order by Thomas E. Patterson (Chapter 2: “Of
Schemas—Game and Governing”)
June 17 (T):
Consumer News
“Reporting and the Push for Market-Oriented Journalism: Media Organizations
as Businesses” by Doug Underwood
Network (Film)
“Unheavenly Host” by Nancy Franklin (The New Yorker, November 23, 2009)
June 18 (W): QUIZ (Covers material from June 12-17)
Discussion on ELMS
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June 19 (Th): Political Leadership in the Modern Mass Media Era, Pt. 1
Politics as Persuasion
Excerpt from Presidential Power by Richard Neustadt (Chapters 1-3)
“The Unpersuaded” by Ezra Klein (The New Yorker, March 29, 2012)
Politics as Art:
“The Politician’s Art” by Henry Fairlie (Harper’s, December 1977)
“Pssst! Who’s Behind the Decline of Politics? [Consultants]” by Joe Klein
(Time, April 17, 2006)
June 20 (F):
Political Leadership in the Modern Mass Media Era, Pt. 2
Going Public: Excerpt from Going Public: New Strategies of Presidential
Leadership by Samuel Kernell (Introduction, Chapter 1)
Message Politics: “Committees, Leaders, and Message Politics” by C.
Lawrence Evans
“Chuck Schumer, Lamar Alexander Might Have Solution to Fixing Senate” by
Ed O’Keefe and Paul Kane (Washington Post, March 10, 2014)
June 23 (M): Constructing the Political Spectacle Pt. 1
Boorstin (Introduction, Chapters 1-2)
FIRST PAPER DUE
Constructing the Political Spectacle Pt. 2
Boorstin (Chapters 5-6)
Channeling the Mythic
Excerpt from Mythologies by Roland Barthes (“The World of Wrestling”)
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June 24 (T):
June 25 (W): QUIZ (Covers material from June 19-24)
Discussion on ELMS
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June 26 (Th): Crafting the Political Message Pt. 1
Jamieson (Introduction, Chapters 1-4)
“The Attack Dog” by Jane Mayer (The New Yorker, February 13, 2012)
Useful resource for this unit: www.livingroomcandidate.org (Presidential
campaign commercials from 1952-2012)
June 27 (F):
Crafting the Political Message Pt. 2
Jamieson (Chapters 5-6)
June 30 (M): Crafting the Political Message Pt. 3
Jamieson (Chapters 7-8)
July 1 (T):
QUIZ (Covers material from June 26-July 1)
Discussion on ELMS
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July 2 (W):
Crafting the Political Message Pt. 4
Jamieson (Chapters 9-10)
July 3 (Th):
The Media and the War in Iraq
Documentary: “Buying the War” from Bill Moyers Journal
(http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/watch.html)
“The Toppling” by Peter Maass (The New Yorker, January 10, 2011)
July 4 (F):
No assignment
July 7 (M):
No assignment
July 8 (T):
Changes in the Modern Media Landscape
The Decline of Newspapers
“Out of Print” by Eric Alterman (The New Yorker, March 31, 2008)
“How to Save the News” by James Fallows (The Atlantic, June 2010)
Personalized and Partisan News
July 9 (W):
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Transcript of Republic 2.0 discussion with Cass Sunstein
(http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/studio/multimedia/20070907/index.html)
“Are FOX and MSNBC Polarizing America?” by Matthew Levendusky
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkeycage/wp/2014/02/03/are-fox-and-msnbc-polarizing-america/)
“Why You Shouldn’t Blame Polarization on Partisan News” by Kevin
Arceneaux (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkeycage/wp/2014/02/04/why-you-shouldnt-blame-polarization-on-partisannews/)
Public Journalism and Political Ignorance
“Responsibilities of the State: Rethinking the Case and Possibilities for
Public Support of Journalism” by Daniel Kreiss and Mike Ananny
(http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/4323/3427)
“More Media Won’t Solve Political Ignorance” by Jack Shafer
(http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2013/10/08/more-media-wontsolve-political-ignorance/)
SECOND PAPER DUE
QUIZ (Covers material from July 3-July 8)
Discussion on ELMS
Quiz Show (Film)
July 10 (Th): No reading assignment
THIRD PAPER DUE
Re-watch Jon Stewart on Crossfire
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZE)
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July 11 (F):