“The Fourth
Branch” aka The
Media
What is the role of the media?
(What should it be may be different
that what it is)
How effective do you think it is?
 How
much influence does the
media have in shaping policy?
 How much influence do you think
the media has in changing public
opinion?
Brief historical overview
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The increasing rapid pace of electronic
news and television’s global coverage
shortens the time frame for policy
responses.
In 1961, when the Berlin Wall went up,
President Kennedy had 8 days to respond
to the provocative action.
In 1989, when the wall came down,
President Bush was forced to respond
overnight.
Penny Press and Yellow
Journalism
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Less partisan, but not objective
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Hearst and the Spanish American war- “You
furnish the pictures and I’ll get you the war”.
“Yellow journalism”- cheap yellow paper,
sensational late 1800s
Muckraking- Upton Sinclair Progressive Eramedia became to be more independent
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Party Press 1770-1820
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Press was seen as an extension of party
Until mid 1880s parties sold their proceedings
Watch dog role –Jefferson’s relationship with
slave
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Function:
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Provides information and analysis about policy
issues
Polling provides indicators for policy makers
about public opinion
Reports and evaluates decisions of
government
 Roles
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watch dog-responsibility of media to make
public aware of corruption, incompetence,
illegal, unethical actions by politicians
Agenda setter-focuses public attention on
issues- is the tail wagging the dog?

The mass media may not be successful in
telling people what to think, but they are
stunningly successful in telling their audience
what to think about.
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Average sound bite for Presidential
candidate in 1968 was 42 seconds by
2000 less than 10 seconds
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Score keeper- media polls drive news,
candidates performance constantly criticized,
measured
Signaler- Alert the public about important
developments
Horse-race journalism- term for primaries
particularly-who is in lead, second etc.
Framing- how media presents context-KKK
rally more accepted if defined as civil rights
story, less if public safety issue (572)
Electronic Media
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Radio then television transformed media
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Televised debate between Nixon Kennedy-radio
listeners gave Nixon the edge, but Kennedy did
well on tv. changed nature of campaigns
Youtube has brought changes-”His [Obama’s]
speeches play well on YouTube, which allows for
more than the five-second sound bites that have
characterized the television era”- Marc Ambinder
Atlantic Monthly June 2008
Television News
A full transcript of the typical nightly
network news broadcasts – foreign and
domestic – would not fill half of the front
page of an average daily newspaper.
 Yet ¾ of the American people routinely
depend on this source for most of their
foreign affairs information.
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Watergate and Investigative
Journalism
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Watch dog role becomes paramount
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Power of journalism
Media begins to focus on personal lives of
politicians, had been out of bounds,
Roosevelt,JFK, etc.
More sensational “If it bleeds it leads”
Press and Public Officials 566
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Press release- on paper document with official
position given to reporters
Press briefing- limited topic-announcements
then brief questions State Department or DOD
Press Conference- statement then questions
on wide range of topics
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On background- give info about rival,
but won’t be the source
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Deep background unsourced "Deep background" This term is used in the U.S., though
not consistently. Most journalists would understand "deep background" to mean that the
information may not be included in the article but is used by the journalist to enhance his or
her view of the subject matter, or to act as a guide to other leads or sources. Most deep
background information is confirmed elsewhere before being reported
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Off the record- whatever official says
can be printed- but will get info
somewhere else
On the record
Journalists protect sources- Judith Miller
went to jail for refusing to name her
source re Scooter Libby Valerie Plame
info.
Supreme Court Cases
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New York Times v United States 1971
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Secret “Pentagon Papers” published
Ruled that publication could NOT be blocked
Can not use “prior restraint” unless “overwhelming”
justification such as military movements before or
during war
New York Times v Sullivan 1964
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Libel requires proof of actual malice- a knowing or
reckless disregard for the truth. NY Times found NOT
guilty because malice not proved. So information could
be wrong, but has to printed or released with malicious
intention-difficult to prove.
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http://www.oyez.org/cases/19601969/1963/1963_39/
Government Regulation of the
Electronic Media page 562
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Print media are exempt from most
governmental regulation.
Electronic media are
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Airwaves are considered public property and are
leased to networks and private broadcasters by the
government.
Telecomm. Act 1996-deregulated much of electronic
media so companies merged=“infotainment”
Government also allocates the use of
frequencies and channels so that radio and TV
do not overlap and jam each others' signals.
Content Regulation page 563
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FCC equity-have to sell air time equally to
all candidates if they choose to sell any
Fairness doctrine- rule required
broadcasters to cover events with
contrasting views- NO longer in effect,
although talk of bringing it back
The FCC
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Federal Communications Commission
1934
Control airwaves for licenses and content
2003 changed rules about crossownership so companies can now own
different types of media outlets
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Can reach 45% of national audience at any
one time. So Time Warner can have movie,
cable news and an entertainment show all on
at same time-shill for one another