Good afternoon students. James Madison here. Even though some of my fellow Founders and I were not big fans of pure democracy, we did feel that a free press was essential for keeping an eye on government and checking its excesses. One thing that led to our concerns about freedom of the press was the John Peter Zenger case of 1735. Zenger Case Tried for libel in New York in 1735 simply for writing against government policies. A local jury acquitted him. Because of the Zenger case and some other concerns, we incorporated the following words into the United States Constitution in the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law . . .abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; . . .” We were committed to a free media. Students, I am the late Walter Cronkite. A democracy ceases to be a democracy if its citizens do not participate in its governance. To participate intelligently, they must know what their government has done, is doing and plans to do in their name. Whenever any hindrance, no matter what its name, is placed in the way of that information, a democracy is weakened, and its future endangered. This is the meaning of freedom of the press. It is not just important to democracy, it is democracy. Thank you President Madison and Mr. Cronkite. Hello, students. I am conservative commentator, Rush Limbaugh. Colonel Simoncini asked me to discuss the media with you. The news media in the U.S. has become the most powerful influence on people and, therefore, the government. Uh, Rush, isn’t it true that some people call the media the “fourth branch of the U.S. government” or the “fourth estate?” That’s true, Jon, because the media has such a great effect on lawmakers, presidents and governors. The problem is that it is a branch that has no constitutional checks or balances. OK then Rush. And isn’t one of the issues about the media that our Constitution guarantees a free press, but not a responsible one? Exactly, Jon. And while some TV, radio and print media reporters are very responsible, some are not and have flat lied in print or on the air. Janet Cooke, Washington Post, “Jimmy’s World,” 1980-1981 Jayson Blair, New York Times, 36 articles—quotes and details fabricated Colonel, I know that Jon and I have several questions you want us to go over with the students. But don’t you want to do something else first? That’s right, Rush. Let’s take a brief look at some significant events in the history of American journalism. American Journalistic History The Penny Press—newspapers available to all Helped elect William Henry Harrison in 1840 Telegraph—led to the development of the Associated Press Thomas Nast—the first truly crusading journalist American Journalistic History Yellow Journalism and the Spanish American War (Hearst and Pulitzer) “You provide the pictures, I’ll provide the war.” Rush, that historical stuff is interesting. But why has the modern media in which you and I both work become so popular and powerful? Real simple, Jon. Television revolutionized politics and American life in general. Heck, TV news people are major personalities—and they have been since the 1960s. From the 1950s: Edward R. Murrow (CBS) From the 1960s-1970s Chet Huntley Walter Cronkite (CBS) & David Brinkley (NBC) Today: Brian Williams NBC Scott Pelley CBS Plus many others Diane Sawyer ABC Megyn Kelly CNN American Journalistic History Today’s major newspapers: New York Times Los Angeles Times Washington Post Wall Street Journal Minority Newspapers Sensationalist newspapers (The National Enquirer) News Magazines Talk radio The Internet So Rush, can you give some examples about how American politicians have used the media to their advantage or not used it, to their detriment? Certainly, Jon. I’ll do that on the next page. The first president to effectively use the electronic media was Franklin D. Roosevelt with his Fireside Chats during the Great Depression and World War II. John Kennedy took advantage of his wit, good looks & charm with weekly televised press conferences Lyndon Johnson often watched the three dinner hour news broadcasts (NBC, CBS and ABC) at the same time to measure what the people heard and thought. Ronald Reagan, known as the Great Communicator, used his training as an actor to win over the American people on TV. He also began what has become a tradition among presidents: a weekly, Saturday morning, radio address to the people. Richard Nixon, however, essentially hated the news media and during the Watergate scandal, many in the media took delight in helping bring down his administration. Rush and Jon, that’s a little bit about the history of American Journalism, including how famous politicians have used the media. Now, let’s get into the questions. Thanks, Colonel. All right, students, I would like one of you to tell me how effective you believe the American news media has been in serving as a watchdog over government. OK, that’s good. How about someone else tell me how effective you believe the American news media has been in clarifying electoral choices. Good point, Jon. HRJ is the tendency of media to cover campaigns by emphasizing the relative standings of candidates in polls rather than the issues they decide. Rush, sometimes members of the media can be downright lazy. For example, there is horse-race-journalism. OK, that’s good, too. Someone else evaluate how the media provides policy information to the people. Right now, Simoncini wants you to form into small groups to discuss what EACH of you discovered when you read an online blog. Give the site, the blogger, what the blogger said, and what you thought about it. The most popular medium for news today is television. One reason is the proliferation of TV news channels like CNN, MSNBC, CSPAN and political talk shows on TV and radio, such a my show every day from 9:00 a. m. until 12:00 p.m., and don’t forget prime time news TV, like 60 Minutes. Yeah, boy! Not to mention comedy shows that focus on the news. American television consumption today Average adult male: 29 hours/week Average adult female: 34 hours/week U. S. households with at least 1 TV: 99% Average TVs per U. S. household: 2.24 U. S. households with 3 or more TVs: 66% Between the 1950s and mid-1980s, most Americans (90%) obtained television news from the major networks. Since the mid-1980s, evening news viewership has dropped to about 50% of Americans. Other means now include the Internet and cable news shows Newspapers—many more older people than younger people (difference of 30 percentage points) So, Rush, I hate to ask this, but are TV and radio now considered the best sources of news in America? No, they aren’t, John. TV and radio may be the most popular forms, but many experts agree that newspapers and news magazines, like Time and Newsweek, provide the most in-depth news reporting. How has the Internet changed American politics? Candidate home pages Mobilizing citizens behind a candidate or cause Fund raising But, remember the Internet has limitations. First, much of the rich and diverse information on the Internet only reaches small and fragmented audiences and usually only has an impact when and to the extent they can attract the attention of the mainstream news media. The most visited hard-news sites are those that are run by traditional media organizations. What seems on the surface to be a fantastic expansion in the amount of political news in reality is an expansion in the number of ways in which the news is distributed. Firms that dominate the media Newspapers: Gannett, Newhouse and McClatchy Magazines: Time Warner Television: General Electric, Disney, News Corp., and Viacom Here I am in uniform to ask why is so much news coverage uniform? Same sources for news Purchases of headlines from a handful of providers AP supplies most of the main national and international stories for newspapers Infotainment Coverage of politics and government has been crowded out by coverage of crime, sports, weather, lifestyles, and other audience-grabbing topics. •Most coverage: assigned to predictable events long before they happen •Woodward and Bernstein articles are rare •Most reporters get their stories quickly and efficiently from press conferences and press releases that officials write Spin Reporters often have to depend on official sources, which means that government officials are sometimes able to control what journalists report and how they report it Controlling Coverage of Military Operations Enemies watch TV also—don’t want to put the lives of American military personnel in jeopardy Press pools Embedded journalists •Informal rules of journalism: •Explicit interpretations by journalists are avoided •Cannot directly expose lies •Cannot identify events as staged •Experts are selected partly for reasons of convenience and audience appeal Barry McCaffrey You know, Rush, I pride myself and my show for being objective. But haven’t many in the media been accused of lacking objectivity or even having bias in presenting their stories? You hit that one on the head, Jon. In 2009, 60% of Americans believed the news media was biased while only 18% believed it was objective. Can any one of you students give Colonel Simoncini definitions of objectivity and bias? That’s right-on, Jon. And, Rush, bias is personal judgment or prejudice. Of course, neither John nor I are biased. OK, Rush, objectivity is the ability to report both sides of an issue without bias. But, gentlemen, remember there is little or no systematic evidence that reporters personal values regularly affect what appears in the mainstream news media. •Commitment to objectivity •Owners et al: conservative Right now I need one student to discuss each of the five prevailing themes in political news. •Nationalism •Approval of the American economic system •Negativity and scandal •Infotainment •Limited, fragmented and incoherent political info Rush, let’s take a moment to go outside of the text. People like me like an unrestrained media. But didn’t the media have more restraint in the old days? Very true, Jon. Back in the early ’60s, many in the news media knew that President Kennedy had extramarital affairs and said nothing. Nowadays, well, everything goes. Rush, you, Simoncini and I know the answer to this but I wonder how many students can tell us when all that restraint changed? Good! Yes, most experts say that the Watergate scandal in 1972-1974 changed the media. They found that Americans like scandal and will pay to hear about it. After all the media is big business and who gets the best stories makes the most money. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Yellow Journalists played a major role in agenda setting. Today the topics that get the most coverage in the media at a given point are the issues that people tell pollsters are the most important problems facing the nation. Students, I am Ted Turner, the founder of the Cable News Network (CNN). What is the CNN effect? When the media decide to highlight a human rights tragedy in real time, political officials feel compelled to act. One scholarly study indicates that media choices about foreign policy stories shape what presidents pay attention to. Students, I am NBC Nightly News anchor, Brian Williams. Media framing, or our interpretations of stories, affects how people think about political problems and how they assign blame. Little things such as the words we choose to say or how we pause between words or how we emphasize words play a major role in how people interpret what is going on. Indeed, we have considerable power and influence. Students, Chief Justice John Roberts, once again. What is prior restraint? Only under the most pressing circumstances of danger to national security can the government engage in prior restraint—the power to prevent publication of material to which the government objects. Some laws governing licensing of the airwaves Radio Act of 1927 Communications Act of 1934 (FCC) Telecommunications Act of 1996 This has been an interesting discussion, Rush. Early on you noted that if the media is the 4th branch of government it does not have any checks. I disagree. Doesn’t the FCC check the media? Yes, I agree, John. The Federal Communications Commission, established in 1934, does maintain some watch over fairness and equal time within the media. But in many other ways mentioned before, there really are few checks on the media. And let’s not forget that the FCC also has little, if any, control over the Internet. The Internet has fewer controls about fairness, equal time and other factors. And they are getting very powerful. In fact, the Internet is slowly strangling the newspaper industry. So, here is the bottom line: there is a love-hate relationship between public figures and the media. Politicians need the media to get their message to the voters, but dislike it when the media “oversteps their bounds.” Politicians will go out of their way to court the media, but will always be careful in what they say. Rush, let’s not forget that it’s not just the news media that has an effect on opinion and, in some cases, legislation. Movies, radio and TV shows can also influence opinion. Exactly, Steven. As you know, TV characters like mine, and shows like Will and Grace, have made some people more open to gays and lesbians. Also, the 1970s CBS sitcom, All In The Family changed the attitudes of many people about several social issues, such as bigotry. Yes, and don’t forget that movies I have made like Fahrenheit 9/11, Roger and Me, Sicko, and Bowling For Columbine have influenced both a lot of public opinion (making me rich) as well as helped initiate some legislation. We in the entertainment media can be quite persuasive and powerful! Michael Moore