AP U.S. Government & Politics
Mr. Oglesby
Chapter 12
The Media
Vocabulary Terms
New Media
Popular press
Gatekeeper
Equal time rule
Routine stories
Adversarial press
Official Secrets Act
Libel
Old media
electronic journalism
scorekeeper
Near v. Minnesota
Feature stories
Sensationalism
Canned news
Slander
Blogs
sound bite
watchdog
Trial balloon
Insider stories
on the record
Fairness doctrine
Estes Kefauver
Telecommunications Act of 1996
New York Times v. Sullivan Miami Herald v. Tornillo
White House press Corps
Yellow Journalism
Party press
national media
FCC
Loaded language
Selective attention
on background
Associated press
Joint Operating Agreements
Important questions
1. What do we know about the political beliefs of members of the news media? Is there
any reason to believe these beliefs affect how members of the news media report the
news?
2. What are similarities and differences between the party press of the FederalistRepublican era with today’s mass media? What were some major changes in
technology and society that have brought about this evolution?
3. What are the major ways in which the focus on electronic media rather than print media
has changed the conduct of American politics?
4. What are the similarities between regulation of the print media with that of radio and
TV?
5. What are some the reasons given for the frequency of leaks in our system? Is there
anything that could or should be done about this situation?
6. What is the relationship between the economics of journalism and the rise of
sensationalism in the media?