High -Tech Politics - a politics which the behavior of citizens and
policymakers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by
technology.
Mass Media - key part of technology - TV, radio, newspapers,
magazines, internet
Development of Mass Media
Hoover (1929-1933) reporters submitted their questions to the
president in writing and he responded in writing.
FDR (1933 - 1945) 1st president to use the media effectively. Held
1,000 press conferences in 12 years in the White House and broadcast
series of “fireside chats” over the radio to reassure the nation during
the Great Depression.
Vietnam and Watergate soured the press on government. Today
investigative journalism pits reporters against political leaders.
Scholars distinguish between 2 kinds of media:
1.
Print media - includes newspaper and magazines
(yellow journalism, chains created) Most influential
newspapers is the New York Times and Washington Post;
magazines: Newsweek, Time, etc.
2.
Broadcast media - consist TV and radio
Technology developed 1950-1960s, first televised debates
were 1960 Kennedy - Nixon debates. The poll results of this
debate illustrate to the radio gave the edge to Nixon, those
who saw it on TV thought Kennedy won.
TV took the nation to the war in Vietnam during the 1960s
and TV exposed government about the progress of the war.
The growth of cable TV, particularly the CNN brings news to
people as it happens. People think television reports are
more believable than newspaper stories.
With the increase in cable channels and Internet usage, a
recent trend has been the increase in “broadcast” channels
that are oriented toward particularly narrow audiences
called narrowcasting.
Reporting the News
This is a business in America which profits shape how
journalists define what is newsworthy, where they get their
information, and how they present it. It has become semientertaining.
The charge that the media have a liberal bias has become a
familiar one in American politics and there is some limited
evidence to support it.
A conclusion that news reporting contains little explicit
partisan or ideological bias is not to argue that it does not
distort reality in its coverage. Ideally the news should mirror
reality.
The Media’s Agenda-Setting Function
People are trying to influence the government’s policy
agenda when they confront government officials with
problems they expect them to solve. Interest groups,
political parties, politicians, public relations firm, and
bureaucratic agencies are all pushing for their priorities to
take precedence over others.
Political activists rely heavily upon media to get their ideas
placed high on the governmental agenda.
The staging of political events to attract media attention is a
political art form.
Civil Rights relied heavily on the media to tell their stories of
unjust treatment.
Understanding the Media
Media acts as key linkage institutions between the people
and the policy makers and have a profound impact on the
political agenda. Media is so crucial in today’s society, they
are referred as the fourth branch of government.
The watchdog function of the media helps to keep
government small. When the media focus on injustice in
society, the media inevitably encourage the growth of
government. The media portray government as responsible
for handling almost every major problem.