Starter Question #9 (Pick one of the 3) (1) Read “Chicago Strike…” What is collective bargaining? To what extent

should teachers have the legal right to strike?

(2) Read “Romney faces…” To what extent is Romney’s response to the press coverage of this video effective? Your answer should either identify effective statements he has already made or actions you feel would benefit his campaign.

(3) Read “Syria Conflict” The Middle East is a rather complicated aspect of US foreign policy right now. What (if anything) can we do about the conflict in Syria? Identify two countries that would be affected by US action or inaction in Syria

The Media By Mr. Miguel

Academy of Our Lady of Guam

Essential Questions How strong of an effect does media have on us?

Are media a mirror of reality? What is news? What stories should take up space/time? What sources are credible? What should be emphasized?

Primary functions of media Inform the public

Entertain the public

Watchdog

Who gets what news from where

Who gets what news from where

Newspapers and Magazines

Radio

Television

The Internet

Who Gets what news from whereTraditionalists

Stick to network news as primary source

Older, less well-educated

Integrators ¼ of public, news from TV but also

go online for news daily

Well to do, middle aged

Net-Newsers Disengaged More online news

Less educated, well off, younger

18%, younger, less educated, least informed

Newspapers and MagazinesNewspapers

Sales at a historic low

Only a dozen cities have more than 1 daily paper

USA Today, NYT, LA Times, Washington Post, Christian Science monitor – national circulation

Politics in newspaper?

Magazines More comprehensive

Tend to be middle of the road

Liberal: American prospect

National Review, American Spectator: Conservative

Radio and TelevisionRadio

Decline in newspapers 1900 = emergence of radio

More up to the minute, personal

99% of American household own at least 1 radio

Non-commercial: National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Radio International

Television Like the radio, allowed them to reach an

even broader audience w/o need for print reporters

Entertainment medium

Narrowcasting Specifically Liberal: Michael

Moore, Mother Jones Specifically conservatives:

weekly standard, rush Limbaugh

The Internet 2007 – 62% of American household – access to internet

2008 – 37% went online for regular news

More than ¼ of Americans have a customized web page

More than 1/3 watch news shows and video clips online

All major news sources have websites

Slate, Salon, Politico, Huffington Post, Drudge Report – solely internet sources

Problem

How is it that information has become overwhelmingly easier to access but we as a nation are becoming even less politically informed?

Who Owns the Media, and How does that affect our news?

The Early American Press: Dependence on Government

Growing Media Independence

The Media Today: Concentrated corporate power

Regulation of Media

The Early American Press

Colonial Times

Early Republic

Antebellum/Civil War years

Media Today

Dependence on government Colonial times

Printers needed government approval

Avoided controversial political reporting

Radical patriot movement – become more aggressive at securing a supportive press

1st Amendment -> Federalist papers

Early Republic Anything but free and independent

Newspapers still risky business financially

Jackson -> offered friendly papers the opportunity to print government documents

Mass democracy, less elitist style

Growing Media Independence Antebellum/Civil War

Effort to be objective: driven by economic imperatives of selling newspapers to large numbers of people who do not share the same political views

Prior to 1833 – newspapers = expensive

New York Sun: penny a copy; superficial reporting

Civil War Yellow Journalism

Helped them achieve independence from parties and politicians, but lowered standards of journalism

The Media Today: Concentrated Corporate Power Media Monopoly

5 companies own a majority of media outlets

Implications Commercial Bias Reduced emphasis on political news Content lightened and dramatized Conflict in interests prevents certain news stories from being translated

Alternatives to Corporate Media Public radio and television

Britain and other European countries

Alternative Press – intended to offer a radial alternative to mainstream media

Internet Allows any motivated ind. To get around the biases of mainstream media

Regulation of Media Media = mostly privately owned

Freedom of the press: keeps print media almost free of restriction; broadcast media is treated differently

1934 Federal Communications Act: Creates Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – independent regulatory agency

FCCThe Equal Time Rule: if a station allows a candidate for office to buy or use airtime

outside of regular news broadcasts, it must allow candidates that opportunity

The Fairness Doctrine: requires stations that give free airtime to issues that concerned the public and to opposing sides when controversial issues were covered

The Right of Rebuttal: Individuals whose reputations are damaged on air have a right to respond

1996 Telecommunications Act – permits ownership of multiple stations/can’t reach more than 35% of market

Internet Net neutrality – NO restrictions!

Starter Questions 10a and 10b Read "Why it's time..." and "Why they won't..." Do you feel that Romney's

comments constitute a genuine "shift" to the middle? If so, do you feel it is for show or that is his true colors? Identify changes topics or slogans that you anticipate from President Obama. To what extent will those issues be determined by the battleground states.

Next get a laptop and follow the link to the second article. Scroll through the 17 photographs that chronicle recent tension between the Muslim and non-Muslim world. What should the non-Muslim world "learn" from this article?

Who Are Journalists?

What roles do journalists play?

Who chooses Journalism?

What Journalists Believe: Is there an ideological bias in the Media

The Growth of the Washington Press Corps

What role do Journalists Pay?Gatekeepers

Decide what news gets covered (or not) and how

Disseminators Role confined to getting facts of the

story straight and moving the news out to the public quickly

Criticism: simple dissemination does nothing to help citizens understand the news

What role do journalists play?Interpretive/investigators

Combines functions of investigating government's claims, analyzing and interpreting complex problems, and discussing public politics in a timely way

Muckrakers

Public Mobilizes Develop the cultural and intellectual

interests of the public , set the political agenda, and let the people express their views

Civic Journalism: movement among journalists to be responsive to citizen input in determining what news stories to cover

Media = takes a democratic turn

Who chooses Journalism?Some numbers for you..

2/3 of journalist work in print media, 1/3 are in broadcast journalism

67% Male, 33% women 15-34 = 30% of journalist 85.4% white (non Hispanic) 46% (protestant)

Do demographics make a difference?

Ex. Most mainstream media focus on issues concerning white middle class America and reflect the values of that population

Is there Bias in Media? The more educated people are, the more liberal their views end to be – and

journalists are well-educated lot on the whole

the media is slightly more liberal than the rest of America

Studies suggest it has little effect…no discernable overall ideological bias in media

Growth in perception that the media = bias coincides with the growth of a more partisan tone in media

Growth in the Washington Press Corps America = organized into beats (identifiable areas of reporting)

Ex: police, politics, business, education, sports More specialized =White House, Congress, Supreme Court

The Revolving Door: practice of journalists taking positions in government and then returning to journalism again, or vice versa, perhaps several times over

Rise of the Pundit Observer/commentator on politics Meant to check power of the politicians

The Media and Politics

The Shaping of Public Opinions

The Portrayal of Politics as Conflict and Image

Politics as Public Relations

The Shaping of Public Opinion Agenda Setting: Deciding what is news and what we should pay attention to

Priming: ways media influence how people and events should be evaluated by things that they emphasize as important

Framing: A political event could look diff. depending on how the media frames it

Persuasion by Professional Communication

The Portrayal of Politics as Conflict and Image Horse-Race Journalism

Emphasis on Image

Scandal Watching

Growing Negativism, Increased Cynicism

Consequences of Emphasis on Conflict and Image

Politics as Public Relations Permanent Campaign: effort to control media, emphasis on short-term gain

over long-term priorities and the making of policy decisions with an eye to political impact

News Management: Describes chief mechanism of this campaign: efforts to control the news about the politicians

News Management Techniques Tight Control of information

Staffers pick a “line of the day”

Tight control of access to the politician

Press conferences, guest appearances

Elaborate communications bureaucracy

A concerted efforts to bypass the White House

Press secretaries

Speech writers

Public liasions

Go to TV talks hows or late night TV or other forums that go directly to the public

News Management Strategies Prepackaging the news in sound bites

Let the staffers decide what sound bites to use

Work on catchy and memorable phrasing

Leaks

Secretly revealing confidential information to the press

Trial balloon: which an official leaks a policy or plan in order to gauge public reaction

If positive, go ahead with out risk, if negative, deny it was ever mentioned

News Management in the Bush Administration and Beyond

Click icon to add pictureBush = good job at news management

-Private events

-Paid journalists

-Covert propaganda

-- Use reporters to ask supportive questions during Press Conferences

Reduction in Political Accountability

Who do we hold accountable?

The Citizens and Media

The New Media

Civic Journalism

Essential Question Directions: Keep the following question in mind. You will be asked to

comment prior to leaving the class.

Evaluate whether American mass media has become too powerful.

In particular, is the impact of mass media on public opinion and public outcomes consistent with the concepts of limited gov’t and balanced power. Is there any democratic way to hold mass media organizations accountable for their behavior?