6.2: Keywords

editorial independence

idea that editors should be able to make decisions without interference from the owners of media outlets

pluralist theories

theories arguing power and influence in democratic societies is spread out across a variety of competing interest groups

messages

generic term for anything the media transmits

ruling class ideology

set of ideas and beliefs justifying the dominant position of the capitalist class

false consciousness

mistaken view of the world

press barons

wealthy owners of newspapers with too much influence

social democracy

left wing philosophy supporting government intervention in capitalist societies to protect welfare

cultural hegemony

rule or domination achieved by persuading people that values, beliefs and ideas serving interests of the dominant class are common sense

gatekeepers

individuals or organisations that control the flow of information reaching the general public

news values

journalists’ ideas about what is and is not newsworthy

interpretative frames

ways in which news media interprets events they report

media sensationalism

exaggeration to represent people in ways to gauge a strong emotional reaction

agenda-setting

role of news media in shaping public opinion of facing and understanding important issues

primary definers

individuals or organisations to whom journalists first turn to comment on events they report

moral panic

widespread public concern about a particular group or activity seen as a threat to society

skivers and strivers

used by conservative politicians to divide working class and hard workers

austerity

right wing policy cutting welfare expenditure

‘other’

pursuading people that certain individuals unlike themselves are undeserving of respect

shop stewards

trade union members elected as representatives of a shop in dealings with management

picket line

boundary established by workers on strike

irony

saying the oppisite of what you mean

hyperreality

reality created by a media-saturated society where it is no longer possible to separate representations of reality from reality

simulations

copies of reality

simulacra

signs which no longer bear any connection to the real world

anecdotal evidence

evidence collected in a casual or informal manner and relying heavily on personal testimony

epistemology

branch of philosophy concerned with studying the grounds of knowledge