Chapter 16 The Media

Linkage Institutions 

connects citizens to government by providing political information and allowing communication between the public and political leaders. Through media platforms, the public is educated on political candidates, platforms, and election results, allowing the media to shape political attitudes and set the public agenda

Watchdog function

investigative reporting and traditional media monitor government actions.

Agenda Setting

By choosing which stories to cover and how to report them

Horse Race Journalism

is a style of political coverage that focuses on who is winning or losing elections rather than on policy issues. The media covers elections, polling data, and candidate standings

Fake News

 was used by Donald Trump to discredit media.

Many people think media is:

• Focused on profit, or

• Biased toward a political side

Main challenge: figuring out what is true vs. false

News media

newspapers, TV, radio, internet, blogs, social media

Social media

refers to digital platforms that allow users to create, share, and interact with content and each other, platforms where users create and share content.

Mass media

sources of information designed to reach a wide

audience, including newspapers, radio, television, and internet outlets

New Media (Internet & Social Media)

• Anyone can create and share news

• Blurs line between:

  • News

  • Entertainment

• Problems:

  • Echo chambers (only hearing similar views)

  • Polarization

  • Disinformation

Media & Politics Today

• Growth of citizen journalism

• Rise of infotainment (news + entertainment) SNL

• Can:

  • Increase engagement

  • Decrease trust in government

Sound bites

refers to a political environment where policy, debate, and communication are reduced to short, catchy phrases designed for media consumption rather than substantive policy discussion.

Echo chambers

are environments—especially on social media—where people are mostly exposed to opinions that match their own. This reinforces their existing beliefs because they rarely hear opposing viewpoints, making their perspectives stronger and more one-sided.

Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias is the tendency for people to seek out, believe, and remember information that supports their existing beliefs

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

It is an independent U.S. government agency established by the Communications Act of 1934 that regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. Makes sure tv is appropriate no nudity or adult tv shows playing at certain times so children don’t watch it.

Media Consolidation

is the process where fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of mass media, resulting in a few large conglomerates dominating the industry. Driven by deregulation and mergers, this trend enables standardized content, reduced local reporting, and limited viewpoint diversity

Investigative journalism

an approach to newsgathering in which

reporters dig into stories, often looking for instances of wrongdoing

Partisan bias

the slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular party or ideology