Unit 5C: Mass Media

Mass media

Means of communication that are reaching the public, including newspapers and magazines, radio, television (broadcast, cable, and satellite), films, recordings, books, and electronic communication.

News media

A broad term that includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, internet sources, blogs, and social-media postings that cover important events.

24/7 news cycle

News is now constantly updated and presented via Internet sites like the New York Times or Wall Street Journal and cable news sources like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC.

Broadcast media

Outlets for news and other content including radio and television that bring stories directly into people's homes.

Selective exposure

The process by which individuals screen out messages that do not conform to their own biases.

Selected perception

The process by which individuals perceive what they want to in media messages.

Horse race

A close contest; by extension, any contest in which the focus is on who is ahead and by how much rather than on substantive differences between the candidates.

Agenda setting

The media's ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public.

Wire service

An organization that gathers and reports on news then sells the stories to other outlets.

Investigative journalism

An approach to newsgathering in which reporters dig into stories, often looking for instances of wrongdoing.

Media consolidation

The concentration of ownership of the media into fewer corporations.

Partisan bias

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

Horse-race journalism

Coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign than on policy issues.