media & politics QUIZ #7 🌷

according to the lecture, what was the cause & effect of the large decline in newspaper circulation from 2008-2018?

due to broadband internet; led to loss in advertising among local newspapers

according to the lecture, what impact did the internet have on advertising?

• made advertising more efficient for advertisers to reach target audiences

• led to huge decline in US newspaper advertising revenue since the 2000s

• online platforms like craigslist took away revenue from classified ads

according to the lecture, how many newspapers have closed in the past 20 years?

over 3k; mostly small dailies/weeklies

according to the lecture, most newspaper staff has been cut down by how much from 2004-2018?

50%

according to the lecture, what is a news hole?

amount of space left for reporting after advertising is placed

according to the lecture, what types of news coverage has increased and decreased in the news hole?

coverage of sports, Congress, and the president increased; local politics coverage dropped

according to the lecture, why do we need reporting on local politics?

under a federalist system, we have local governments and need sources of information about local government

according to the lecture, how do market forces shape the news?

by changing the structure of the media landscape & influencing news judgments

according to the lecture, why did CNN excessively cover the disappearance of MH-370?

because it boosted their viewership; Jeff Zucker (president of CNN) said that the success of news decisions should be determined by the public/views

according to the lecture, how do market influences affect news judgments?

determining which stories get attention & the rise of outrage

according to the lecture, what is outrage?

efforts to provoke visceral responses with overgeneralizations, sensationalism, misleading/inaccurate information, ad hominem attacks, partial truths about opponents

according to the lecture, what trends existed for outrage in newspaper columns from 1955 to 2009?

almost no outrage in newspaper columns in 1955 & 1975; big increase in 2009

according to the lecture, how does a high choice media environment facilitate the rise of outrage?

• emotional component of outrage content is highly engaging

• audiences are more homogenous due to media fragmentation; alienating consumers is less of an issue

  • audiences are more likely to be receptive to outrage content

• competitive pressures influence outlets to meet demands or lose market share

  • “medium is the message” —> medium of content shapes engagement

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), when are people especially likely to see bias in the news?

when they’re emotionally involved in a conflict

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), why is there no such thing as objective journalism?

cultural & ideological bias influence news

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what is cultural bias?

• every news story is rooted in a certain time & place

• usually invisible; reflects ethnocentric & basic assumptions of the world

• news operates within a cultural context reflected in every news item

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what is ideological bias?

slanted reporting; easier to recognize

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how is news always local?

it tells stories that interest & make sense to the audience

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how is news a social construction?

every society has certain ways of looking at the political world, which news takes into account

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what are news editors’ decisions primarily based on?

assumptions of what their audience wants to hear about

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), when does the US news media typically report on foreign countries?

if the US is involved

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), when does the media cover particular countries with low/no audience interest?

• only if something truly awful happens

• important countries are covered more regularly with exposure to routine events

• poorer countries are only covered in extraordinary exceptions (usually negative)

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what is the principle of representative deviance?

• people know that news deals with the deviant & unexpected

  • most information people get from the news is negative;

• causes people to believe that these stories are accurate depictions of a country

  • creates negative perceptions of those countries

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what is front door coverage?

• reserved for things in the US or important countries

• weaker countries are typically in the back door because of deviant events

• news media increases economic gaps between haves & have nots on the international scale

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what impact does negative news coverage have on weaker countries?

lowers chances of investment & tourism

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what are news frames?

• organizing devices journalists use to tell a coherent story

• operates like a search engine as journalists search for stories fitting the frame

• provides meaning to events & tells us how to understand them

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how does the news media deal with competing frames?

• each group has their own terms, ideas, and rhetorical tools to convince people to adopt their position (ex: pro choice & pro life)

• journalists can prefer 1 frame over another or apply each frame to a different part of the story

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how do journalists construct news frames?

trying to find a narrative fit between existing frames & events they’re covering

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how do available news frames vary with social, political, and cultural environments?

• ex: political change & controversy led to change in media’s portrayal of nuclear power

• other media also reflect changes in the political environment (ex: books, TV, films)

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how can news frames offer advantages to certain political actors?

• political actors try to promote their own ideological frames, which boosts their political efforts if successful

• certain political actors can gain an advantage from some events if the news frame fits better with current events

  • most political events are ambiguous & don’t advantage any one frame

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), why is it dangerous when only one news frame is allowed to dominate?

it ignores other potentially more sensible frames

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how do news frames significantly influence public opinion & public policy?

• ex: declining public support for the death penalty because of news “innocence” frame

• reflecting change in public climate & telling people how to relate to issues

• influencing how political leaders speak about topics

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how do news frames distinguish friends & enemies?

• inherently ethnocentric

• most Americans see other countries as either friends, enemies, neutrals, or non-existent

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what are the 4 factors of how news stories are constructed?

• who the journalists are (national, geographic, ethnic background)

• who the major sources used to gather information are

• who the most important audience is —> most news companies try to appeal to mainstream America

• political context surrounding the issue at the time —> every political story starts in the middle

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what is commercial bias?

the tendency of journalists to choose, highlight, and create dramatic stories

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how does the news media constantly remind us why we hate our enemies?

• news frames reinforce & magnify beliefs about deviant & extremist groups

• construct frames based on what they hear from sources & those around them

• news frames change as beliefs about these groups change

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how has the media evolved in regards to its framing of minorities?

more POC journalists, more minority sources, more ethnically diverse audiences, & the political context regarding minorities has dramatically changed in the past 50 years

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how does the news media often successfully define political deviants?

by ignoring them; ex: not covering 3rd party candidates

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), when less mainstream political groups do get coverage, how does the mass media marginalize them?

through labels & cherrypicking quotes/sources

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how has the new media/modern technology expanded access to international news?

more online news users = more exposure to international news

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how might online news give more of an illusion of diversity of news than in reality?

• most sites depend on the same 4 news agencies for international reporting

• editorial discretion

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), how do news agencies prepare stories with their most important clients in mind?

working harder to please all news editors & appear neutral

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what do liberals believe?

• citizens should be collectively responsible for each other’s welfare

• government should actively intervene with policies helping less fortunate people in society

• supports bigger government

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what do conservatives believe?

• people should be responsible for their own welfare

• support smaller government

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what are challenges to the underlying assumption that liberal journalists construct liberal news stories?

• news organizations & journalists try not to identify with a particular ideology because they’ll lose audiences

• few journalists will give up a great story just because it hurts liberals

• journalists are extremely dependent on official sources

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), which is more prevalent & powerful in news media; cultural bias or ideological bias?

cultural bias

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what type of coverage do more successful politicians get?

more favorable coverage

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what are the two conventional arguments about ideological bias in the news?

journalists tend to be liberal & liberal journalists construct liberal news stories

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what are the challenges of measuring ideological bias?

difficult to distinguish whether news media is biased in itself or if it reflects reality of better candidates (ex: “liberal” reporting in favor of Obama campaign, but it was just a great campaign & his opponent sucked)

according to Wolfsfeld (2011), what are the main trends of ideological bias in the news media?

most journalists tend to be more liberal than the average American; this influences how journalists cover politics & issues