AP Gov Unit 5 sec. 3 part 2

Political Commentary

editorials and opinion pieces (not always made clear), readers need to pay attention to bias

Political Analysis

form of journalistic expression that explores and provides opinions on a topic in depth, a lot more background information

Beat

specific locations from which news frequently emanates

Reporters

those who make the news, depend on media to spread info and ideas to the general public (symbiotic relationship), rely on public officials to keep them informed, very little news generated by spontaneous events/own analysis - most stories drawn from situations over which newsmakers have substantial control

Trial Balloons

information leaked to see what political reaction will be, done to decide if/how to move forward

New Era of Investigative Journalists

antagonistic relationship, assume politicians have something to hide and politicians assume reporters are out to embarrass them

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

law that allows the public to gain access to nonclassified federal documents, allows journalists to uncover information (takes a while), exemptions exist (president can redact content for national safety)

Presenting the News

compressed into 30 second news segment or to fit in paper, TV news are headlines only and analysis rarely lasts more than 1 minute, often superficial coverage/content), complex issues are difficult to treat in a short news clip

Paradox of News

as technology has enabled media to share information at a greater speed, news coverage has become less complete, change the way politicians present their speeches to get a sentence or two to stick in 10 seconds

Liberal Bias in Mainstream Media

limited evidence to support it, reporters more likely to call themselves liberal than general public (no evidence to believe that journalists' personal attitudes sway their reporting of the news), many stories presented in "point/counterpoint" format to show both sides, perception of this has allowed conservative alternatives to succeed

Fairness Doctrine

former federal policy that required radio and TV broadcasters to present alternative viewpoints

Mainstream Media

traditional news organizations, operate an objective news model, built on providing unbiased information, most reporters strongly believe in journalistic objectivity, best objective reporters usually rewarded by editors (high profile stories), media outlets have direct financial stake in attracting viewers/subscribers

Social Media Bias

selectively reinforce existing bias, depending on who we follow/interact with an algorithm shift to do so

Conclusion on News Bias

news reporting contains little explicit partisan or ideological bias, not to argue that it does not distort reality, too many stories for news to mirror reality, journalists must select which stories to cover and to what degree, biased in favor of stories with high drama that will attract people's interest

Four Factors of Public Debate Quality and Political Knowledge

increased media choices, ideologically oriented programming, consumer drive media and technology, credibility of news sources

Increased Media Choices

not all choose to consume news, creates gap in political knowledge/education/participation

Ideologically Oriented Programming

what you watch influences what you think/do, confirmation bias, removes clash of ideas vital to democracy (not always exposed to alternate point of view)

Confirmation Bias

tendency to seek out and interpret information in a way that confirms what we already believe

Consumer Drive Media and Technology

media whose content is influenced by the actions and needs of consumers, creates a bubble without critical evaluation, clickbait over substance, focus on ratings, leads to the disappearance of credible/ethical news outlets

Credibility of News Sources

don't know where our "news" is actually coming from (diminished political knowledge), and don't ask, take in too much "junk" instead of news from credible sources

Importance of Media in Shaping Public Opinion

decision to cover/ignore certain issues (what is/isn't important), affects what Americans think about and prioritize (agenda setting function), media influence the criteria by which the public evaluates political leaders by focusing public attention on specific problems, some evidence that people's opinions shift with tone of news coverage (news commentators have most powerful influence on public opinion change)

Media Gate Keeper Function

determines what is news and for how long, helps to set and swing the political agenda by covering/not covering news

Media Agenda Setter Function

political activists depend on media to get ideas on political agenda

Media Score Keeper Function

determines who is "winning" and "losing" in the game of politics and by how much, horse-race journalism often overlooks policy

Media Watchdog Function

expose scandals/corruption/intrigues, helps to limit government power and keep government small as officials are forced to justify opinion, often investigative journalism

Policy Agenda

people trying to have an influence when they confront government officials with problems they expect to have solved

Political Activist

depend heavily on the media to get their ideas placed high on the government agenda, convince reporters to tell their side, depend on their good image

Policy Entrepreneur

invest political "capital" in an issue