American Government: Stories of a Nation (Presidential Election Update) - Chapter 16

news media

a broad term that includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, Internet sources, blogs, and social media postings that cover important events

social media

forms of electronic communication that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking

agenda setting

the media’s ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public

mass media

sources of information designed to reach a wide audience, including newspapers, radio, television, and internet outlets

wire service

an organization that gathers and reports on news and then sells the stories to other outlets, ex. Associated Press or Reuters

Significance: information presented is usually unbiased, unlike many other sources

investigative journalism

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

muckrakers

journalists who try to expose corruption and implement reforms through attention-grabbing headlines and stories

Significance: have helped enact major changes to improve living/working conditions in America, e.g. Upton Sinclair and The Jungle

broadcast media

outlets for news and other content including radio and television that bring stories directly into people’s homes, ex. radio, television, online streaming, websites/blogs

Significance: becoming more influential as younger generations increasingly turn to their phones and electronic devices for news

new media

a term used to refer to all of the various digital platforms through which individuals receive, share, and produce content

Federal Communications Commission

A government agency created in 1934 to oversee the regulation and lease of media on “public airwaves” (radio and later TV)

media consolidation

the concentration of ownership of the media into fewer corporations

Significance: the same political takes and viewpoints are constantly shown - less diversity of opinions

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Legislation signed in 1996 by Bill Clinton that significantly raised the percentage of a national audience that corporations could reach; raised limits on number of media outlets one corporation could hold; example of media deregulation

horse-race journalism

coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign rather than on policy issues

Significance: can lead to uninformed voters who only pay attention to the headlines

Impact of 24-hour news coverage on cable news

There are only so many stories that can be run in 24 hours; stories get recycled and replayed, and news gets diluted/uninformative

Impact of ideologically driven news consumption

It creates extremely liberal or conservative mindsets in those who watch, and indoctrinates them into a specific way of thinking which cannot be easily broken free from

Impact of deregulation of broadcast media

Decreases the spectrum of political viewpoints possible due to media consolidation, and allows greedy corporations to make more money off of headlines and advertisements

Impact of public concerns about media bias

If someone of one political bias tries to consume media with opposite political views, it can push them further into their own ideology