Key Concepts in Media and Fake News

satire

Humor based on actual events, requiring audience knowledge of current events to understand.

hoax

Disinformation intended to deceive and make money.

opinion entrepreneurs

Individuals or groups who comment on events without gathering news, aiming to attract an audience and profit.

propagandists

State actors who spread coordinated partisan messages to influence other countries.

information anarchists

Individuals spreading false info simply to destabilize society (e.g., QAnon).

agenda setting

News focuses attention on specific issues, influencing what the public thinks about.

opinion leaders

Heavy news consumers who interpret and share their opinions with others.

schema theory

Explains how meaning is structured and activated in memory.

episodic and thematic frames

Episodic frames focus on specific events; thematic frames focus on larger trends or issues.

social learning theory

People learn by observing others (e.g., Bobo Doll experiment).

cultivation theory

Media stories socialize us into cultural norms, roles, and behaviors.

selective exposure

Seeking out information that aligns with existing beliefs.

cognitive dissonance theory

Psychological discomfort from inconsistencies between beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.

balance theory

People seek consistency in social relationships and avoid inconsistency.

impact of digitization on media industries

Combined previously separate industries (film, radio, TV, etc.) into a single digital media industry.

Web 2.0

Allowed users to retrieve and create content, leading to user-generated content and social media explosion.

telegraph system inventor

Samuel Morse.

Radio Act of 1912

Licensing of radio operators and frequency assignment.

Communications Act of 1934

To regulate all communication media using public resources.

'Golden Age of Radio'

1920s-1940s, with live music, drama, sports, and variety shows.

FCC's TV license freeze

Natural experiment showing TV caused declines in cinema, theater, and library use.

Motion Picture Trust

A cartel limiting access to film technology and stock, ended by lawsuits.

Paramount Decision

Ended vertical integration of movie studios.

muckraking journalism

Investigative journalism exposing societal issues (e.g., Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle').

yellow journalism

Sensationalized, often exaggerated news reporting from the 1890s.

objectivity in journalism

Ensures factual, neutral reporting rather than sensationalism.

news deserts

Communities without local newspapers, leading to less government accountability and more political polarization.