Linkage Institutions & The Media

Linkage Institutions

• Government
• Interest Groups
• You & the Media

The Media: Importance and Connection to Government

• Importance: The media's connection to the government is significant.
• Government Usage: The government uses the media to disseminate information to the public.
• Public Usage: The public relies on the media to obtain information about the government.

Roles of the Media

• Gatekeeper: The media determines which topics become national issues.
• Scorekeeper: The media tracks who is winning, losing, and participating in the political game.
• Watchdog: The media investigates and examines issues for the people, acting as a check on power.
• National Media: Considered by some as the "4th Branch" of government.
• Communication: Media is the way a message gets from sender to receiver: Sender-(Medium)-Receiver.

Historical Development of News Media in the US

• Early Media: Highly partisan, with newspapers operated by political parties.
• Yellow Journalism/Muckraking: Sensationalized reporting to capture public interest.
• Cultivation of the Press: Theodore Roosevelt's approach to managing and utilizing the press.
• Radio/FDR: The rise of radio with Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Fireside Chats".
• TV/Kennedy Debate & Assassination: Television's impact during the Kennedy era.
• Social Media: The emergence of social media with Trump and the challenges for traditional newspapers to keep up with the 24-hour news cycle.

Ethical Standards and Federal Regulations

• Journalistic Standards
  • On the Record: Information can be used with attribution.
  • Off the Record: Information cannot be used.
  • On Background: The reporter may quote the source directly but may not attribute the statements to the source by name. The reporter may describe the source by her position.
  • On Deep Background: The source remains completely anonymous (Give up your source).
• New York Times v. US: Landmark case regarding freedom of the press.
• Equal Time Rule: Specifies that broadcast media must provide equal airtime opportunities to all candidates.
• Fairness Doctrine: Required broadcasters to present a range of viewpoints. This doctrine is no longer enforced.

Major Trends in Media Today

• Narrowcasting:
  • Increases polarization by targeting specific audiences.
• Infotainment:
  • Blending information and entertainment (e.g., Oprah, Fox News).
• Misinformation:
  • The spread of inaccurate information.

Fairness Doctrine

• Required broadcast media to provide fair coverage of all candidates on TV and offer a variety of ideologies, opinions, and stories.
• The FCC abolished the fairness doctrine in 1987.

Consolidation

• Media ownership is concentrated among a few large corporations.

How the Press and Public Figures Interact

• The President:
  • Uses press releases, press briefings, and press conferences.
• Congress:
  • Focus is on the leadership.
• Supreme Court:
  • Generally avoids publicity.

Impact of the Media

• Agenda Setting: The media influences which issues are considered important.
• Bias: Media was getting more fair, but the Trump effect changed that.
• Public Confidence: Public distrust of the media.
• Fake News: When a news outlet presents opinion disguised as fact.

Other Considerations

• Playing Favorites: Media is often tough on front-runners and tolerant of underdogs.
• H.L. Mencken Quote: “The press should comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”.
• First Amendment: Makes the media tough to regulate.
• New News Era: The internet, deregulation, social media, and globalization have created a new era for the media.
• Future of the Media: Hard to predict.
• Tik Tok
• The idea of bringing back the Fairness Doctrine resurfaces.