4:04 Media and its Impact

The Media Landscape

The media encompasses people or companies producing print and digital communications, as well as the forms of media themselves.
Media includes print, broadcast, and niche journalism.

Linkage institutions connect individuals with policymakers.
Examples include political parties, interest groups, elections, and the media.
These institutions influence people and communicate their will to decision-makers.
Multiple paths exist for influencing public policy due to federalism.
Example: A local news story on education can gain national attention and influence Congress.

Entertainment and political discourse.
Providing information through news reports, investigative journalism, election coverage, and political commentary.
Interpreting matters of public interest.
Setting the public agenda.
Providing a forum for conversations about politics.
Socializing children to political culture.

U.S. adults who often get news on each platform:
- TV (Cable, local, network nightly): 57%
- Online (social media, websites/apps): 38%
- Radio: 25%
- Print Newspapers: 20%
U.S. adults who often get news on TV:
- 18-29 years old: 27%
- 30-49: 45%
- 50-64: 72%
- 65+: 85%

Primary news source for adults over 50.
Reports breaking news, provides political analysis, election coverage, and investigative journalism.
Example: Coverage of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010.
- Cable news stations devoted over 31% of airtime to the issue.
- Focused on the oil company's cleanup efforts and the Obama administration's role.
Role in socializing children.
MTV's Elect This campaign in 2016: Used videos, infographics, and social media to share political information and encourage young adults to vote.

U.S. adults who often get news online:
- 18-29 years old: 50%
- 30-49: 49%
- 50-64: 29%
- 65+: 20%
Around half of adults between 18 and 49 often get news online.
Attributed to quick access of information.
Internet lacks time and place limitations of television.
Social media and blog posts interpret public interest and influence the public agenda.
Social media's impact on elections since 2008.
- Enables direct interaction with voters.
- Offers free advertising and tailored messaging.
- Provides immediate feedback.
Example: A University of Virginia student changed his vote from Mitt Romney (R) to Barack Obama (D) after following New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie (R) on social media in 2012.

U.S. adults who often get news on radio:
- 18-29 years old: 19%
- 30-49: 27%
- 50-64: 29%
- 65+: 24%
Around 25% of adults over 30 often get news from radio.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) used radio for fireside chats.
Talk radio emerged in the 1970s and 1980s.
- Provides a forum for conversations about politics.
- Hosts give opinions and invite listeners to call in.
Many major talk radio hosts align with conservative ideologies.
Liberal programs have struggled to gain audience share.
Abram Brown (Forbes) on demographics:
- Some liberals are minorities who listen to radio in their preferred language.
- Others turn to National Public Radio (NPR).
- Many Americans believe publicly funded media to be less biased than other media.
- The demographic base for conservative talk radio is shrinking.

U.S. adults who often get news from print newspapers:
- 18-29 years old: 5%
- 30-49: 10%
- 50-64: 23%
- 65+: 48%
Around 50% of adults over 65 often get news from print newspapers.
Reports breaking news, provides political commentary, and features investigative journalism.
Many have a strong online presence.
Shocking stories sold newspapers faster.
Competition influenced journalism approaches like yellow journalism and muckraking.
Example: Upton Sinclair's The Jungle (1906).
- Exposed unsanitary practices in the meatpacking industry.
- Influenced national food safety standards.
Editor's choices shape the public agenda.

Bias is inherent and not always negative.
The First Amendment applies to the media.
No news agency is without bias.
Some sources are generally more respected as less ideologically driven.
Increasing demand for media from diverse audiences has led to criticism of bias.
Media holds government accountable like a watchdog.
Media filters government actions through an ideological point of view.
Relying on varied sources is important.
Analyze and weigh conflicting opinions.
Media bias includes agenda-setting, framing, priming, and selection bias.
Media selection bias differs from polling selection bias.
Question what you read or watch.
Bias can affect reliability and accuracy.
Recognize bias, assess sources, and ensure trust.
Circular reporting: One source publishes misinformation, another reprints it, and the first cites the second.
The public's need for quick answers can overpower the need for validity, leading to corrections.

Climate Change Coverage:
- Bar chart analysis: Evidence of agenda-setting and selection bias.
- ABC, NBC, and FOX devoted around an hour to coverage.
- CBS devoted over an hour and a half.
- CBS agenda-setting: Bringing public attention to climate change through increased coverage.
- Selection bias: Networks choosing to devote air time to climate change.
Climate Change Headlines:
- "Climate change is made-up and wastes money."
- "Climate change is a real issue with real impact."
- Examples of framing and priming.
- Each headline presents a biased view, attempting to influence the reader's opinion.

1960 presidential race: John F. Kennedy (D) vs. Richard Nixon (R).
- Kennedy initially had a disadvantage.
- Televised debates shifted views of American voters.
- Media presentation affected the perception of Nixon.
- Nixon slipped behind in polls, and Kennedy won the election.
- Gallup Polls 1960 Presidential Debates example is visual, with Nixon initially leading and Kennedy overtaking him after the first debate
Media influence over political opinions affected government institutions and public policy through the presidency.
Kennedy's presidency: Cuban Missile Crisis, March on Washington, space program, civil rights bill.

Democratic debate and political knowledge are affected by several factors.
Increased media choice.
Viewers watch programs and ideologically-oriented programming that suits them.
Voters tend to watch news organizations that align with their views and avoid contrary views.
Media outlets cater to this tendency to accomplish an agenda and increase viewership.
Catering to a specific segment convinces advertisers to pay.
Reinforces existing political beliefs.
Social media has the same impact by controlling what you see.
Sites are programmed to learn about you and show news stories that reinforce your views.
This process may not create the best forum for civil political discourse.
Consider credibility and ideological bias of news sources.
Reinforcing ideas through choice of ideological programming may affect willingness to consider other points of view.

Who owns the media is a major factor in bias.
Views of corporation leadership direct what stories are reported and how.
Choices in news sources may be numerous, but the number of owning companies may be low.
In 2012, a journalist reported that 90% of media ownership had concentrated from 50 companies in 1983 to just 6 in 2011.