MASS MEDIAJust how much influence should they have…

Role of the Media in the Political Process

Key Functions of the Media

Entertainment Mass media emphasizes entertainment Popular programs are continued, while programs

that receive low ratings are cancelled Informing the Public

News Reports- American newspapers have reported political news since the late eighteenth century (ex: The Federalist Papers)

Radio and television stations provide their audiences with varying degrees of news programming

Key Functions of the Media

Creation of Political Forums Politicians use the mass media to promote

their careers and draw public attention to their issues

The president has direct access to the media and is thus able to use it to help set the policy agenda

Watchdog, Gatekeeper and Scorekeeper

Media Influence

Gatekeeper: Editors and producers make decisions regarding what is printed or aired. Control access to information Pressures? Advertisers, public, desire for

profit, personal bias

Limits? Selective exposure or selective perception

Media as a Linkage Institution

Mass Media connects people and communicates public opinion to their government officials interviewing citizens, presenting poll

results, and covering protests Connect government officials to the

public interviewing political leaders and

reporting on government committees and programs

Presidential Debate

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-romney-want-moderator-keep-quiet-next-debate-035840467.html

The Media and Politics

Agenda Setting The policy agenda consists of issues that

attract the serious attention of public officials

The mass media play an important role in drawing public attention to particular issues

Determine what news to cover Play a role in deciding what issues will get

national attention and this influence the national agenda

Candidate-Centered Political Campaigns

Political campaigns have become more centered on candidates and less focused on issues

1960- Presidential Debates between Kennedy and Nixon (television replaces newspapers and radio as America’s principal source of political news)

“The Living Room Candidate”

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/

Candidate-Centered Campaigns

The mass media contribute to the candidate-centered campaigns in the following ways By replacing speeches and dialogues with sound

bites that average just 7.8 seconds in length By focusing on day-to-day campaign activities

such as rallies, scandals, gaffes, and negative commercials

By engaging in horse-race journalism, which emphasizes how candidates stand in the polls instead of where they stand on the issues

Candidate Centered Campaigns

An election which focuses on the person and not the issues or the political party

TV/Media contributions? Image is EXTREMELY important Technical and Advertising strategies become

more important than the candidate’s experience or qualifications

“marketing strategies”

Media’s impact on CCC

30 sec spots on news Horse race coverage Scandals Personal lives Debate coverage Convention coverage Primary and caucus coverage

Candidate Impact on CCC

Negative ads Mainstream programs like SNL, Oprah Cable and internet advertising Consultants and “image”

Current Trends in Modern Media

Internet and Cable TV becoming more of a trend with younger voter demographics

Article: “Millennial Makeover” Article: “Feeding Frenzy”

SNL, Tonight Show, etc. Article: “Strange Bedfellows”

Result- growth in the airing of political views but a decline in the objectivity of news delivery

Current Trends in Modern Media

Americans perceptions of political affairs depend on the news sources they follow

Lack of a common version of reality Contributed to greater polarization in the

nation’s policies Article: “How the Mass Media Divides Us”

Consider: Consequences of concentration of ownership of media outlets?

Increased similarity in network news coverage

Media Events

Public appearances Photo ops

NAME RECOGNITION, public AWARENESS Free advertising Even a negative story is beneficial? Can be detrimental? (The tank ad)

Television Advertising

60 percent of the campaign budget is spent on advertising

2/3 of political ads are NEGATIVE We market our candidates like

toothpaste and deoderant. -Larry Sabato

Same advertising agencies “The Living Room Campaign”

Presidential Communications FDR-”fireside chats” JFK-1st television president Reagan-”the great communicator”

Acting background TV presence/comfort level Choreography/performance attitude

Print Media

Newspapers are declining in circulation NY Times and Washington Post are still

influential Concerns?

Less informed voters since TV is where most people get their news

Only hear “soundbites” which cannot tell the whole story

TV reliant on advertising: How does this impact how stories are covered?

Federal Election Commission Formed in 1934 Responsible for regulating the airwaves

(radio, tv) Regulatory examples:

Limits number of stations owned by one company

Licensing standards (language, content, etc.)

Cable TV

News available 24 hours a day Affect on networks? Selective exposure Narrowcasting - aiming media messages

at specific segments of the public defined by values, preferences, demographic attributes

More choices available (can that reinforce bias?)

“Business” of Journalism

Privately owned by corporations Investigative journalism Advertisers impact News homogeneous due to many media

outlets owned by one Corporation

Media terms to know

Soundbite Less informed Pressure on candidate Context is IMPORTANT and could be

misrepresented by the media Leak

Intentional: gauge public response and make a decision/form a strategy

Unintentional: punishment may follow for the leaker