Presentation by Eric Miller, Blinn College, Bryan, Texas.

The News Media: Communicating Political Images

Chapter 10

Theodore H. WhiteThe press in America…

determines what people will think and talk about–an authority that in other nations is reserved for

tyrants, priests, parties, and mandarins.

News:TimelyDramaticCompellingEvents

News Media (the Press)provides a selective

depiction of reality because it emphasizes dramatic events and excludes slow, steady processes

Introduction

From a Partisan Press to an “Objective” One

early American newspapers were supported by the political partiesGazette of the U.S.- founded

to promote the policies of G. Washington

National Gazette- formed as an opposition to the Republican party

The Development of the News Media: From Partisanship to Objective Journalism

“Yellow Journalism”emphasis on sensationalismled to the Spanish-American war

Objective Journalismthe reporter's job is to report the facts

and cover alternative sides of a partisan debate

Descriptive Reporting in the 1960’s the vast majority of news

was descriptivereporters stick to the “facts”

Interpretive Reportingtoday most news is interpretiveanalysis & explanation of developments

Most newspapers have a partisan bias on their editorial pages

The Development of the News Media: From Partisanship to Objective Journalism

The Development of the Broadcast MediaRadio and Television: The Truly National Media

reached millions of people simultaneouslyopened a direct, instantaneous channel between a

leader and the peopleGovernment Licensing and Regulation of

Broadcastersbased on the scarcity of broadcasting frequenciesThe Communications Act (1934)-FCC

regulates signal strength, ad rates, fees, and election coverage policies

equal time requirement broadcasters cannot sell or give time to one political candidate

and then provide it to another

The Development of the News Media: From Partisanship to Objective Journalism

Historical Development: From the Nation’s Founding to TodayThe rise of the “new” news

The end of the Fairness DoctrineRequired broadcasters to “afford reasonable

opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views of public importance”

Broadcasters could not promote one party or issue position at the expense of another

Cable newsCNN

Founded by Ted Turner in 1980Chose to pursue a path of partisan neutrality

Fox NewsFounded by Rupert Murdoch in 1996Chose a partisan (conservative ) format

Historical Development: From the Nation’s Founding to TodayThe rise of the “new” news

Partisan radio talk showsWithout the Fairness Doctrine, radio programmers

were free to move to a politically partisan formatEmergence of the Internet

Low-cost entry compared with other mass mediaProvides ordinary citizens an opportunity to

exercise their free press rightsSome “new” news outlets a stunning success

The Drudge Report, Daily Kos, Instapundit

The government provides lots of freedom1st Amendment & tradition of free expressionlibel laws favor the press over a public figureprior restraint of the press is rarely permissiblefair and open debate allows the public to weigh

and choose among competing argumentsThe government provides economic support

Special postal ratesLow broadcasting fees

Substantial audience reachMillions of viewers and readers

Freedom and Conformity in the U.S. News Media

Pack JournalismMajor news organizations only differ in the way

in which they present stories about the same topic

AP, Reuters, NY Times wire services

Freedom and Conformity in the U.S. News Media

Domination of the News Production

News Values and ImperativesNY Times

stets a general standard of news reporting

sets the agenda for other news organizations

a pioneer in objective journalismthe “bulletin board” for other

major newspapers

“Megamedia”: Mergers, Profits, and the News

Freedom and Conformity in the U.S. News Media

The Signaler RoleAlert the public to important developments

Informing the public of important news as quickly as possible

U.S. media well-equipped to play this rolePerformed by the traditional media

Wire services (AP, UPI, Reuters)Daily newspapersTelevision networks

Agenda-setting of U.S. media results in similarity in national news everywhere

News media are meant to inform the public, but also need to attract an audience

Media focus on politics instead of policy

The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform

The Common-Carrier RoleConduit for political communication

the press should provide a channel through which political leaders can communicate their views to the public

the press serves as a link between the public and its leadersthe presidency receives more coverage than any other

institutionTV news has become more journalist-centeredTopics sometimes distilled to the “sound bite”

time showing the presidential candidates speaking has declined 1960’s- 40+ seconds today- -10 seconds

Framing: the way events are castPriming: the process by which a communicated message,

because of its content, activates certain opinions but not others

The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform

The Shrinking Sound Bite of Television Campaign Coverage

The Watchdog RoleObjective journalism fosters

watchdog reportingIraqi prisonersWatergate scandal

great example of the press as a government watchdog

“Bad news” most news today tends to be negative

WikiLeaks Bradley Manning: hero or villain? “Collateral Murder”

Watchdog function failuresPost-9/11 terrorist attacks- Iraq War

Internet has expanded watchdog capacity of media

The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform

The Politics of NewsPartisan function

Traditional media: mostly neutralTalk shows: mostly conservativeThe Internet: mostly liberal

Favorability Rating of Cable Television News Outlets, by Party Identification

The Public-Representative RoleThe idea that the press represents “the people”the press is least equipped to serve in this rolethey are not accountable to the people, they

are accountable to their shareholders

The News Media as Link: Roles the Press Can and Cannot Perform

News creates a pseudo-community.Media serves as a channel for the expression

of public opinion.A “mass” versus a “public.”

Mass- people without connectionPublic- people connected through

organizations or networks that enable them to act in concert

Organizing the Public in the Media Age

Attention to NewsThe shrinking audience for news

Television contributed to news consumption until 1980s

Expansion of cable reduced news consumptionMore news available, but alternate

programming aids avoidance of news

Attention to NewsAge and attention to news

News audience typically older adultsReading habits versus on-demand accessYoung adults more inclined toward partisan

news sourcesInternet has provided more news outlets but

has not increased overall news consumptionWidening “information gap” between older and

younger adults

Media and the Public in the Internet AgeOld traditional media dominated by a few

outletsTraditional media still major players but with

smaller audienceFragmented news sources have led to

partisan polarization among audience

States in the Nation