patterson ch10
TRANSCRIPT
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10-2
Historical Development: From the Nation’s Founding to Today
The early partisan pressSubsidized by political parties
The objective-journalism eraHelped by telegraph and rotary printing pressYellow journalismRadio, the new mass communication systemThe FCC and regulation
The Communications Act Fairness Doctrine
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10-3
Historical Development: From the Nation’s Founding to Today
The rise of the “new” newsThe end of the Fairness DoctrineCable news
CNNFounded by Ted Turner in 1980Chose to pursue a path of partisan neutrality
Fox NewsChose a partisan (conservative) format
MSNBCLiberal format
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10-5
Historical Development: From the Nation’s Founding to Today
The rise of the “new” newsPartisan radio talk shows
Without the Fairness Doctrine, radio programmers were free to move to a politically partisan format
Emergence of the InternetLow-cost entry compared with other mass mediaSome “new” news outlets a stunning successThe Drudge Report, Daily Kos, Huffington Post
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10-6
Journalism and PoliticsThe signaling function
Alert the public to important developmentsU.S. media well-equipped to play this rolePerformed by the traditional media
Wire services (AP, UPI, Reuters) Daily newspapers Television networks
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10-7
Journalism and PoliticsThe signaling function
Agenda-setting of U.S. media results in similarity in national news everywhere
News media meant to inform the public, but also need to attract an audience
Media focus on politics instead of policy
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10-8
Journalism and PoliticsThe common-carrier function
Conduit for political communicationTV news has become more journalist-centeredTopics often distilled to the “sound bite”Framing: the way events are cast
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10-10
Journalism and PoliticsThe watchdog function
Objective journalism fosters watchdog reportingWatergateEdward Snowden NSA leaks in 2013
Internet has expanded watchdog capacity of mediaAlmost any event today will be filmed or taped
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10-11
Journalism and PoliticsThe partisan function
Traditional media: mostly neutralTalk shows: mostly conservativeThe Internet: mostly liberal
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10-13
The News AudienceThe partisan divide
Until the 1980s Americans had three TV networksHuge daily audiences—newscasts varied only slightly Viewers exposed to the views of both political parties
Patterns disruptedFairness Doctrine rescindedThe emergence of cable TV and the Internet
© 2015 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 10-14
The News AudienceThe information divide
More news outlets, yet viewers less informedFragmented news sources have led to partisan polarization
among audienceMore news available, but alternate programming aids
avoidance of newsYounger people are less informed than older people about
political affairs