Mass Media In American Politics - Lecture notes - POL 367 1 - 30 - 12 PDF

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Errol Kupelian

1/30/12 POL 367 The Politics of Media (Newt Gingrich & others)

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News About Democracy o Economic Collapse of the News Business  News used to be a public good (non-excludable, non-rival), paid for by advertisers without control over content.  Internet new sources offer advertisers more efficient audience targeting  Massive cuts to newsrooms budgets and staff  Public trust in media (all) institutions has deteriorated  While sources of news have proliferated, actual news content appears to be recycled (95% from newspapers) o Information Sourcing  Consumers are not interesting in single omnibus publications but in sampling the news world a la carte. The Internet allows consumers to bounce between sources with ease.  Straight from the horse’s mouth: Newsmakers on Social Media. Pros and Cons  Sarah Palin is the example of someone who has attempted to cut out the middleman for media. o Pros:  Speed and presumably accuracy (accuracy is debatable)  News from places where journalists can’t go o Cons:  Media group is cut out, costing the Media money, lose verification (what’s the point of journalism if we need  Politifact- owned by the Tampa Bay Times  News consumption is dropping and with it political knowledge  “Today’s young adults are the least politically knowledgeable generation ever in the history of survey research.” o How to get an Audience  Sensationalism and Terror (Death Panels!)- Obamacare promoting Euthanasia  Infotainment- News crafted by PR Consultants aimed to grab viewers more than inform them  Emphasizing 30 second talking points, but not analysis and shouting not discussion  But this often turns viewers off as well

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o Governing with the News  Permanent campaign mode in which every decision is made with the press in mind  Big under the Bush administration and Clinton, getting standard procedure  Selling the War in Iraq- very big in the force of campaigning for policy  Bush in 2003 speech “The regime has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East. IT has a deep hatred of America and our friends. And it has aided, trained, and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda. The danger is clear: using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear weapons, obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfill their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of innocent people in our country, or any other.” o Influencing the News  Indexing- journalists adjust the range of viewpoints in a story to the dominant viewpoints of those in power  A form of seeking objectivity is relying on the account of those in power  As long as those in power are being transparent about their policy goals this works well, but when one party attempts to mislead or ignore on certain issues the result is under-informed public  Global Warming for example  Politicians have become newsmakers- in that they dictate what the news is through a position of power. o Truthiness  The aide said that guys like me were “in what we call the reality-based community,” …  Colbert Roasts President Bush  How much do Americans care about reality/truth o Gatekeeping  What is put into stories, and what is left out  What facts and viewpoints from the multitude of possibilities are included in a story  Who decides on what basis?  Ideal vs. reality  Ideal: decisions made upon the best available evidence to produce the most informed public  Reality: concerned of relationships with news-makers, economic consequences for the publisher o Politicians, Media and the Public  Agenda Setting- making an issue salient in the news  Commercialism- movement away from money-losing hard-news to profitable stuff  1980s-1999 non public-policy news jumped from 35% to 50%

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Dovetails with a time of corporate mergers and consolidation of the news  Information-seeking strategies o Free Speech  Maximizing free speech does not necessarily solve the negative issues.  “If it bleeds, it leads” philosophy- intense coverage of violence and mayhem  Even as real crime has decreased, crime coverage has increased o Over emphasis of crime will create a populace supersensitized to crime. If the majority of the nation thinks the crime rate is 20% higher than it actually is, it can change politics  Alternative? Restrict free speech? Can’t do that. Change consumer’s tastes. Easier said than done. 

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Errol Kupelian

2/1/12 POL 367

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Goodbye to the Age of newspapers o Should we care about the death of Newspapers? Why/Why not.  There are arguments that Internet journalism could fill any void left by disappearing newspapers. o “Resources for Journalism are no disappearing from the old media faster than new media can develop them.”  Yes, because the Internet is does not generate news, they just disseminate it. Newspapers are a public good that keep the integrity of government o Integrity of Government- without newspapers there are no watchdogs for the government.  Theory & Evidence?  The less press there was, the more government corruption there was. (Compared 3 different ways, different countries, countries over time, and by state in the US.)  Why do we want an informed citizenry? If citizens do not know about the actions of politicians, they cannot know whom to elect.  “A financially compromised is more likely to be an ethically compromised press.”  Essentially saying that if a paper is commercially compromised, they are likely to accept money from wealthy interests o Changing Dynamics  Old business model of newspapers- advertising.  “Monopoly and Nepotism”  Are paywalls the solution?  Unless the papers have major branding that no one else can compete with, no, they are not the solution.  What types of newspapers appear to be in the most danger and why?  Mid-level papers between NYTs or Washington Post or WSJ, and highly local news. No national audience, and not local enough.  First thing on the chopping block? Employees, international bureaus close, which decreases the amount of international coverage. o Cutting Back  Many papers forced to cut their Washington coverage as well as local statehouse coverage  The NYT does not investigate on the ground in individual areas, especially in areas like Statehouse coverage. Local papers are the major watchdogs in the local/state politics, and the corruption in local/state politics can directly affect lives  Cutting science and arts

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What’s protected?  Hyperlocalism  Local news- consists of crime mostly. o The Consequences of Choice  What was the result of the increased choice of new cable TV networks for viewers?  Before cable TV news, people read the paper, or watched the CBS, NBC, ABC news. If you were going to watch TV, you were watching the nightly news.  With Cable TV, TV news started specializes, the “news junkies”- wanted more news, 24-hour news networks. o Drop-outs and Junkies  If you gave a political knowledge, Drop-outs rank low, junkies would rank high  What are the costs and benefits of crowd-sourcing news and information on the Internet? o Cheap, faster, possibly more accurate, but possibly much more inaccurate. Essentially removing the filter to news, allowing everyone to put any information in. Does not marginalize viewpoints that previously had been left outside discourse. o Lack of fact checking, allowing rumor and falsehoods to spread unchecked.  Possible Solutions  How to fund the public good? o Government subsidies? Philanthropy  Federal Subsidies like NPR  Non-profit Operation  Targeted Philanthropic support (heath issues)  Non-profit online organization  Baltimore Case Study  Highest volume of stories being produced- Local TV.  Medium that reported the most new info- Print  Who triggered the most news coverage? o Mostly government (62%) signifies newsmaker status, then some press (15%)  Speed of news circulation has increased with stories first appearing online. Consequences? o The official version of events becomes more important and is often reported verbatim

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Errol Kupelian

2/6/12 Graber Chapter 1: Media Power & Government Control

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“Pop” Quiz on Wednesday- on Graber Chapter 1, and the readings. MULTIPLE CHOICE Functions of Mass Media o Surveillance o Public Surveillance  This is the public good part of News Media.  Journalists decide what to cover  Two consequences for the politicians’ behavior:  Causes them to avoid committing embarrassing or damaging behavior  Act strategically in how such behavior is revealed, or released. o Deny, apologize, bury  The worst time to released bad news in a news cycle- October- before an election. In the New Cycle itself, never release it on a Monday morning, mostly on the Friday night. Good because some journalists don’t work on weekends/ holidays o Omission- by not covering a story, it’s communicated that the story is unimportant. It also invalidates people that do cover that particular bit of news. o Reasons for omission:  Lack of credible sources/factual information.  Outside the corporate narrative  Contradicts widely held or assumed values  Not seen as newsworthy/interesting o Importance is also indicated by the prominence of a story. “The Media function as agents of legitimation.” o Candidates and interest groups strategically employ media coverage through events and pseudo-events.  Civil rights activists used this tactic to gain media coverage. Strategically used the media to highlight an agenda. Private Surveillance o Not targeted for the public good. More coverage for private consumption. Interests that do not necessarily benefit others, like sports, celebrities etc. o News that the individual is interested in: celebrities, weather, sports, jobs, fashion Function of Reassurance o Gives peace of mind to consumers, either in the knowledge of having information in the highly complex world. Maintains the illusion of control over life. o Media as opiate for the masses

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o “Staying informed makes people feel secure… that there will be no startling surprises.” o Builds trust and faith in democracy. o Builds quiescence and satisfaction with the status quo o Feeling on the same page builds a sense of community within a countryexample 9/11 Interpretation o Deciding the Frame of the Story o How to think about the story, how cause and effect are related, and what are the appropriate courses of action  Framing on a question of whether or not the KKK should be allowed to have a rally, like emphasizing free speech, or social order.  “We can attribute any social problems to official policies, the machinations of those who benefit from it, or the pathology of those who suffer from it.” (3 ways of framing issues)  Shadowy elites vs. the masses of people who are suffering (pathology/politics of envy)  Depending on how issues are framed determines how issues are responded to. Ex: Komen for the Cure (generally non-partisan) and Planned Parenthood o Partisan issues- Karen Handel- Sr. VP- pro-lifer, clearly against Planned Parenthood. The “Mission” – No Defunding of Planned Parenthood. o Question of journalist intent/ truthful- questions of anger and sticking to the story, which was the anger over Komen’s choice. Announcer is pro-planned parenthood Socialization o Learning basic values and orientations that prepare people to be part of a culture o Used to be accomplished through school but increasingly through media o Used to be done through parents and school etc. o Provision of behavior models o Muckraking etc Mass Media Effects o The media seems to have a huge impact but research findings have been small and infrequent. Why?  Results are inconsistent, small, or nonexistent.  Very complex question and answer between media and findings (vote choice, etc.) o Older studies focused explicitly on campaigns changing vote choice- very narrow way of attacking the broad range of influence that mass media has. o What other choices compete with media effects for vote choices?  Partisanship o Persuasion Theories  Emphasize tailored appeals rather than mass media ads  People avoid and discount information that they disagree with Most common measure- self-assessment and self-report. Problems?

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o Genuineness of response, and measurement error (interpretations of questions being asked), limited perspective/ gravitating to self-concept. Sometimes we ask people to respond and they won’t have an answer.  Notoriously unreliable Problem of endogeneity or unclear/mutual causation. People have pre-existing attitudes and ideas before the media’s message reaches them Individual differences o Level of knowledge on the issue varies across people. Most political actors will deny being influenced by the media Research demands statistical significance be met to demonstrate “real” effects. Problems? o Very big issue with the samples of people drawn from (especially with Stony Brook) o What makes things more significant? The larger the sample the better. o In very large groups, a small percentage of people can be politically consequential o Many political studies rely on a small number of cases (presidential elections) in which it’s difficult to find significant results o Even the behavior of a few total people can influence the course of politics. Authoritarian Control System Democratic Control Mirror Model

Errol Kupelian

2/8/12 POL 367

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Pack journalism- rely on each other to define what’s newsworthy No On Camera Reaction Blind spots in news media Outsourcing news agencies- he says-she says Media Effects are small and inconsistent Because Media Effects vary across individuals and partisanship. Libertarian Journalism- giving media consumers what they want. Mirror Model- Objectivity Self-censorship Licensing Agreements Government exerts more control

Control of Media  Authoritarian Control System o Control and use of media to advance ideological goals (Cuba, China, North Korea) o Allow the media some ability to criticize low-level corruption but not question the top of the hierarchy or basic power structure generally.  Works well in China, there is a huge gap in trust between the local government and the central government o Spin or omit stories that threaten the government, such as large disasters or chronic problems  Ex: USSR was having severe food shortages, but they censored all the information about food shortages and bankruptcy  Democratic Control o Journalist are expected to scrutinize government behavior and report any misdeeds  News coverage that ousts a corrupt administration is a boon to democracy o But limits on what is proper and allowed to still exist. Rarely question individualism, capitalism, majority rule etc  Ex: Questions of majority rule- striking down of Prop 8 o Questions of economic inequality- the rich deserve their wealth, the poor deserve their poverty- not necessarily media specific. Military-industrial complex  When the release of a story might cause harm media outlets will hold the story. o Social Responsibility Journalism vs. Libertarianism Journalism  Social Responsibility- mission to serve the constituency, create a informed citizenry, o Mirror Model  “We don’t make the news, we just report it” -CNN

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 Bias is inherently involved, so self-disclosure is important. o Professional Model  Creating a collage of events for a specific audience, no assertions of perfect objectivity o Organizational model  Social pressure from other journalists, sources, bosses, norms, regulations, etc, determines content. o Political Model  News reflects ideology of those reporting it and the political environment o Public Journalism  News written for citizens to make use of and take action from Limiting Entry o Successful for TV but not for internet journalism Making information confidential Outright censorship with government approval required Barring foreign transmissions and periodicals Treason & Sedition laws o Variable meaning with broad application The effect of war Limits to the 1st amendment o Press cannot libel/outright lie, Jay Rosen- Legend of Trent Lott o Pack Journalism- “One Way to learn that pack journalism is real is to be caught outside the pack with a story it does not recognize” o The belief that if something is newsworthy, everyone will be talking about it News Cycle o 24-hour News cycle has its own demands and own inner logic o There was no on-air reaction that night o (Trent Lott’s story was considered old by the next day)  “News stories have a 24 hour audition, and if they don’t catch fire in those 24 hours, there’s no second chance.” o Circular logic Role of the Blogs o Event occurred on 12/6 and became a story on 12/10 o Generated buzz, blogs provided a small readership and opportunity to discuss, dissect and contextualize the story o Bloggers and readers had the background knowledge to understand the context of the story o Blogs provided the reaction that the news cycle needed: outrage o Blogs don’t produce news, original journalism, but provide fresh perspective on news o Underline aspects of stories that had gone under-covered or ignored o Provide a counter-conversation to mainstream press o

Errol Kupelian

2-15-12 POL 367

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True bias of the news media, giving people what they want to hear, doesn’t want to rock the boat too much. Only give as much truth as people can stomach. Ownership & Regulation of Media o Logic of Debate  Benefits of Publically Owned and Operated Media  Serves groups that would be otherwise missed  Serves a public good  Not driven to ratings by lowest common denominator  Private Media  Not constrained by government interests/bias  General consensus is a private business is better than public  Ceteris paribus, preferable  Less opportunities for propaganda  Possible benefits of pluralism- marketplace of ideas  Drawbacks  Public o Government can exert editorial pressure (censorship)propaganda o Taxpayer money  Private  Bias- failure of competing interests  Profit driven causes fluff programming  Mainstream Patterns of Private Ownership o Media chains, multiple news outlets owned by a single entity, have become the norm rather than single outlets  80% of daily newspapers owned by chains o Risk for bias  Policies that hurt their profit margins may receive poor coverage.  Used to be that GE owned lots of major media- Universal, NBC etc. Eventually taken over by ComCast o Consolidation  Benefits  Smaller struggling papers might be benefitted by getting resources from other papers in the consolidation  More resources  Producing popular TV is expensive and requires the resources of large corporations =  Can withstand temporary losses, able to take more risks  Costs

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Very few people with a great deal of control over what news Americans consume o Media Influence Variables  Prestige- High prestige institutions set the standard for how other organizations should conduct themselves and what stories they should cover  Size of market  Competition in the market (or lack thereof)  Audience demographics (18-50 primary demographic) o Logic of Lobbying and Regulation  Businesses form lobbying groups to support or oppose legislation and/or new rules by governing agencies  Organizations often create and follow their own code of conduct to preempt a government body creating one for them  Such codes sound good but are vague in practice o Advertiser Censorship  Advertisers can influence programming by pulling ads during objectionable content  Advertisers want to remain uncontroversial  Small but vocal interest groups can have an oversized influence on advertising behavior  By pulling ads they become de facto censors Uncontrolled Media o Cable TV, internet, phone are largely uncontrolled (Much like newspapers) and are allowed to send what they want to because they are “common carriers”- they transmit c...