Deck 7: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda

Question 1

Questions 3 and 4 refer to the following graph.
The length of candidate sound bites in four countries (in seconds). Source: Frank Esser,"Dimensions of Political News Cultures: Sound Bite and Image Bite
News in France,Germany,Great Britain,and the United States," The International Journal of
Press/Politics (2008): 401-428.
Based on the graph,how do candidate sound bites in the USA compare to other nations?

A)Sound bites are longer in the USA than in other nations.
B)Only non-English speaking nations have longer sound bites than the USA.
C)Candidate sound bites are shorter in the USA than other nations.
D)People in Europe have less patience for politics than people in the USA.-Consider This: Sound bites in European nations are longer than in the USA.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Questions 3 and 4 refer to the following graph.
The length of candidate sound bites in four countries (in seconds). Source: Frank Esser,"Dimensions of Political News Cultures: Sound Bite and Image Bite
News in France,Germany,Great Britain,and the United States," The International Journal of
Press/Politics (2008): 401-428.
How do the differences in press coverage between the initial speeches given to Congress by President Reagan in 1981 and by President Obama in 2009 support the information in this graph?

A)It shows a diminishing audience for national news and presidential messages.
B)It indicates that presidential addresses receive higher Nielsen ratings today than they did several decades ago.
C)It proves more Americans read presidential addresses in newspapers,while fewer view coverage on TV -Consider This: American's consumption of the news seems to be in decline.
D)It suggests that more than 50 percent of Americans can be expected to tune in to watch presidential addresses to Congress.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Questions 1 and 2 refer to the following graph.
How the audiences of cable news channels are polarized by political ideology. Source: 2014 Pew Research Center Survey data.
Based on the graph,which cable news channel has the clearest ideological appeal?

A)Fox
B)CNN
C)MSNBC -Consider This: MSNBC ranked third with every group on the scale.
D)CNBC

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Questions 13 and 14 refer to the following image. Credit: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images News/Getty Images
What do issues like the Flint water crisis,which attract serious attention from public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time,collectively make?

A)news agenda
B)policy agenda
C)media agenda -Consider This: Political actors are seeking to have their priorities take precedence over other groups in society in terms of outcomes.
D)entrepreneurial agenda

Question 5

Which of the following massive media conglomerates publishes over 80 percent of the nation's daily newspapers?

A)narrowcasters
B)chains
C)broadcasters
D)associated press outlets -Consider This: Journalism has long been big business in the United States.

Question 6

Which term collectively refers to television,radio,newspapers,magazines,the Internet,and other forms of communication?

A)mass media
B)media conglomeration -Consider This: In the United States it is the private ownership of media that leads to this outcome.
C)partisan press
D)fifth estate

Question 7

Questions 7 and 8 refer to the following image. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Which of the following does research suggest is the overriding bias in the news?

A)Many network stories favor liberals.-Consider This: There is little evidence that suggests a consistent liberal bias in the media.
B)Newspaper articles tend to favor conservative causes.
C)Coverage is determined by what draws the largest audience.
D)The president is consistently shown in a good light to boost morale.

Question 8

Questions 5 and 6 refer to the following image. Credit: © Tribune Content Agency,LLC.All Rights Reserved.Reprinted with permission.
Which of the following accurately describes the cartoonist's message?

A)Only a superhero can save the newspaper industry.
B)Unemployment in the newspaper industry is skyrocketing.-Consider This: Unemployment has decreased as more newspapers shut down,but that is not the focus on this cartoon.
C)The rise of the Internet led to the decline of the newspaper industry.
D)Newspaper owners are evil.

Question 9

Questions 11 and 12 refer to the following cartoon. Credit: Aaron Bacall/CartoonStock Ltd.
Which of the following is a consequence of the rise of television broadcasting?

A)The news consumed by the American public is more entertaining than educational.
B)Individuals have a greater need for political parties to help them make decisions.
C)Groups have greater access to spread their issues and messages to the public.-Consider This: Individual interest groups have little control over what is aired on corporate television networks.
D)The American public is better informed about politics and Congress is basing its opinions more on public opinion.

Question 10

Questions 9 and 10 refer to the following graph.
What should be done about the digital divide? Source: Andrew Perrin and Maeve Duggan,"Americans' Internet Access: 2000-2015," Pew Research Center,
June 26,2015.
Based on the graph,which group of people demonstrates the highest level of Internet usage?

A)college graduates
B)high school graduates
C)high school drop outs -Consider This: People who did not finish high school show the lowest levels of Internet usage.
D)doctoral candidates

Question 11

Why might some people believe that this "digital divide" must be remedied?

A)social media is a major news source
B)all people should have the same access to information
C)owning a computer is a basic right -Consider This: Many people consider Internet access a basic right,but not owning a computer.
D)the income gap continues to grow in America

Question 12

What is the primary interest of publicly owned media in democracies?

A)reducing recidivism
B)serving the public interest
C)promoting the government -Consider This: In countries like China,the government controls the media and often promotes the government.
D)entertaining viewers

Question 13

Questions 7 and 8 refer to the following image. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Which of the following trends is illustrated by media coverage of the political scandal involving Dennis Hastert?

A)the public's need for objective information about politicians -Consider This: Many Americans form their opinions about politicians by consulting media sources with similar political leanings.
B)the media's focus on sensational stories
C)the growing importance of political news
D)the power of press conferences to show the truth

Question 14

Which body did Congress create in 1934 to regulate the use of the airwaves?

A)Federal Trade Commission -Consider This: The airwaves are owned by the public.
B)Equal Opportunity Commission
C)Federal Communications Commission
D)Department of Media Communications

Question 15

How does the increasing focus of media conglomerates on making a profit affect television news?

A)The quality of news reporting has increased considerably in an attempt to sway more viewers and more advertisers.
B)A study of a set of major newspapers found that the total number of foreign news stories in U.S.newspapers doubled between 1985 and 2014.-Consider This: Many foreign news bureaus are costly to staff and run.
C)Media organizations have cut back on their foreign bureaus and on international news.
D)Television news is increasingly viewed as a public service that benefits the media conglomerate by generating goodwill with viewers.

Question 16

Questions 11 and 12 refer to the following cartoon. Credit: Aaron Bacall/CartoonStock Ltd.
Based on the cartoon,which of the following is to blame for the superficiality in media reporting?

A)cable news
B)social media -Consider This: Many citizens prefer their news to be more entertaining than informational.
C)the Internet
D)the public

Question 17

What is the primary interest of privately owned media?

A)making a profit
B)serving the public interest -Consider This: Private media outlets must attract an audience for paid advertising.
C)spreading propaganda
D)informing the public

Question 18

Questions 13 and 14 refer to the following image. Credit: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images News/Getty Images
How did local activists bring attention to the Flint water crisis in 2016?

A)They appeared in front of Congress to ask for help.-Consider This: Though the city and activists appealed to local and national governments for help,the activists themselves devoted time to helping people rather than lobbying in Washington.
B)Widespread images of their work drew attention to their cause.
C)They engaged in civil disobedience to spread their message.
D)They took out newspaper ads to plead for help.

Question 19

Questions 1 and 2 refer to the following graph.
How the audiences of cable news channels are polarized by political ideology. Source: 2014 Pew Research Center Survey data.
Which of the following is a consequence of the trend evident in this graph?

A)Young adults are more likely than other age groups to use newspapers and broadcast media as news and information sources.-Consider This: Younger citizens are more likely to rely on infotainment than other age groups for their news coverage.
B)Young adults are less likely than other age groups to use newspapers and broadcast media as news and information sources.
C)Most Americans follow politics more frequently and with greater intensity than they follow popular culture.
D)Narrowcasting has encouraged less repetition of stories on cable news programs.

Question 20

Questions 5 and 6 refer to the following image. Credit: © Tribune Content Agency,LLC.All Rights Reserved.Reprinted with permission.
Which of the following facts proves the cartoonist's point?

A)In the past fifty years,newspaper sales have doubled.-Consider This: American newspaper subscription rates have been in serious decline.
B)In the 1960s more people watched the news than read newspapers.
C)Since 1960,newspaper sales have gone from one for every two adults to one for every six adults.
D)Only one in ten adults read a newspaper on a regular basis in the 1960s and today.

Question 21

What are people who invest their political capital in an issue called?

A)agenda setters
B)policy entrepreneurs
C)lobbyists -Consider This: Lobbyists seek to directly influence a political outcome.
D)gatekeepers

Question 22

What do policy entrepreneurs invest in an issue?

A)their life savings -Consider This: Policy entrepreneurs often trade on personal contacts to achieve their policy goals.
B)financial expertise
C)political capital
D)scant attention

Question 23

Top aides to President Clinton leaked his admission of an "inappropriate relationship" to the New York Times in order to gauge the public response to the revelation,leading Clinton to admit the "inappropriate relationship" to the grand jury.Which of the following tactics does this exemplify?

A)beat
B)trial balloon
C)talking head
D)sound bite -Consider This: A sound bite is short snippet of a politician's speech that is shown on the television news.

Question 24

Which of the following is a result of the increased number of news and infotainment options in which media outlets focus on a particular interest and aim at a particular audience?

A)investigative journalism -Consider This: In the early days of media news story were transmitted to a wide audience.
B)watchdog journalism
C)narrowcasting
D)selective exposure

Question 25

What is the tendency for viewers to seek news that aligns with their existing ideas?

A)Narrowcasting
B)Investigative journalism
C)Selective exposure
D)Logrolling -Consider This: Liberals prefer to watch MSNBC while conservatives prefer to get their news from FOX.

Question 26

When did the cozy relationship between politicians and the press in the twentieth century last until?

A)the Iran Hostage Crisis
B)World War II
C)the beginning of Franklin Roosevelt's presidency -Consider This: The media treated Roosevelt with a great deal of deference.
D)the Vietnam War and Watergate

Question 27

Which type of journalism uses in-depth reporting to unearth scandals,scams,and schemes,at times putting reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders?

A)beat
B)gatekeeping -Consider This: The story about the Watergate break in is a prime example of this type of journalism.
C)investigative
D)law-and-order

Question 28

Which of these is an example of a major television network?

A)ABC
B)Knight-Ridder
C)Associated Press -Consider This: The major networks send their signals out to a very wide audience.
D)Gannett

Question 29

Which of the following does Epstein's News From Nowhere suggest about newsworthiness?

A)TV networks define news as what is entertaining to average viewers.
B)The media strive for quality of story rather than ratings.-Consider This: The corporate structure of the American media demands that news programming attract an audience for advertising.
C)The media tend to report only the most important stories.
D)The media tend to pitch stories to a relatively high level of viewer sophistication.

Question 30

What is an event called that is purposely staged for the media and that is significant just because the media are there?

A)a think tank
B)a pork-barrel project -Consider This: In the last four weeks of a presidential campaign 80 percent of the stories involve tightly scripted appearances by candidates.
C)a media event
D)a round-robin event

Question 31

Thomas Patterson's careful analysis of campaign reporting has shown that since 1960,its emphasis has changed dramatically from __________.

A)negative information about the candidates to negative assessments about the parties -Consider This: Much of the news coverage during a campaign is dedicated to questions about who is ahead and who is behind.
B)the candidates' policy statements to the campaign as a horse race
C)covering events to covering ideas
D)sensational information about the candidates to substantive information about the issues

Question 32

What is the media's role between the people and policymakers?

A)key linkage institution
B)general adversary
C)stakeholder -Consider This: Citizens can use the media to remain connected to and vigilant over government.
D)dividing institution

Question 33

From which of the following,including the White House,the Pentagon,and the State Department,do correspondents originate TV news stories covering military conflicts?

A)associated presses -Consider This: Most top reporters are specialists because of the locations at which they work.
B)networks
C)trial balloons
D)beats

Question 34

What do public officials often leak to reporters to see what the political reaction will be?

A)trial balloons
B)sound bites -Consider This: A sound bite,averaging about 10 seconds,is all that is usually seen of a politician's speech on the nightly television news.
C)beats
D)oiled news

Question 35

What did the "minimal effects hypothesis" suggest that the media has a minimal effect on?

A)public opinion
B)policymakers' issue positions -Consider This: Most of the early scholarship on media affects focused on how the media affected what people think and not what they think about.
C)Americans' consumption of newspapers
D)Americans who do not watch TV

Question 36

Iyengar and Kinder's research found that TV news __________.

A)can alter the priorities Americans attach to problems depending on which stories are covered
B)has minimal effects on the public opinion of viewers -Consider This: Conservatives are more likely to watch a news story if they believe it came from FOX.
C)discourages citizens from voting by focusing on the imperfections of the democratic system
D)selects stories that are especially important to business interests

Question 37

What are the specific locations from which news frequently emanates called?

A)trial balloons -Consider This: Most reporters become specialists in specific areas of news coverage.
B)news houses
C)reporters' clubs
D)beats

Question 38

Research by Miller and Krosnick demonstrates that the effects of agenda-setting by media are particularly strong among which group?

A)politically knowledgeable citizens who trust the media
B)politically knowledgeable citizens who distrust the media -Consider This: Agenda setting reflects a deliberate process on the part of knowledgeable citizens.
C)younger citizens who trust the media
D)older citizens who distrust the media

Question 39

Of which of the following powers is increasing public attention to specific problems is a core feature?

A)watchdog -Consider This: The media can be useful in shaping what government discusses.
B)investigative
C)agenda-setting
D)score-keeping

Question 40

How has news coverage changed as technology has enabled the media to pass along information with greater speed?

A)It is more homogenous
B)Coverage is less thorough
C)Reporters are more objective
D)The news is less biased -Consider This: While there has been a proliferation of news sources since the rise of the Internet there has been little appreciable increase in the quality of the news consumed by citizens.

Question 41

During a 1976 presidential debate,President Ford made a mistake by saying that the Soviet Union was not the dominant force in Eastern Europe.The statement was given much press coverage,and polls indicated that most viewers did not recognize the error until they learned of it on the news.What effect did this reporting have on public opinion?

A)It made Ford more personally likable.-Consider This: Most people did not realize that Ford had made an error until the press told them so.
B)It made Ford seem less vulnerable.
C)It made Ford seem more qualified.
D)It made Ford seem less qualified.

Question 42

Civil rights activists in the 1960s used the media to show Americans the injustice of the treatment of minorities,successfully placing the civil rights issue onto the __________.

A)policy entrepreneur
B)policy agenda
C)press conference
D)news beat -Consider This: Protesters have learned that they can capture the media's attention by staging an interesting or controversial event.

Question 43

Politicians rely on journalists to get out their message,and journalists rely on politicians to keep them in the know.Which of the following relationships do politicians and journalists have?

A)parasitic
B)symbiotic
C)cooperative
D)antagonistic -Consider This: While the press and political actors are often at odds with one another they both need each other as well.

Question 44

Which of these would a major TV network be least likely to show for very long?

A)ambassadors fighting at the United Nations
B)talking heads discussing a major news event
C)the aftermath of a major natural disaster
D)footage of a domestic terrorist attack -Consider This: T.V.news is little more than a headline service with news compressed into thirty second segments.