Deck 7: The Mass Media and the Political Agenda

Question 1

Most journalists believe that it is more important to provide entertainment to viewers and readers than it is to investigate the claims of government and politicians.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The average length of time that a presidential candidate was given to talk uninterrupted in 1968 was _______; in 2004 it was ________.

A)5 seconds; 5 seconds
B)43 seconds,8 seconds
C)8 minutes; 5 seconds
D)8 minutes; 5 minutes
E)10 minutes; 10 seconds

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Whereas one newspaper was sold for every two adults in 1960,by 2008 one paper was sold for every ____ adults.

A)three
B)four
C)five
D)ten
E)fifteen

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following statements about private control of the media is FALSE?

A)Striving for profits greatly shapes how the news is reported.
B)In 1989,network news programs broadcast 4,032 minutes of foreign news; in 2000,this number had dropped to 1,382 minutes.
C)Profit has driven American media organizations to expand their foreign bureaus abroad.
D)American media are dependent on advertising revenue to support their businesses.
E)Private ownership of the media and First Amendment protections mean that journalists have almost completely unfettered freedom to criticize government leaders and policies.

Question 5

High-tech politics refers to a politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology.

Question 6

An example of a major television network is

A)ABC.
B)Knight-Ridder.
C)Newhouse.
D)Gannett.
E)Associated Press.

Question 7

Specific locations from which news frequently emanates are called

A)embassies.
B)news houses.
C)reporters' clubs.
D)beats.
E)trial balloons.

Question 8

Which of the following is a consequence of the rise of television broadcasting?

A)Candidates are more capable of running for office on their own by appealing to people directly through TV.
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.
D)Congress has increasingly received more television coverage compared to the other two branches of government.
E)The American public has become more politically informed.

Question 9

An intentional news leak for the purpose of assessing the political reaction to that news is called a(n)

A)talking head.
B)press conference.
C)media event.
D)trial balloon.
E)investigative journalism event.

Question 10

A media event is staged for the purpose of being covered.

Question 11

People who invest their political capital in an issue are called

A)agenda setters.
B)policy entrepreneurs.
C)lobbyists.
D)media conglomerates.
E)trial balloons.

Question 12

Epstein's News from Nowhere suggests that

A)TV networks define what is entertaining in terms of average viewers.
B)trivial stories rarely make it into the news,even when they are entertaining to average viewers.
C)the media tend to report the most important stories,despite entertainment value.
D)the media tend to pitch stories to a relatively high level of viewer sophistication.
E)All of these are true.

Question 13

Up until the early 1960s,the relationship between politicians and the press was relatively cozy; that is,many reporters saw themselves as extensions of the government,accepting most of what government officials told them.

Question 14

The relatively cozy relationship that existed between politicians and the press during the twentieth century lasted until the Vietnam War and Watergate.

Question 15

The primary interest of publicly owned media is _____________; the primary interest of privately owned media is_______________.

A)making a profit; serving the public interest
B)serving the public interest; making a profit
C)spreading propaganda; being as objective as possible
D)serving the state; serving the people
E)undermining democracy; supporting democracy

Question 16

Research suggests that the most prominent bias in the media is a(n)_______ bias.

A)liberal
B)conservative
C)socialist
D)Democratic
E)audience-driven

Question 17

Newspapers published by massive media conglomerates accounting for over four-fifths of the nation's daily newspaper circulation are called

A)narrowcasters.
B)chains.
C)broadcasters.
D)trial balloons.
E)associated press outlets.

Question 18

In 1934,Congress created the ______________ to regulate the use of the airwaves.

A)Federal Trade Commission
B)Equal Opportunity Commission
C)Federal Communications Commission
D)Department of the Interior
E)Department of Media Communications

Question 19

Increasing public attention to specific problems is a core feature of the media's ______ power.

A)watchdog
B)investigative
C)agenda-setting
D)gate-keeping
E)scorekeeping

Question 20

In 1989,major networks broadcast _____ minutes of foreign news; in 2000 they broadcast ____ minutes of foreign news.

A)4,032; 1,382
B)1,382; 4,032
C)10,000; 5,000
D)5,000; 10,000
E)4,032; 4,032

Question 21

According to a Mark Hertsgaard,news management in the Reagan White House operated on each of the following principles EXCEPT

A)talking about the issues you want to talk about.
B)controlling the flow of information.
C)expanding reporters' access to the president.
D)being repetitive with messages.
E)staying on the offensive.

Question 22

Following the first Nixon-Kennedy presidential debate of 1960,opinion polls showed that

A)those who watched on television thought Nixon had won,while those who listened over the radio thought Kennedy won.
B)those who watched on television and listened over the radio both thought Kennedy had won.
C)those who listened over the radio thought it was a draw,while those who watched on television thought Kennedy did better.
D)those who watched on television and listened over the radio both thought Nixon had won.
E)those who watched on television thought Kennedy had won,while those who listened over the radio thought Nixon won.

Question 23

Television,radio,and the Internet are _________ media; newspapers and magazines are _______ media.

A)electronic; print
B)public; private
C)private; public
D)liberal; conservative
E)conservative; liberal

Question 24

Who declared,"The president of the United States will not stand and be questioned like a chicken thief by men whose names he does not even know."

A)Herbert Hoover
B)John F. Kennedy
C)Richard Nixon
D)Ronald Reagan
E)Bill Clinton

Question 25

In focusing public attention on particular events,the media influence the criteria by which the public evaluates political leaders.

Question 26

The use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals,scams,and schemes,at times putting reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders,is referred to as

A)guard dog journalism.
B)gate keeping.
C)investigative journalism.
D)criminalistic journalism.
E)law-and-order journalism.

Question 27

Differences in press coverage between presidents Reagan and Obama show that

A)there is a diminishing audience for national news and presidential messages.
B)there is a growing audience for national news and presidential messages.
C)presidential addresses receive higher Nielson ratings today than they did several decades ago.
D)more Americans read presidential addresses in newspapers while fewer view coverage on TV.
E)more than 50 percent of Americans can be expected to tune in to watch presidential addresses to Congress.

Question 28

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and others involved in politics are collectively known as the policy agenda.

Question 29

Research suggests that the media project a liberal ideological bias.

Question 30

Television,radio,newspapers,magazines,the Internet,and other forms of communication are collectively referred to as the

A)World Wide Web.
B)mass media.
C)media conglomeration.
D)world of high-tech politics.
E)fourth branch of government.

Question 31

How has news coverage changed since Kennedy's presidency in 1960?

A)News coverage of presidential candidates has become increasingly less favorable.
B)The news media have reduced their coverage of presidential candidates.
C)The amount of news coverage of presidential candidates has increased dramatically.
D)Coverage of issues in presidential campaigns has increased dramatically.
E)Emphasis of campaign reporting has changed dramatically from "why" to a simpler,descriptive "what" format.

Question 32

The first televised ________ occurred during the 1960 presidential campaign.

A)election returns
B)presidential debate
C)national political convention
D)political commercial
E)presidential press conference

Question 33

Investigative journalism may contribute to public cynicism and negativity about politics by pitting which two groups against one another?

A)Reporters and political leaders
B)Reporters and the companies that own their broadcast media
C)Reporters and the general public
D)Political leaders and the general public
E)Reporters and celebrities

Question 34

Which of the following statements regarding print media is FALSE?

A)A major metropolitan newspaper averages 100,000 words,compared to a typical nightly news broadcast,which amounts to about 3,600 words.
B)American newspaper circulation rates have been steadily increasing since the beginning of the twenty-first century.
C)In 2008,one newspaper was sold for every 5 adults.
D)Those who read the news tend to be more engaged than those who watch the news.
E)American newspapers collect little advertising revenue from online editions.

Question 35

An example of a newsweekly is

A)Time.
B)the New York Times.
C)the Washington Post.
D)the Daily News.
E)USA Today.

Question 36

The cozy relationship between politicians and the press in the twentieth century lasted until

A)the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
B)World War II.
C)the commercialization of television.
D)the beginning of Franklin Roosevelt's presidency.
E)the Vietnam War and Watergate.

Question 37

Reporters believe that exposing officeholders is an essential task of the media.

Question 38

As every new policy is met with media criticism,constraints are placed on the scope of what government can do.

Question 39

The first daily newspaper in America was

A)the Associated Press,established in 1841.
B)the New York Times,established in 1800.
C)printed in Philadelphia in 1783.
D)the Colonial Gazette,printed in 1607.
E)Common Sense,printed in 1776.

Question 40

When it comes to rating the things that the media do,journalists believe that it is most important for the media to _________ and least important for it to ____________.

A)discuss national policy; motivate people to get involved
B)provide entertainment; point to possible solutions for problems
C)get information quickly to the public; investigate claims made by government
D)investigate claims made by government; provide entertainment
E)point to possible solutions; get information quickly to the public

Question 41

Which of the following is a consequence of the increasing corporate business management of the media?

A)Major television networks have increased the number of foreign bureaus across the globe.
B)Major television networks have decreased the number of foreign bureaus across the globe.
C)The amount of time and space devoted to foreign news coverage has increased.
D)Americans have become more knowledgeable about foreign and global affairs.
E)Both a and c are true.

Question 42

Public officials often leak ________ to reporters to see what the political reaction will be.

A)trial balloons
B)sound bites
C)beats
D)"oiled news"
E)talking heads

Question 43

Which of the following is one way that American media are different from media in other democracies?

A)American media are totally dependent on advertising revenues to keep business going.
B)International media are entirely government owned.
C)American media are more sophisticated than their European counterparts.
D)American media have always employed greater technology than other countries.
E)There is no significant difference between American media and media in other democracies.

Question 44

Media programming on cable TV or the Internet that is focused on a particular interest and aimed at a particular audience is called

A)broadcasting.
B)narrowcasting.
C)media conglomeration.
D)high-tech politics.
E)chain broadcasting.

Question 45

Congress long ago stipulated that in order to receive a broadcasting license,a station must

A)serve the public interest.
B)provide free air time to political candidates.
C)provide free air time to the White House.
D)be publicly owned.
E)be privately owned.

Question 46

In its study of 240 hours of cable news programming in 2003,the Columbia University Project for Excellence in Journalism found that

A)only 11 percent of the time was taken up with written and edited stories.
B)the role of the reporter was primarily to talk extemporaneously.
C)stories were reported frequently,usually without any important new information.
D)coverage of the news was spotty,ignoring many important topics.
E)All of these were found in the study.

Question 47

Newspaper chains are

A)organizations loosely linked by the wire services.
B)controlled by conglomerates that often control broadcast media as well.
C)local papers owned by fearless local editors.
D)disappearing as a result of the rise of television.
E)unaffected by the quest for profit.

Question 48

In their study comparing traditional news to infotainment and comedy show coverage,Kim and Vishak found that

A)Jon Stewart's coverage of a Supreme Court nomination process provided more factual information than did traditional news coverage of the same event.
B)Jon Stewart's coverage of a Supreme Court nomination process provided less factual information than did traditional news coverage of the same event.
C)Jon Stewart's coverage of a Supreme Court nomination process provided more information to help viewers understand how judicial nominations actually worked compared to traditional news coverage.
D)laughter generated by infotainment shows such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report actually aided in the delivery of political messages and information.

Question 49

Which of the following statements regarding news and the Internet is FALSE?

A)Traffic to political sites accounts for just about 0.12 percent of all Web traffic.
B)Candidate campaign sites have a modest tendency to reinforce voters' predispositions.
C)More so than TV,the Internet is purposive,that is,what people see is the product of their own intentional purposes.
D)The Internet has helped to create a public that has higher levels of political knowledge.
E)During the 2008 presidential election,Americans were more likely to use the Internet to look up pop culture information than political information.

Question 50

Which of the following is a consequence of the rise of narrowcasting?

A)Young adults are more likely than other age groups to use newspapers and broadcast media as news and information sources.
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 demonstrated that cable news programs are apt to cover political events in great detail,conveying more substantive information to viewers.
E)Narrowcasting has encouraged less repetition of stories on broadcast news programs.

Question 51

Which of the following is a chain,that is,a group of newspapers published by media conglomerates?

A)MTV
B)ABC
C)Newhouse
D)NBC
E)Associated Press

Question 52

When top aides to President Clinton leaked his admission of an "inappropriate relationship" to Richard Berke of the New York Times,prior to Clinton's public admission before the grand jury,this was an example of a(n)

A)beat.
B)trial balloon.
C)guilty plea.
D)sound bite.
E)talking head.

Question 53

Since 1996,FCC rules have stipulated that no single owner can control more than _____ percent of the broadcast market.

A)5
B)15
C)25
D)35
E)45

Question 54

Gannett,Knight-Ridder,and Newhouse together represent over ______ percent of the nation's daily circulation of print media.

A)10
B)3
C)50
D)60
E)80

Question 55

Broadcasting implies that media outlets are sending their signal to a ______ audience.

A)broad
B)specific
C)narrow
D)partisan
E)political

Question 56

The ____ stipulates that if a station sells advertising time to one candidate,it must be willing to sell equal time to other candidates for the same office.

A)public interest rule
B)equal-time rule
C)fair-treatment rule
D)First Amendment
E)Second Amendment

Question 57

What is the purpose of the FCC?

A)To prevent near monopolies of control over broadcast media
B)To conduct periodic examinations of the goals and performance of stations as part of its licensing authority
C)To issue a number of fair-treatment rules concerning access to the airwaves for officeholders and candidates
D)To regulate communications via radio,television,telephone,cable,and satellite
E)All of these are purposes of the FCC.

Question 58

In News from Nowhere,Edward Epstein found that

A)news shows are tailored to a low level of audience sophistication.
B)TV networks defined news in terms of what is most important for informed engagement in the American political process.
C)TV news coverage was more sophisticated than newspaper coverage on the same topics.
D)TV news coverage devotes more time to foreign policy news than does newspaper news.
E)Epstein found all of these to be true.

Question 59

Journalists and politicians have a ______ relationship,with politicians relying on journalists to get their message out and journalists relying on politicians to keep them in the know.

A)adversarial
B)antagonistic
C)symbiotic
D)competitive
E)collegial

Question 60

When was the Federal Communications Commission created?

A)1934
B)1944
C)1954
D)1964
E)1974

Question 61

Which of the following is a consequence of sound bite journalism?

A)Politicians find it harder to get their message across to the public.
B)Channels such as CNN and MSNBC rather than the major networks increasingly cover the field of political news.
C)Politicians are better able to avoid the issues.
D)Some politicians have turned to new outlets,such as entertainment and talk shows,to try to communicate with the public.
E)All of theseare consequences of sound bite journalism.

Question 62

The "minimal effects hypothesis" suggests that the media have

A)only a marginal effect on public opinion.
B)a major effect on public opinion,except among the most highly educated citizens.
C)a minimal effect on policymakers' public pronouncements and issue positions.
D)a minimal effect on Americans' consumption of print newspapers.
E)a minimal effect on Americans' who do not watch TV.

Question 63

Which of the following is a potential consequence of the media's agenda-setting powers according to research on media effects?

A)Voters may alter their vote choices and opinions about important public policy issues in response to media coverage.
B)Citizens may alter their evaluations of political leaders in response to media coverage.
C)Citizens may alter their ideological orientation in response to hidden bias found in media coverage.
D)Voters may switch political parties in response to hidden bias found in media coverage.
E)All of the above are potential consequences.

Question 64

The issues that attract serious attention of public officials and other people involved in politics are collectively referred to as the _______ agenda.

A)news
B)policy
C)media
D)entrepreneurial
E)profit

Question 65

Research suggests that American journalists are more likely to consider themselves _____ than the general public.

A)conservatives
B)libertarians
C)liberals
D)religious
E)biased

Question 66

Franklin D.Roosevelt held approximately two press conferences per week,resulting in about 1,000 total during his 12 years in office.

Question 67

Media events are carefully scripted to maximize politicians' ability to control the political agenda.

Question 68

Paradoxically,as technology has enabled the media to pass along information with greater speed,news coverage has become

A)more thorough.
B)less thorough.
C)more objective.
D)more biased.
E)less biased.

Question 69

The rise of the "information society" has

A)failed to bring about the rise of the "informed society."
B)succeeded in bringing about the "informed society."
C)contributed to the rise of the "polarized society."
D)helped to create a "liberalized society."
E)succeeded in eliminating the "criminal class" from politics.

Question 70

Which of the following is true of press criticism of political leaders?

A)A clear public majority thinks that press criticism of political leaders is worth it because it keeps leaders from doing things that should not be done.
B)Reporters believe that exposing officeholders is an essential role of the free press.
C)The watchdog orientation of the press is neither conservative nor liberal,but reformist.
D)The media focus on injustice in society invariably encourages enlarging the scope of government.
E)All of these are true.

Question 71

Vietnam and Watergate were significant in that they further tightened the cozy relationship between politicians and reporters that had existed since the early part of the twentieth century.

Question 72

The media's focus on injustice in society encourages ______ the scope of government.

A)restricting
B)curbing
C)enlarging
D)limiting
E)controlling

Question 73

Which of the following statements about TV news coverage is TRUE?

A)The three major networks combined devoted an average of 12.6 minutes per night to the 2000 presidential contest,just one-half of the time devoted to the 1992 campaign.
B)The three major networks combined devoted an average of 24.6 minutes per night to the 2000 presidential contests,double the amount of time devoted to the 1992 campaign.
C)Ratings pressure for the three major TV networks has led to an increase in the amount of time devoted to political coverage.
D)In 2000,most voters relied on network TV coverage to hear the presidential candidates deliver their messages.
E)Both b and c are true.

Question 74

The media act as a(n)________between the people and policymakers.

A)key linkage institution
B)unappreciated mediator
C)sole form of communication
D)necessary evil
E)negative element of democracy

Question 75

In Bias,former CBS News reporter Bernard Goldberg notes that

A)because most journalists are more liberal than the general public,news coverage tends to reflect a liberal bias.
B)because most journalists are more conservative than the general public,news coverage tends to reflect a conservative bias.
C)media bias is explicitly connected to the political views of media owners.
D)real media bias comes not so much from which party the media attack,but as a result of how journalists see the world.
E)media emphasis on social issues such as feminism,gay rights,and welfare policy is a result of the cosmopolitan environment in which network reporters live.

Question 76

Approximately 60 percent of presidential campaign spending is devoted to TV ads.

Question 77

Many political scientists believe that investigative journalism contributes to public cynicism and negativity about politics.

Question 78

The overriding bias in the news is toward stories that

A)include talking heads.
B)are triangular.
C)are liberal.
D)draw large audiences.
E)target specific audiences.

Question 79

Iyengar and Kinder's research found that TV news

A)alters the priorities Americans attach to problems.
B)has minimal effects on the public opinion of viewers.
C)effectively manipulates what Americans think about public issues.
D)regularly changes viewers' policy and voting preferences,particularly during campaigns.
E)is more effective in changing American public opinion than is print news.

Question 80

For the past several decades,research has consistently found that a majority of the public believes press criticism of political leaders

A)does more harm than good.
B)does more good than harm.
C)reflects a liberal bias.
D)reflects a conservative bias.
E)is corrosive to the American political process.