Deck 2: The Media Marketplace: Where Americans Get the News

Question 1

A fundamental change in the nature of campaign journalism concerns

A) a shift from straight description to analysis and interpretation.
B) a shift from objectivity to partisan bias.
C) increasing reliance on candidates as the major news sources.
D) a decreasing number of stories on the candidates' strategies.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following had a key long-term effect on news coverage of American political campaigns?

A) the Monica Lewinsky scandal
B) the Willie Horton ad
C) Ross Perot's third-party campaign in 1992
D) televised candidate debates

Answer 2

B

Question 3

News coverage of political campaigns tends to emphasize

A) the so-called "character" question.
B) poll results.
C) the views of pundits and analysts.
D) All of these are correct.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which represents the most serious threat to network news today?

A) the rise of twenty-four-hour cable news channels such as CNN
B) local television news
C) national newspaper chains
D) Internet news sources

Question 5

Since 1960, the "character issue" has emerged as a major theme in campaign coverage. One explanation for this trend is

A) the declining moral standards in the country.
B) gender integration of the newsroom.
C) the gradual replacement of print media by broadcast media.
D) all of these are correct.

Question 6

"Horse race" news dominates coverage of presidential campaigns for which of the following reasons?

A) The horse race sells.
B) Horse-race news is inexpensive to produce.
C) Polling allows reporters to maintain their objectivity vis-à-vis the candidates.
D) All of these are correct.

Question 7

Which of the following factors is considered part of the organizational process model of news?

A) beats and other journalistic routines
B) professional values such as autonomy
C) the "appropriateness" of certain subjects for particular news outlets
D) All of these are correct.

Question 8

In the aftermath of the 1988 presidential election, the media reacted by

A) being more adversarial and critical of candidates' paid messages.
B) running fewer stories on the hype and horse race.
C) ignoring the candidates' personalities. d All of these are correct.

Question 9

News outlets often insert the analysis of "experts" and "pundits" into their coverage of political campaigns. This is an example of which phenomenon?

A) the adversarial stance of reporters toward those seeking political office
B) an attempt to look beyond the campaign to the issues of importance to voters
C) news production as a mirror image of reality
D) the liberal bias of the mainstream media

Question 10

The increasing tendency of journalists covering political campaigns to engage in "ad watching" can be attributed to

A) market pressures.
B) the desire for autonomy.
C) the need for more issue-oriented coverage.
D) the shortening of the news cycle.

Question 11

Since 1990, the audience share attracted by the "Big Three" networks has

A) decreased.
B) increased.
C) remained stable.
D) increased despite a significant decrease before 1996.

Question 12

The public's evaluations of news media credibility fit which of the following patterns?

A) Confidence in credibility has been decreasing.
B) Print-based news enjoys greater credibility than broadcast news.
C) Strong partisans are most likely to view the news as credible.
D) Democrats view the media as less credible than do Republicans.

Question 13

The "golden triangle" refers to

A) the White House, State Department, and Pentagon beats.
B) the three major commercial television networks.
C) the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times.
D) none of these are correct.

Question 14

Which of the following genres of news programming has the largest daily audience?

A) cable television (e.g., CNN)
B) national network news
C) local television news
D) network webcasts

Question 15

The proliferation of local television news programming in the United States has led to which of the following?

A) an increase in the amount of substantive public affairs programming
B) a shift in focus of media attention from national election campaigns to local ones
C) decreased attention to "horse race" news
D) increased coverage of local crime stories focusing on individual perpetrators