Deck 5: The Media: Elite-Mass Communication

Question 1

According to a 2011 poll, 66 percent of people said they got most of their news from television. What percentage claimed they got most of their news online?

A) 7 percent
B) 18 percent
C) 33 percent
D) 41 percent

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Media are more likely to cover an event that has which set of characteristics?

A) Honest, reflective, and truthful
B) Strong and policy-focused
C) Bizarre, dramatic, and sensational
D) Pornographic or otherwise obscene

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The main link between candidates and voters is

A) the political party.
B) interest groups.
C) the media.
D) gone; there is no meaningful link between them any more.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The power of the media to decide what will be decided by defining issues and identifying alternatives is referred to as

A) issue persuasion.
B) issue definition.
C) editorial privilege.
D) agenda setting.

Question 5

In dealing with complex policy issues such as foreign policy or inflation, news makers will

A) simplify the issue.
B) dramatize the issue.
C) ignore the issue.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 6

Social media such as Facebook and Twitter and personal blogs and other websites

A) will someday have a profound political impact.
B) might be important in the future.
C) cannot have a profound political impact.
D) have had a profound political impact.

Question 7

As the masses move to mobile devices for news sources,

A) cable news, like Fox and CNN, gains a greater audience.
B) elites lose control of the news cycle.
C) new elites from technology firms such as Google and Apple interpose themselves in the process of consuming news.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 8

The policy issues that get more attention from voters and elites are those which

A) get the most media coverage.
B) are the ones to which the economic elites want attention paid.
C) have the most sex in the news story.
D) reflect ongoing American political concerns.

Question 9

The first step for aspiring candidates is to

A) call on party leaders to get considered for the nomination.
B) go door-to-door to build grass roots support.
C) erase old and embarrassing videos of yourself.
D) hire a professional advertising firm.

Question 10

Which of the following is likely to have its own website?

A) Government agencies
B) Single-issue activist groups
C) Political candidates
D) All of the above

Question 11

The focus on sensationalistic news has which of the following effects on American politics?

A) It obscures other important issues.
B) Politicians take on more moral behavior to avoid being caught.
C) The masses feel better about their own lives.
D) There is no real effect, nobody takes it seriously.

Question 12

The "Sullivan Rule" has made it easier for the media to

A) broadcast false information about politicians.
B) avoid being sued for damages from libel or slander.
C) say pretty much whatever they want about anybody they want.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 13

Most media elites view their role in American politics as one of

A) neutral observer.
B) active participant.
C) unbiased commentator.
D) elite controller.

Question 14

Entertainment programs have helped socialize the masses by

A) providing programs with cute minority children to promote racial tolerance.
B) making shows with happy single, professional mothers to promote feminism.
C) promoting tolerance of homosexuals by putting likeable, humorous gays on TV.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 15

The media's excuse for reporting sex scandals of politicians is

A) everybody loves a sex scandal.
B) sex scandals sell.
C) it is a reflection of the character of the politician.
D) the people have a right to know.

Question 16

Political functions of the mass media includes

A) socialization.
B) interpretation.
C) agenda setting.
D) all of the above.

Question 17

The root of news media power comes from the news ____________ process.

A) promotion
B) selection
C) editing
D) commentating

Question 18

To protect military secrets from being made public, the government must

A) actively censor the press.
B) keep secret information away from the press.
C) make more information available to the press.
D) use military force to secure control of television.

Question 19

The media's socialization function is to

A) teach the masses elite preferences and values.
B) instruct the masses on their role in a democracy.
C) direct the thoughts and ideas of the masses.
D) help create engaged and informed citizens.

Question 20

Websites run by individuals in order to express their personal opinions are known as

A) home pages.
B) egosites.
C) blogs.
D) op-ed pages.

Question 21

The media are not effective in telling people what to think, but are successful in telling people

A) what they want to hear.
B) what to think about.
C) what candidates stand for in terms of policy.
D) the truth.

Question 22

The concentration of network news on scandal, abuse, and corruption has resulted in

A) promoting liberal reformist notions in the minds of viewers.
B) creating high regard for the media as an institution in the political system.
C) producing general disgust and cynicism toward government and politics.
D) higher ratings.

Question 23

An activity arranged primarily to stimulate media coverage is called a ____________________.

Question 24

In campaigns, "opposition research" means

A) to dig up dirt on rivals.
B) to discharge someone from your campaign.
C) to produce a negative add.
D) to deny wrong doing by blaming your opponent.

Question 25

The __________________ pretty much allows the media to say whatever they want about anybody they want.

Question 26

Which of the following is not a task performed by a professional media campaign?

A) Selecting a campaign theme
B) Developing computerized mailing lists
C) Choosing the candidate
D) Selecting the candidate's hairstyle

Question 27

Which of the following is the most important candidate trait in television-centered elections?

A) Voting record
B) Policy positions
C) Experience
D) None of the above is true.

Question 28

A "sound bite" is

A) an official statement issued by the campaign.
B) short, small snippets of a sentence or phrase.
C) when journalists talk directly to the camera.
D) a commercial on the web.

Question 29

____________________ is the most common crime on television.

Question 30

A candidate can convey a favorable image on television by

A) participating in a hog-calling contest in order to not seem too intellectual.
B) driving from town to town to show solidarity with commuters.
C) visiting prostitutes to show sympathy to women who are being exploited.
D) holding events at bars and saloons to show the candidate can hold his liquor.

Question 31

CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC news broadcasts are favored by members of the ____________________ Party.

Question 32

_______________views still dominate the vast majority of broadcast and cable news programs.

Question 33

News stories about presidential candidates are typically __________ in nature.

A) negative
B) positive
C) neutral
D) positive only for incumbents

Question 34

Which of the following is a media bias?

A) Sensationalism
B) Liberalism
C) Negativism
D) All of the above

Question 35

When mass media decides what topics will be covered and discussed nationally it is referred to as _______________.

Question 36

Control of the flow of information is

A) highly concentrated.
B) highly regulated.
C) strictly government mandated.
D) restricted to cable and satellite dish subscribers.

Question 37

The masses generally suffer from information overload, which is

A) knowing someone too well, and being disappointed.
B) not having enough information to be able to decide.
C) having so many communications directed at them that they cannot possibly process it all.
D) choosing to view only those news sources that validate their political views.

Question 38

The government is prevented from censoring the news media because of the freedom of the press doctrine of ____________________.

Question 39

Newsmakers provide the masses with explanations and meanings for events and political personalities through a process called ____________________.

Question 40

Polls taken during campaigns provide information on

A) the effectiveness of the campaign's theme.
B) the identification undecided voters.
C) the determination of the candidate's progress.
D) all of the above.

Question 41

Television appears more likely to ____________________ behavioral tendencies.

Question 42

Written communication that wrongly damages an individual is known in law as ____________________.

Question 43

When campaigns dig up dirt on their rivals, it is known as ________________________.

Question 44

The late-night talk shows such as The Tonight Show (Jay Leno) and The Late Show with David Letterman continue to play an important role in television campaigning. The _________________ and the ______________are significant sources of political information for younger television viewers.

Question 45

The power of television arises in part from its ability to communicate emotion through visuals.

Question 46

The process of filtering out information with which one does not already agree is known as ____________________.

Question 47

In covering elections, television largely ignores policy questions and focuses on ____________________.

Question 48

The Internet is a major news source for Americans.

Question 49

Aside from Fox News, most newsgathering establishments exhibit a liberal bias.

Question 50

The __________________ pretty much allows the media to say whatever they want about anybody they want.

Question 51

Young people are more likely to get their campaign news from ____________________ than from evening news shows.

Question 52

Media owners tend to share the moderate conservatism of the business community whereas news reporters and producers are clearly left-leaning.

Question 53

The length of time for the average sound bite for presidential candidates has shrunk to less than _______________.

Question 54

The part of the Constitution that guarantees a powerful, independent media elite is the ____________________.

Question 55

A news story without good visuals is likely to be ignored by the media.

Question 56

The media elite reflect the views of the general public on issues such as religion and morality.

Question 57

Some otherwise qualified people stay out of politics because of fear of embarrassment and invasion of personal privacy by the news media.

Question 58

Spoken communication that wrongly damages an individual is known in law as ____________________.

Question 59

Too many media communications directed at the masses has resulted in ____________________.

Question 60

____________________ campaigning stresses the opponent's weaknesses.

Question 61

Does Fox News bringing ideological diversity to American news reporting help or does it hinder democratic values?

Question 62

Why might media be better at reinforcing political tendencies than changing them?

Question 63

The power of television is in persuading viewers to take one side or the other on an issue.

Question 64

The Internet was designed to be chaotic and decentralized.

Question 65

If television advertising has only a limited effect on behavior or changing attitudes, why do you think candidates keep paying for it?

Question 66

Communication in the American political system flows downward from the elites to the masses.

Question 67

Television advertising costs have had a dramatic effect in increasing the costs of a political campaign.

Question 68

Entertainment programming such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart have become significant sources of political information.

Question 69

The media have largely replaced political parties as the principal link between candidates and voters.

Question 70

No effective governmental checks on media power exist.

Question 71

No serious political candidate can be without a Facebook presence.

Question 72

Does the Internet help the political elite or make their lives more difficult? Why?

Question 73

The media are most effective at directly influencing behavior.

Question 74

Is the way the media interprets the First Amendment-as a license to be biased-a healthy part of democracy?

Question 75

Describe the role of blogs in American politics today.

Question 76

The percentage of people getting their news from online sources has gone up in the past few years.

Question 77

Based on what you have learned in this chapter, do you think an ugly but intelligent candidate can get elected?

Question 78

Media elites claim that the First Amendment's freedom of the press gives them the right to be biased.

Question 79

The Internet was created by the U.S. government to provide a decentralized communications system that could survive nuclear war.

Question 80

Media are very successful at changing voter behavior.