Deck 6: News Media

Question 1

The "watchdog" role of the media is one in which the press should

A) uncover as much information as possible about the private lives of candidates for public office.
B) take sides on controversial issues.
C) help the president achieve his policy agenda.
D) dig up facts and warn the public when officials are doing something wrong.
E) report who's winning or losing an election as based on public opinion polls.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The United States

A) is widely considered to have the freest press in the world.
B) has more instances of press censorship than most other countries.
C) has no constitutional protection for the press.
D) government by law cannot restrict any journalist from entering the country.
E) protects the press in the original constitution.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

According to the text, why are mainstream media still central to American politics??A) The internet only reaches small and fragmented audiences.
B) Internet news tends to only have an impact when mainstream media cover these stories.
C) Much internet-based news is compiled from mainstream wire services.
D) Politicians still look to mainstream media for a sense of public interest.
E) all of the above are true

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Primarily, and according to Chapter 6 in your textbook, how do ordinary citizens control what government does in a democracy?

A) through information obtained through media.
B) through information obtained through political parties.
C) by voting in elections.
D) through information obtained through interest group membership.
E) by participating in the nomination phase of election politics.

Question 5

The First Amendment

A) is silent on protection of the press.
B) gives detailed instructions about when press censorship is acceptable.
C) gives the government broad powers to regulate the press.
D) gives broad protection from government interference to the press.
E) only expresses protections related to speech.

Question 6

The media in the United States are generally regarded as

A) enjoying greater freedom than their counterparts in other countries.
B) being under more government restrictions than the media in most other democracies.
C) having an absolute freedom to print anything without any government restrictions.
D) existing in a political environment where freedom of the press is not considered important.
E) none of the above

Question 7

One of the drawbacks to media coverage of politics is

A)it focuses extensively on covering the horse race.
B) it focuses more on policy than scandal.
C) freedom of the press limits perspective.
D) freedom of the press lets the media range too widely in its coverage of elections.
E) none of the above

Question 8

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides for

A) equal protection.
B) protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
C) freedom of the press.
D) government regulation of the mass media.
E) right to counsel.

Question 9

Which of the following is a role of the mass media in a democracy?

A) acting as a watchdog over government
B) making clear what electoral choices the public has
C) presenting a diverse, full, and enlightening set of ideas about public policy
D) all of the above
E) B & C

Question 10

According to the text, during the 2008 election cycle, about _________ of Americans reported that they depended on the internet as their main source for news about the campaigns, candidates, and issues.

A) 10 percent
B) 15 percent
C) 25 percent
D) 50 percent
E) 75 percent

Question 11

According to your text, the media's primary roles involve

A) acting as a "watch dog".
B) clarifying electoral choices.
C) providing policy information.
D) covering the horse race.
E) A, B, & C

Question 12

As expressed in your textbook, the media are criticized for

A) being biased and unreliable.
B) becoming too powerful in the face of the internet.
C) spending too much of their limited time on stories important to democracy.
D) not covering political scandal.
E) focusing too much on positive coverage.

Question 13

How has the Internet become an important part of the news media?

A) It has made it easier for people to bring pressure to bear on public officials.
B) E-mail provides an easy way for people to contact public officials to express their views.
C) Political activists use the internet to organize protests and demonstrations.
D) The Internet has made it easier for political activists and candidates to publicize and raise money for their causes and campaigns.
E) all of the above

Question 14

Most political information for citizens comes from

A) other citizens.
B) the political parties.
C) schools and universities.
D) the mass media.
E) interest groups.

Question 15

Modern newspapers were made possible by

A) technological innovations and democratization.
B) subsidies from the federal government.
C) the development of schools of journalism.
D) high levels of literacy.
E) none of the above

Question 16

For the media to contribute to democracy, it should try to

A) provide accurate political information to citizens.
B) represent opposition to the government.
C) make profits for media companies.
D) provide good information to consumers of merchandise.
E) provide fast political information to citizens.

Question 17

Covering who's ahead and who's behind in the polls is also called

A)acting as a watchdog.
B) covering elections.
C) covering the horse race.
D) covering scandal.
E) providing policy information.

Question 18

One essential role for the media in a democracy is that of

A) entertainer.
B) policy formulator.
C) watchdog.
D) observer.
E) perpetuator.

Question 19

Which of the following is a TRUE statement?

A) The media are not political actors; rather, they are neutral instruments of democracy.
B) The mass media serve as critical links among political and governmental institutions. They also act as political institutions in their own right.
C) For the most part, the media are apolitical in nature.
D) The sole purpose of the media in a democracy is to educate the populace.
E) Media are not as important as a link as political parties are.

Question 20

The freedom of the press is guaranteed in the ________ amendment.

A) First
B) Fourth
C) Fifth
D) Sixth
E) Ninth

Question 21

For technical reasons, for example, the time needed for shooting, developing, and editing pictures, most television news stories are assigned to

A) anchormen and anchorwomen.
B) unusual stories.
C) sensational events like riots, protests, and natural disasters.
D) predictable events.
E) international bureau reports.

Question 22

How does organization of the media influence the type of news gathered?

A) The profit motive keeps reporters focused on Hollywood.
B) The largest media corporations send reporters to nearly every country in the world.
C) The profit motive keeps reporters focused on a limited number of cities and sources.
D) The profit motive keeps reporters attuned to sensational sources, rather than government.
E) The profit motive ensures that stories are reported through numerous angles, with ample cross-checking of sources.

Question 23

Investigative reporting of the sort that Bernstein and Woodward did on Watergate is

A) common but not frequent.
B) rare.
C) no longer taught in journalism schools.
D) more prominent now given the internet.
D) what big-time journalism is all about.

Question 24

All but which of the following corporations dominate the television industry?

A) General Electric
B) Viacom
C) Disney
D) Gannett
E) none of the above

Question 25

Figure 6.1 shows that

A)Youtube.com launched in the late 1990s.
B) Al Gore used the internet in 2000 to raise money.
C) Al Gore invented the internet in 1987.
D) Congress authorized the internet in 1969.
E) Dial-up internet service was introduced in 1995.

Question 26

The sources for most national and international news are

A) local reporters stationed in other locations.
B) wire services.
C) elite newspapers like the New York Times.
D) television crews from the three major networks.
E) cable news reporters.

Question 27

The merging of hard news and entertainment in news presentations is known as

A) Soft news.
B) Infotainment.
C) Information.
D) Horse race coverage.
E) Substantive analysis.

Question 28

All but which of the following corporations dominate the magazine business?

A) Time Warner
B) Newhouse
C) Gannett
D) General Electric
E) all of the above

Question 29

Characteristics of corporate ownership of media include which of the following??A) Media wish to make a profit.
B) Corporate ownership may dissuade journalists from investigating the parent company.
C) Concentration of media ownership may limit the diversity of views presented on the news.
D) An efficient dissemination of information.
E) All of the above

Question 30

National news tends to

A) have a East Coast orientation.
B) have a New York-Washington orientation.
C) cover stories over a wide variety of states.
D) cover unpredictable political events.
E) have a west coast orientation

Question 31

Reporters get most of their political news from

A) independent sources.
B) other reporters.
C) government sources.
D) editors.
E) average Americans.

Question 32

The term ____________ is used to suggest that media are so large and interconnected that alternative views are rarely aired or heard.

A)media conglomerate
B) corporate media
C) media monopoly
D) internet connectivity
E) infotainment

Question 33

Which of the following corporations dominates both the magazine publishing and consumer Internet services?

A) AOL/Time-Warner
B) Sony
C) Murdoch
D) Gannett
E) Disney

Question 34

The source of international and national news for most newspapers and networks is

A) the federal government.
B) The New York Times.
C) foreign embassies.
D) the Associated Press.
E) The Washington Post.

Question 35

That government officials are sometimes able to control what journalists report and how they report it is known as

A)objective journalism.
B) beat coverage.
C) spin.
D) investigative journalism.
E) bias.

Question 36

In the United States, large corporations

A) tend to provide the most unbiased news coverage.
B) own nearly all media.
C) adequately regulate themselves, rendering the FCC unnecessary.
D) support rules of ownership that encourage independent voice and perspective.
E) none of the above

Question 37

One pioneering study found that government officials, domestic or foreign, were the sources of nearly ________ of all news in the New York Times and the Washington Post.

A) one-fourth
B) one-half
C) three-quarters
D) one-tenth
E) one-fifth

Question 38

The term ______________ refers to the attempt by those in political power to shape the presentation of news about them and their policies in a favorable light.

A)news leak
B) agenda-setting
C) investigative journalism
D) bias
E) news management

Question 39

Americans consistently say ________ their most important news source.

A) television is
B) newspapers are
C) news magazines are
D) radio is
E) the internet is

Question 40

Figure 6.2 shows that

A)more people got their news from television in 2006 than they did in 1994.
B) a higher percentage of people got their news from television in 2006 than they did in 1994.
C) each medium-television, newspaper, radio, and internet-increased its share.
D) each medium except television declined between 1994 and 2006.
E) people have increasingly turned to the internet as a source of news.

Question 41

According to the authors of Struggle for Democracy, in politics, interesting news often comes from

A) "snitches."
B) anonymous leaks.
C) members of Congress.
D) police scanners.
E) local reporters.

Question 42

Cable news has

A)recently surpassed the networks as viewers' primary source of television news.
B) remained behind the networks in viewership despite recent gains.
C) avoided incorporating the internet in their news casts.
D) contributed to the overall increase in the percentage of Americans who use television as a source of news.
E) none of the above

Question 43

Pundits are

A)experts about a wide range of policies and political issues.
B) rarely ex-officials due to the Hatch Act.
C) more expensive to speak with than having reporters collect information through investigative reporting or leaks.
D) commentators on political news.
E) viewed as a mostly positive development of political newscasts.

Question 44

The assigned location where a reporter regularly gathers news stories is known as

A) a beat.
B) a series of in-depth interviews.
C) the creation of news.
D) the hunt for leaks
E) monitoring poll results.

Question 45

Most reporters and journalists for national news organizations tend to be more ________ than the average American.

A) liberal
B) conservative
C) libertarian
D) patriotic
E) independent

Question 46

Most news about foreign affairs takes a definite ________ point of view.

A) liberal
B) conservative
C) nationalist
D) critical
E) international

Question 47

Recent evidence suggests that

A)the internet is now the primary originator of most political news.
B) newspaper readership is beginning to increase after a lengthy decline.
C) cable news channels have surpassed the networks as viewers' primary source of television news.
D) the mainstream news media have retained their central role in the gathering and reporting of political and governmental news.
E) radio is more important to political news than it was a decade ago.

Question 48

The internet

A)has become the primary news sources for all ages.
B) is less relevant for politics in 2008 than it was only four years ago.
C) provides a majority of Americans their primary source of news.
D) provides a majority of 18-29 year olds their primary source of news.
E) provides less than half of 18-29 olds their primary source of news.

Question 49

Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein used this basic form of reporting when they covered the Watergate scandal.

A) informational
B) investigative
C) "yellow" journalism
D) electoral choices
E) pack journalism

Question 50

Research shows that people use the internet primarily

A)to set up and write their own blogs.
B) to contribute to such information sources as Wikipedia.
C) for nonpolitical activities, such as e-mail.
D) to make contributions to political parties and candidates.
E) to become informed about electoral contests.

Question 51

Newsworthiness in the mass media

A) involves official government press releases.
B) means a complicated story involving lots of people.
C) means a story can be framed as a drama or human interest.
D) never involves trivial topics.
E) depends on what is in the public's interest in a democracy.

Question 52

There is little or no systematic evidence that

A) the views of reporters distort news coverage in a more reactionary direction.
B) the views of reporters distort news coverage in a more conservative direction.
C) the views of reporters distort news coverage in a more Democratic direction.
D) reporters' views distort news coverage.
E) the views of reporters distort news coverage in a more Republican direction.

Question 53

The two Washington Post reporters who made American journalism history by their reporting on Watergate were

A) Woodward and McCord.
B) Bernstein and Greenberg.
C) Woodward and Bernstein.
D) Greenberg and Page.
E) Woodward and Greenstein.

Question 54

What is one impact of the limited and episodic coverage of foreign events by media??A) The public finds it difficult to form opinions about US foreign policy.
B) The public has detailed positions on foreign policy decisions of the US government.
C) Representatives in government often will not act on foreign issues without clear consent of the American people.
D) The public has an insatiable appetite for foreign policy news.
E) none of the above

Question 55

Most owners and top managers of most media corporations are

A) Democrats.
B) very conservative.
C) liberal.
D) Libertarian.
E) Independents.

Question 56

Governing templates have developed

A) because of censorship.
B) mainly on trivial and mundane stories.
C) because reporters and editors agree that the public knows what the big story looks like.
D) because most stories tend to be thematic.
E) on most issues except foreign policy issues.

Question 57

Novelty, drama, celebrity, and a high stakes story tend to define

A) ratings.
B) newsworthiness.
C) corporate ownership of media.
D) liberal bias.
E) informational reporting.

Question 58

News coverage of international events tends to

A) be episodic.
B) be more in-depth than domestic coverage.
C) emphasize the official versions of governments hostile to the U.S.
D) be sharply critical of U.S. foreign policy goals.
E) be thematic.

Question 59

Under the informal rules of objective journalism,

A) interpretations by journalists are worded in such a way that it is difficult for the reading public to determine when personal opinion is involved.
B) explicit interpretations by journalists are avoided, except for commentary or editorials that are labeled as such.
C) explicit interpretation by the television news media is specifically prohibited under the FCC's "Fairness Doctrine," and is therefore limited to the print media.
D) interpretations by journalists are permitted because the reading public can be relied on to be objective in its appraisal of news reports.
E) interpretations are important so that it is clear whether the journalist thinks an official is lying or not.

Question 60

The heavy reliance on official sources means that government officials may often be able to control

A) what advertisers will pay for on television.
B) what journalists report and how they report it.
C) what news wire service a corporation utilizes.
D) the bureaucracy.
E) whether a story will be reported in newspapers or on television.

Question 61

Fragmentation of news stories

A) describes the way news outlets have been proliferating and, at the same time, become more narrowly targeted towards specific audiences.
B) helps foster more thematic coverage of policy issues.
C) generates more detailed discussion of important policy debates.
D) helps promote a central and unifying political culture.
E) has increased gridlock in the federal government.

Question 62

Foreign policy news tends to be covered in what way??A) Episodically
B) Thematically
C) Without adequate framing
D) From a critical perspective
E) From an international perspective

Question 63

Commercial radio stations were established in

A) the 1910s.
B) the 1920s.
C) the 1930s.
D) the 1940s.
E) the 1950s

Question 64

________ rarely criticized in the mass media.

A) Individual corporations are
B) Incumbent politicians are
C) The press is
D) The American economic system is
E) Election challengers

Question 65

Over which form of media does the federal government have the greatest authority?

A) regional newspapers
B) local newspapers
C) tabloid magazines
D) electronic media.
E) the internet

Question 66

_________ is the notion that media influence what people consider important.

A) Priming
B) Framing
C) Agenda-setting
D) Objective journalism
E) New bias

Question 67

Which statement best describes American news coverage of foreign affairs?

A) News coverage tends to be highly critical of American foreign policy.
B) Official enemies of the U.S. are usually given negative treatment.
C) The press is always skeptical of official versions of foreign events.
D) News coverage of foreign governments is fairly consistent, even when events change the relationships among countries.
E) It takes on a balanced international-American perspective.

Question 68

Relatively free media access to the Vietnam War eventually

A) brought a flood of positive stories.
B) had little impact on media coverage; the media simply did not cover the war.
C) brought a flood of negative stories about war.
D) forced President Johnson to end the war.
E) forced President Johnson to resign from office.

Question 69

Which of the following is NOT a prevailing theme in political news?

A) Nationalism
B) Approval of American economics
C) Negativity
D) Scandal
E) Substantive and detailed coverage

Question 70

When the government attempts to prevent the publication of material to which it objects, we call this

A) prior restraint.
B) slander.
C) libel.
D) a constitutional governmental action.
E) obscene.

Question 71

Nationalism, together with a heavy reliance on U.S. government news sources, means that most foreign news coverage

A) is critical of American foreign policy.
B) is anti-American.
C) tends to agree with U.S. foreign policy.
D) is "dovish" in nature.
E) is balanced and fair.

Question 72

Television news tends to be

A) episodic and fragmented.
B) taken often out of context.
C) devoid of any historical background.
D) more entertaining than informative.
E) all of the above

Question 73

Under the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, the government

A) ensured protection for the press from censorship.
B) jailed newspaper editors critical of the administration.
C) heavily regulated the press.
D) housed foreign journalists persecuted in their home countries.
E) limited government access to only native-born American reporters.

Question 74

Political news tends to emphasize

A) nationalism.
B) a positive view of American economics.
C) negative stories.
D) scandal.
E) all of the above

Question 75

The Vietnam War was

A) the most recent war to be fully covered by television.
B) the first war to be fully covered by television.
C) an example of how television coverage does not influence public perception of events.
D) only covered by television during the last few years of the way.
E) none of the above

Question 76

The federal government has greater regulatory authority over

A) national newspapers.
B) local newspapers.
C) news magazines.
D) electronic media.
E) the internet.

Question 77

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 accomplished which of the following EXCEPT ?A) reduced restrictions on ownership across media.
B) limited media mergers over the following years.
C) removed most restrictions on the number of radio and television stations that a company could own in a single market.
D) removed most competitive restrictions on telecommunications companies.
E) provided new frequencies for HD television.

Question 78

Framing of news stories refers to

A) the interpretation of events.
B) advertisements surrounding the broadcasts.
C) experts who give supportive or critical commentary before or after a story.
D) whether the story is transmitted by television, radio, or print.
E) the bias of coverage.

Question 79

Studies show that what appears in the media

A) has little influence on people's policy preferences.
B) profoundly influences what people think about.
C) is arbitrarily decided by editors.
D) is not taken seriously by most people.
E) has a clear liberal bias

Question 80

Only under the most pressing circumstances of danger to national security can the government engage in ________ restraint and prevent publication of material to which it objects.

A) exclusionary
B) prior
C) alien and sedition
D) ex post facto
E) post