Deck 5: The Media: Elite-Mass Communication

Question 1

According to a 2011 poll, 66% 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

The news media deciding what news stories and who should be in the news is _________.

A) news-making
B) persuasion
C) agenda-setting
D) interpretation

Answer 2

C

Question 3

This prevents the government from censoring the news presented by the media regardless of content.

A) National security
B) Blackstone principle
C) Reporter's privilege
D) Prior restraint

Answer 3

D

Question 4

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) print or broadcast classified information.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 5

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

A) It obscures other important issues.
B) It goes against unwritten journalistic ethics.
C) It decreases the number of people watching the news.
D) It keeps most qualified people from participating in the government.

Question 6

What current newspaper has the largest circulation across all mediums?

A) New York Times
B) Wall Street Journal
C) USA Today
D) Washington Post

Question 7

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

A) issue attention cycle.
B) prior restraint.
C) editorial privilege.
D) agenda-setting.

Question 8

The media's socialization function is to

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

Question 9

To protect military secrets from being made public, such as Wikileaks, 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 10

The vast amount of political persuasion takes place during __________________.

A) nightly news coverage
B) political press conferences
C) political campaigns
D) news scandals

Question 11

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 12

Political functions of the mass media includes

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

Question 13

______________ occurs when the masses have feelings of distrust, powerlessness, and disaffection stemming from television's emphasis on the negative in politics.

A) Television malaise
B) News-setting
C) Mass social problem
D) Political socialization

Question 14

As the masses move to mobile devices for news sources,

A) masses control the flow of new information.
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 15

The majority of local news media identify themselves as ______________.

A) Liberal
B) Conservative
C) Moderate
D) Libertarian

Question 16

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 17

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

Question 18

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.

Question 19

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 20

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

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

Question 21

Polls taken during campaigns provide information on

A) the effectiveness of the campaign's theme.
B) name recognition, favorable images, and voter concerns.
C) the determination of the candidate's progress.
D) all of the above.

Question 22

____________ is when the new media focuses on who is ahead or behind in the polls and fund raising.

A) Television malaise
B) Horse race journalism
C) Slander
D) Libel

Question 23

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

Question 24

For those using the internet for news, what internet site is the most used?

A) Yahoo
B) msn
C) Google
D) msnbc

Question 25

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 26

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

Question 27

What Congressional act was struck down by the Supreme Court for violation of the First Amendment?

A) Decency of the Internet Act
B) Internet Censorship Act
C) Communications Decency Act
D) Internet Decency Act

Question 28

_______________ has become popular by combing both political news and entertainment as done by the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.

Question 29

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 30

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 31

Which of the following is a media bias?

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

Question 32

These are the media elites that have the most impact on public opinion.

A) On-air personalities
B) the President
C) Independent experts
D) Interest groups

Question 33

What is the only "conservative" news station on television?

A) CNN
B) Fox
C) NBC
D) ABC

Question 34

The strongest effect by media elites on the masses is _____________________.

A) cognition and comprehension
B) public opinion
C) behavior
D) attitudes and values

Question 35

News stories about presidential candidates are typically __________ in nature.

A) Negative
B) Positive
C) Neutral
D) Positive, but only for incumbents

Question 36

A candidate can convey a favorable image on television by

A) visiting nursing homes.
B) making campaign stops at various locations such as a pig farm.
C) working as a manual laborer for a day.
D) All of the above

Question 37

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 38

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

Question 39

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

Question 40

What court case allowed the media to be protected by the First Amendment when publishing classified material?

A) US v. New York Times
B) New York Times v. Sullivan
C) US v. Nixon
D) US v. Clinton

Question 41

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

Question 42

Billionaire Rupert Murdoch broke up the liberal bias monopoly and bought ______________ News network.

Question 43

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

Question 44

Roughly 40% of Americans consider themselves to be conservative.

Question 45

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

Question 46

President Obama refused to allow _____________ to press events at the White House after receiving unfavorable coverage.

Question 47

_______________ are four times more likely to be liberal compared to the mass public.

Question 48

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

Question 49

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

Question 50

The social problem with freedom of expression is that it ignores the freedoms of those who disagree with the news stories being reported.

Question 51

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

Question 52

The __________________ is based on the Supreme Court ruling that the media must have a "reckless disregard" if reporting unfavorable news.

Question 53

The government cannot sensor the new media under the First Amendment due to _______________.

Question 54

The television news broadcasts are still the major news source for Americans.

Question 55

The _________________ and the ______________are significant sources of political information for younger television viewers.

Question 56

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

Question 57

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

Question 58

Regarding the media effect on mass behavior, television appears more likely to ____________________ behavioral tendencies socially and politically

Question 59

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

Question 60

____________________ campaigning stresses the opponent's weaknesses.

Question 61

What role does the television play in the selection and subsequent election of political candidates? Use examples where appropriate.

Question 62

The government has multiple checks on media power.

Question 63

Given the information from the chapter, can the news media be restrained? If so, how?

Question 64

Explain the relationship between the media elite and the masses.

Question 65

Candidates, even in the primaries, are decided by the media and media elites.

Question 66

The percentage of people getting their news from online sources has decreased to only 20% in the past few years.

Question 67

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

Question 68

Does the news media bias help or hinder democratic values and the political system? Explain.

Question 69

No serious political candidate can be without an internet presence, including Facebook and a webpage.

Question 70

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

Question 71

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

Question 72

With younger generations, how has political entertainment and the internet changed their political ideology and beliefs?

Question 73

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

Question 74

Television advertising costs have led to decreasing the costs of a political campaign.

Question 75

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

Question 76

Media are very successful at changing voter behavior.

Question 77

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

Question 78

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

Question 79

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

Question 80

The media are most effective at changing public opinion.