Deck 12: The Media the Media

Question 1

 America has a long tradition of media that are 

A) objective. 
B) centralized. 
C) government-friendly. 
D) primarily concerned with governmental policy. 
E) privately owned.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

 Which statement is correct about libel laws? 

A) Laws governing libel are much stricter in Great Britain than in the United States, making it easier for British politicians to sue newspapers for publishing articles that defame or ridicule them. 
B) Laws governing libel are much stricter in the United States than in Great Britain, making it easier for American politicians to sue newspapers for publishing articles that defame or ridicule them. 
C) The Official Secrets Act in the United States makes it difficult for reporters to publish stories dealing with national security. 
D) The Freedom of Information Act in Great Britain makes it easy for reporters to get access to many public documents. 
E) None of these are correct.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

 A 2004 study found the average length of "sound bites" on the evening news to be less than __________ seconds. 

A) 4 seconds 
B) 8 seconds 
C) 16 seconds 
D) 32 seconds 
E) 64 seconds

Answer 3

B

Question 4

 News coverage by the Associated Press had to be nonpartisan because 

A) its funding came from the federal government. 
B) its reporters' standards were highly professional. 
C) government regulations required it. 
D) it served papers of various political hues. 
E) its managers held the parties in contempt.

Question 5

 Americans are beginning to rely more on __________ as their source for news. 

A) the Internet 
B) radio 
C) local TV news 
D) newspapers 
E) cable TV news

Question 6

 Since 1980,the audience for nightly news programs has dropped by more than 

A) a quarter. 
B) half. 
C) three quarters. 
D) ninety percent. 
E) ninety-nine percent.

Question 7

 The liberal Daily Kos and the conservative Power Line are examples of 

A) blogs. 
B) newspapers. 
C) magazines. 
D) cable news stations. 
E) vlogs.

Question 8

 The United States restricts the press __________ other democratic nations do. 

A) usually less than, but sometimes more than 
B) about as much as 
C) much more than 
D) much less than 
E) usually more than, but sometimes less than

Question 9

 Which of the following statements about newspapers during the early years of the republic is true? 

A) Newspapers then were cheaper than today. 
B) Early newspapers made little or no attempt to appear objective. 
C) Early newspapers were supported by paid advertising. 
D) Early newspapers were read avidly by both the elite and the masses. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 10

 In this country,the libel laws make it almost impossible to prevent press criticisms of 

A) public figures. 
B) the military. 
C) the education system. 
D) dead persons. 
E) persons with jobs in the private sector.

Question 11

 To attract large readership to their papers,Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst had their newspapers focus on 

A) objectivity in their coverage. 
B) sensationalism in their coverage. 
C) partisanship in their coverage. 
D) only domestic stories. 
E) only international stories.

Question 12

 Newspapers are limited in the amount of slanting they can get away with in part because 

A) they have to satisfy many different people, from advertisers to editors, to make money. 
B) the law limits the amount of distortion in the news. 
C) newspaper editors in the United States have a strong commitment to non-biased news. 
D) newspapers employ the best reporters. 
E) newspaper owners are terrified of libel suits, and so stick only to the facts.

Question 13

 The term yellow journalism was coined to describe media sensationalism in what era? 

A) The early days of the republic 
B) The time of the Civil War 
C) The turn of the century 
D) Post-World War II 
E) The Great Depression

Question 14

 The Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration was first exposed by 

A) opposition research by the Democratic Party. 
B) the FBI. 
C) a private detective. 
D) the Washington Post. 
E) donors who were unhappy with Nixon.

Question 15

 In the early years of the republic,newspapers were financially supported by 

A) advertising. 
B) payments from the Associated Press. 
C) subsidies from political parties and politicians. 
D) mass circulation. 
E) religious clubs and organizations.

Question 16

 Most Americans rely on __________ as their primary source for news. 

A) the Internet 
B) radio 
C) television 
D) Facebook 
E) Twitter

Question 17

 Adults under 30 are least likely to get their news from 

A) print newspapers. 
B) TV. 
C) the Internet. 
D) radio. 
E) All of these are about the same.

Question 18

 The Nation,the Atlantic Monthly,and Harper's were 

A) mass-circulation magazines founded during the early 1900s. 
B) magazines specializing in yellow journalism during the mid-1800s. 
C) newspapers sponsored by the political parties of the early 1800s. 
D) the first magazines to present public policy issues during the mid-1800s. 
E) newspapers specializing in party news and election reports founded during the early 1900s.

Question 19

 The medium that first allowed public officials to reach the public in a relatively unfiltered manner was 

A) the national magazine. 
B) the national newspaper. 
C) radio. 
D) television. 
E) the Internet.

Question 20

 For all their excesses,the sensationalist mass newspapers of the late nineteenth century effected several important changes in the press,including 

A) freeing the press from government control. 
B) encouraging cultural diversity in U.S. society. 
C) limiting the role of technology in journalism. 
D) giving greater power to a social elite. 
E) giving greater power to a political elite.

Question 21

 A policy leaked to the press to see how it plays out with the public is known as 

A) a revolving door. 
B) fake news. 
C) a sound bite. 
D) a trial balloon. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 22

 States whose capital cities have a vigorous press have less corruption because the media in those states act as 

A) gatekeepers. 
B) scorekeepers. 
C) watchdogs. 
D) game framers. 
E) whistleblowers.

Question 23

 When the Israeli general Ariel Sharon sued Time magazine for libel,the jury decided that 

A) Time's stories on Sharon were accurate. 
B) Time had libeled Sharon and must pay damages. 
C) Time had libeled Sharon but not maliciously. 
D) Sharon lacked standing to sue in a U.S. court. 
E) Sharon had shown no true case or controversy.

Question 24

 Since the 1980s,broadcasting licenses are automatically renewed unless 

A) the station has been found guilty of broadcasting obscenity. 
B) some community group formally objects. 
C) the station has been found to criticize the government unfairly. 
D) the station's ownership has changed. 
E) the station's ownership has not changed for a considerable period of time.

Question 25

 Media coverage of politics that focuses on polling is __________ coverage or horse-race coverage. 

A) gatekeeper 
B) watchdog 
C) scorekeeper 
D) whistleblower 
E) muckraker

Question 26

 The federal government sued the New York Times to prevent it from publishing 

A) accounts of Japanese Americans detained in U.S. concentration camps during World War II. 
B) the Pentagon Papers. 
C) secret grand jury findings on the Watergate scandal. 
D) reports of Reagan's arms-for-hostages dealings. 
E) videotapes of G. Gordon Liddy orchestrating a break-in.

Question 27

 According to the text,reporters rely on scorekeeping and horse-race coverage because 

A) it is easy. 
B) the people like it. 
C) it allows reporters to act independently of the party elite. 
D) people find substantive reporting dull. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 28

 The television weekly "60 Minutes" runs a segment on the role of local politicians in the drug trade.The issue soon becomes the subject of national debate.In these circumstances,"60 Minutes" is acting as a(n) 

A) gatekeeper. 
B) scorekeeper. 
C) watchdog. 
D) investigator. 
E) game framer.

Question 29

 The Carter-Reagan debate in 1980 was sponsored by the League of Women Voters (LWV)because 

A) the LWV had an exclusive license for that purpose. 
B) the LWV threatened to sue the networks. 
C) both candidates wanted an impartial forum. 
D) the fairness doctrine did not apply. 
E) that arrangement allowed circumvention of the equal access rule.

Question 30

 Which of the following media is subject to the greatest amount of government regulation? 

A) Radio 
B) Local newspapers 
C) National newspapers 
D) The Internet 
E) Magazines

Question 31

 For a newspaper to be found guilty of libeling a public official,the accused party must 

A) prove beyond reasonable doubt that what was printed was damaging, even if it was printed accidentally. 
B) sue the reporter who wrote the story and not the newspaper that published it. 
C) sue the newspaper that published the story and not the reporter who wrote it. 
D) provide clear and convincing evidence that what was printed was malicious. 
E) establish that what was printed could have been interpreted in more than one manner.

Question 32

 A newspaper can print your name and picture 

A) only with your consent 
B) if they are part of a news story of some conceivable public interest 
C) if it wants to 
D) only if you are a public figure 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 33

 In general,what position has the Supreme Court taken on the government's right to compel reporters to divulge information concerning the commission of a crime? 

A) It has ruled against that right. 
B) It has upheld that right. 
C) It has avoided ruling on that right. 
D) It would like to rule on that right, but no relevant case has ever been brought before it. 
E) It has ruled in a contradictory manner.

Question 34

 In New York v.Farber,the Supreme Court ruled that 

A) the accused person's right to a fair trial does not include the right to compel the production of evidence, except from reporters 
B) the accused person's right to a fair trial includes the right to compel the production of evidence, but not from reporters 
C) the accused person's right to a fair trial includes the right to compel the production of evidence, even from reporters 
D) the accused person's right to a fair trial does not include the right to compel the production of evidence 
E) where reporters are involved, the accused person no longer has the right to a fair trial

Question 35

 The __________ is responsible for regulating radio and television broadcasting. 

A) National Public Radio 
B) American Broadcast Organization 
C) Federal Communications Commission 
D) Federal Exchange Commission 
E) Office of Television in the Department of Commerce

Question 36

 In 2005,the reporter Judith Miller of The New York Times spent 85 days in jail because she would not reveal the name of the individual who told her the name of a CIA employee.Why was the government able to hold her for so long? 

A) There is no federal shield law that protects journalists. 
B) The state that she was in did not have a state shield law. 
C) The issue was a matter of national security. 
D) The reporter had written a libelous article. 
E) The reporter leaked confidential information.

Question 37

 When the Supreme Court upheld the right of the police to search newspaper offices,Congress responded by passing legislation that 

A) prevented police from conducting such searches without a subpoena. 
B) made it easier for the police to lawfully conduct future searches. 
C) forbade such searches, except in special cases. 
D) completely banned the police from securing records of newspaper offices. 
E) required police to obtain a search warrant before conducting such searches.

Question 38

 Compared with the print media,the electronic media are 

A) less competitive but more strictly regulated. 
B) more competitive but less strictly regulated. 
C) more competitive and more strictly regulated. 
D) less competitive and less strictly regulated. 
E) less competitive and completely free of regulation.

Question 39

 The text states that the media typically report presidential elections as horse races.This means that they 

A) have an instinctive desire to expose scandals. 
B) play the roles of gatekeeper, scorekeeper, and watchdog in a presidential campaign. 
C) seek opportunities to write background or interpretive stories about issues in the campaign. 
D) focus more on the contest itself than on the issues of the campaign. 
E) have an instinctive desire to investigate personalities.

Question 40

 Recent years have seen a shift toward __________ regulation of broadcasting. 

A) less fair 
B) fairer 
C) more 
D) less 
E) decentralized

Question 41

 The abandonment of the fairness doctrine permitted 

A) liberals to have more access to mainstream media. 
B) small-business owners to restrict access. 
C) the rise of controversial talk radio. 
D) politicians to regulate media more directly. 
E) interest groups to have greater influence on elections.

Question 42

 In places where a local paper has closed,citizens 

A) are neither better nor worse off than they were before. 
B) know more about the issues and are more politically active. 
C) know more about the issues but are less politically active. 
D) are more politically active while knowing less about the issues. 
E) know less about the issues and are less politically active.

Question 43

 Local newspaper reporting on local politics is in decline because 

A) circulation and advertising revenue are down. 
B) no one reads newspapers anymore. 
C) national news outlets have replaced local reporting. 
D) there are too many reporters covering state and local politics to run them in the local papers. 
E) local news is not important.

Question 44

 What made it possible for the Internet to replace TV as many Americans' primary news source? 

A) Competition between Internet and traditional media 
B) The expansion of broadband connections 
C) Increased media bias in traditional media 
D) More television being offered through the web 
E) Less regulation of the Internet as compared to other media.

Question 45

 In comparison with the general public,the national news media tends to be 

A) less likely to have any particular ideological leaning. 
B) more politically moderate. 
C) more liberal. 
D) more conservative. 
E) more intelligent.

Question 46

 The equal time rule obliges stations 

A) that sell advertising to one political candidate to sell equal time to that person's opponent. 
B) to allow all candidates the opportunity to participate in debates. 
C) to provide all candidates the chance to appear in news stories. 
D) to provide equal news coverage of the campaigns of all candidates. 
E) to allow candidates equal time to respond to the airing of any of their opponents' criticisms.

Question 47

 The ability of the media to influence which issues the public uses to assess its political leaders is 

A) priming. 
B) framing. 
C) agenda setting. 
D) media bias. 
E) watchdog journalism.

Question 48

 According to the text,the first president to raise cultivation of the media to an art form was 

A) Theodore Roosevelt. 
B) Woodrow Wilson. 
C) Herbert Hoover. 
D) Franklin Roosevelt. 
E) William McKinley.

Question 49

 The FCC rarely enforces the rule that 

A) certain words cannot be used on air. 
B) each hour on TV can only contain 16 minutes of commercials. 
C) nudity cannot be on TV. 
D) cable companies cannot have graphic violence. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 50

 In Near v.Minnesota,the Court ruled that state governments  

A) could not censor the press. 
B) could censor the press. 
C) could not censor the Internet. 
D) could censor the Internet. 
E) could not censor anything that the government couldn't.

Question 51

 In recent presidential elections,media coverage has tended to be more __________ compared to previous elections. 

A) positive. 
B) negative. 
C) issue oriented. 
D) poll-based. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 52

 While a majority of newspaper reporters are democrats and liberals,bias is limited in part by 

A) journalistic norms of objectivity. 
B) federal laws. 
C) the conservative bent of media corporation owners. 
D) newspapers bias against incumbent politicians. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 53

 Public distrust of the media 

A) appears to be growing. 
B) has remained about the same for three decades. 
C) appears to be decreasing. 
D) has never been studied in any rigorous manner. 
E) has decreased for persons who read magazines of opinion.

Question 54

 The press secretary heads a large staff that 

A) meets with reporters. 
B) briefs the president on questions he is likely to be asked 
C) attempts to control the flow of news from cabinet departments to the press 
D) arranges briefings for out-of-town editors. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 55

 Horse-race journalism concerns the critics because they feel such coverage 

A) cannot adequately predict who will win or lose a race. 
B) ignores the importance of issues. 
C) places too much emphasis on personalities and public personas. 
D) relies almost entirely on second- and third-hand reporting. 
E) rarely has an impact on the flow of campaign contributions.

Question 56

 The assumption that the media talking about something is a cue that the topic is important is an example of  

A) priming. 
B) framing. 
C) agenda-setting. 
D) media bias. 
E) watchdog journalism.

Question 57

 In New York Times v.Sullivan,the Supreme Court ruled that public officials may not win a libel suit unless they can prove not only that the statement was false,but also that 

A) it was false to a ludicrous degree. 
B) the writer knew it was false or had a reckless disregard for the truth. 
C) no reasonable person would have been able to discern its falseness without significant effort. 
D) any reasonable person would have been able to discern its falseness without significant effort. 
E) the writer honestly believed it to be true.

Question 58

 Selective exposure occurs 

A) when citizens only hear one side of an issue: the one they disagree agree with. 
B) when citizens only hear one side of an issue: the one they agree with. 
C) when media outlets only cover one side of a story. 
D) when media outlets do not cover a story at all. 
E) bloggers get to a story before the traditional media does.

Question 59

 According to the text,why is the public less trusting of the media today than in 1970? 

A) The public thinks the press does not focus enough on campaigns. 
B) The public worries about media consolidation. 
C) The public finds the media too bland and neutral. 
D) The public's distrust of politicians turns them against politicians' endorsement of the media. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 60

 During the 2016 presidential election,some news outlets reported that Hillary Clinton had sold weapons to ISIS and that Donald Trump had been endorsed by the Pope.These stories are examples of  

A) scorekeeping. 
B) framing. 
C) priming. 
D) fake news. 
E) agenda-setting.

Question 61

 In recent years,public trust in the news media has increased. 

Question 62

 Horse-race journalism places excessive emphasis on the issues and positions that candidates take. 

Question 63

 Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post played a key role in the downfall of the administration of Richard Nixon. 

Question 64

 The average news sound bite for a presidential contender drooped from 42 seconds in 1968 to under 8 seconds in 2004. 

Question 65

 It is more difficult in America than in other countries to prove that a newspaper story was obscene or libelous. 

Question 66

 There has been a decline in the number of daily newspapers that serve large communities. 

Question 67

 Because of the Internet,more people have incidental exposure to political knowledge today than was the case a generation ago. 

Question 68

 When it comes to news,the Internet is dominated by a few sites and should not be considered a free market of news coverage. 

Question 69

 Young people are the only demographic group consistently reading newspapers at substantial levels. 

Question 70

 The text suggests that the abandonment of the fairness doctrine gave rise to controversial talk-radio hosts. 

Question 71

 Writers for the national press tend to be more liberal than the American people as a whole. 

Question 72

 In the early years of the republic,newspapers were commonly sponsored by the political parties. 

Question 73

 Most Americans get their political news from the Internet. 

Question 74

 Some people may have voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election because they read a story on Facebook about Hillary Clinton selling weapons to ISIS. 

Question 75

 When it comes to politics,Old Media is not being threatened by New Media. 

Question 76

 Most Americans get their news exclusively from partisan presses that reinforce their existing views. 

Question 77

 The effect of the appearance of the Associated Press in 1848 was to further increase the partisan and biased nature of reporting. 

Question 78

 More people read blogs than essays in magazines. 

Question 79

 Early in American history,almost everything that was printed was an expression of opinion. 

Question 80

 The presidential press secretary is a relatively new White House position,dating from the Hoover administration.