Deck 7: The Media

Question 1

All of the following are important roles for the media in American democracy EXCEPT

A)helping inform the public about current political issues and events.
B)providing a forum through which candidates, politicians, and even the public can debate policies and issues.
C)enabling privately owned companies to advertise their products to the public.
D)serving as a watchdog on the actions of politicians and other political actors.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The traditional news media aim to provide objective reporting on current events by

A)excluding the personal views of reporters or editors from their coverage.
B)including the personal views of reporters and editors in their coverage.
C)quoting only official government sources in their coverage.
D)quoting only nongovernment sources in their coverage.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

If a number of newspapers published stories exposing an elected official's acceptance of monetary bribes from a corporation in exchange for passing a particular law, it would be an example of the media serving their role as a

A)first branch.
B)first estate.
C)watchdog.
D)judge and jury.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The fact that a smaller and smaller number of companies owns a larger and larger share of the American media is concerning primarily because it

A)limits the ability of all news organizations to remain profitable.
B)violates the First Amendment to the Constitution.
C)increases the risk that politicians and citizens who express less popular or minority viewpoints will have difficulty finding a public forum.
D)increases the risk of government censorship.

Question 5

During the 2016 campaign, Hillary Clinton received ________amount of media coverage as Donald Trump.

A)double the
B)half the
C)one-tenth the
D)roughly the same

Question 6

The media are sometimes referred to as the "fourth branch of government" because

A)they receive a number of subsidies paid for through tax revenue.
B)they could not do their job without cooperation from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
C)they are explicitly discussed in Article IV of the Constitution.
D)they provide a check on the power of government and political leaders.

Question 7

Large media conglomerates, such as the Hearst, McClatchy, and Gannett corporations, own approximately ________ percent of daily newspapers.

A)25
B)40
C)55
D)75

Question 8

Public broadcasting in the United States

A)accounts for a much larger share of the media market than in other Western democracies, such as France, Germany, and Denmark.
B)accounts for a much smaller share of the media market than in other Western democracies, such as France, Germany, and Denmark.
C)accounts for roughly the same share of the media market as in other Western democracies, such as France, Germany, and Denmark.
D)is illegal under the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Question 9

Privately owned media companies in the United States earn most of their revenue from

A)advertising.
B)subscriptions.
C)government grants.
D)charitable donations.

Question 10

The trend in concentration of traditional media ownership occurred in large part due to

A)the relaxation of government regulations in the 1980s and 1990s.
B)government regulations enacted in the 1970s that required small media companies to sell their holdings to larger corporations.
C)the Supreme Court's decision in Red Lion Broadcasting Company v.FCC.
D)the federal government's decision to end the Fairness Doctrine in 1968.

Question 11

In the United States, freedom of the press is protected by

A)Article I of the Constitution.
B)the Declaration of Independence.
C)the First Amendment of the Constitution.
D)the Freedom of the Press Act of 1790.

Question 12

During the last decade, the number of newspaper journalists working in the United States has

A)grown by more than 40 percent.
B)decreased by 40 percent.
C)decreased by 100 percent.
D)remained constant.

Question 13

Advertising revenue at print newspapers is currently ________ what it was in 2005.

A)roughly equal to
B)one-tenth
C)half
D)more than double

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of a public broadcasting organization?

A)the New York Times
B)the American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
C)the National Broadcasting Network (NBC)
D)the National Public Radio (NPR)

Question 15

Much of the national news published in local newspapers is provided by

A)United Press International (UPI).
B)the Associated Press.
C)USA Today.
D)National Public Radio.

Question 16

Which of the following statements best characterizes the traditional news media's relationship to objectivity?

A)Given that completely objective reporting is unattainable because people inevitably have biases that shape their understanding of events, journalists do not attempt to be objective and report only one side of a story.
B)Although completely objective reporting is unattainable because people inevitably have biases that shape their understanding of events, journalists attempt to be objective by reporting both sides of a story.
C)Journalists are trained to be objective in their reporting, so their personal biases rarely matter and their coverage of events almost always succeeds in objectively presenting both sides of a story.
D)The Federal Communications Commission requires that all journalists sign a "pledge of objectivity" before being employed at a media company.

Question 17

Public broadcasting refers to any television, radio, and digital media that

A)receives funding from the public through license fees, subsidies, or tax dollars.
B)reports extensively on government officials and political issues.
C)sells subscriptions to members of the public.
D)makes its content available to the public at no cost.

Question 18

Which of the following is a good example of a media monopoly?

A)the New York Times
B)ESPN
C)NPR
D)Disney

Question 19

Which of the following stories would an American news outlet that relies primarily on advertising revenue be LEAST likely to cover?

A)a celebrity wedding
B)a sex scandal involving a high-ranking government official
C)an economics professor providing testimony to a congressional committee on the effect of tariffs
D)an attack advertisement from a presidential candidate that accuses her opponent of racially insensitive remarks

Question 20

Which of the following statements best characterizes media ownership in the United States?

A)Most of the country's television networks, movie studios, record companies, cable channels, book publishers, magazines, newspapers, and digital media sites are owned and operated by the federal government.
B)Most of the country's television networks, movie studios, record companies, cable channels, book publishers, magazines, newspapers, and digital media sites are owned and operated by state governments.
C)A small number of giant, privately owned corporations control most of the country's television networks, movie studios, record companies, cable channels, book publishers, magazines, newspapers, and digital media sites.
D)A large number of small, privately owned corporations control most of the country's television networks, movie studios, record companies, cable channels, book publishers, magazines, newspapers, and digital media sites.

Question 21

Which group is LEAST likely to have high-speed internet access at home?

A)whites
B)Asians
C)non-English-speaking Hispanics
D)African Americans

Question 22

"Filter bubbles" appear when

A)news aggregation sites include content from a wide variety of sources and give no preference to American media organizations.
B)search engines automatically screen out information that might challenge or broaden a person's worldview.
C)journalists choose to cover only those stories that are acceptable to advertisers.
D)people intentionally expose themselves to perspectives that challenge what they already believe to be true about the political world.

Question 23

The number of radio stations in the United States has grown from ________ in 1990 to more than ________ today.

A)100; 250
B)200; 300
C)300; 1,000
D)400; 2,000

Question 24

Individuals with home high-speed internet access and the technology and literacy skills to use it are called

A)pro-sumers.
B)digital citizens.
C)news aggregators.
D)online natives.

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a reason that many Americans appear to prefer online news?

A)the accuracy and objectivity compared to traditional media outlets
B)the depth of the information available online
C)the up-to-the-moment currency of the information available online
D)the convenience of getting news online

Question 26

Social media usage tends to

A)have very little impact on politics because most people already have strong political opinions that cannot be shaped by news events.
B)influence the opinions of older Americans only because younger Americans are more skeptical of the information found on social media.
C)exaggerate partisan polarization among the mass public because people pick their own friend networks and can avoid disagreeable ideas.
D)minimize partisan polarization among members of the mass public because people are exposed to new ideas and sources of information.

Question 27

News produced by individuals and organizations who are not employed as professional journalists is called

A)advocacy journalism.
B)adversarial journalism.
C)citizen journalism.
D)"fake news."

Question 28

Political information is increasingly emanating from universities, think tanks, nonprofit organizations, and private foundations because

A)politicians are far less likely to talk to journalists now than in the past.
B)the federal government has recently revoked laws that prevented these organizations from disseminating political information.
C)libel suits have led traditional news organizations to stop covering the vast majority of political issues and events.
D)traditional news organizations have cut their budgets and investigative journalism efforts in recent years.

Question 29

Facebook has more than ________ users worldwide.

A)100 million
B)500 million
C)2.2 billion
D)3.5 billion

Question 30

The practice of training reporters to produce a standardized, seemingly neutral news product was the result of

A)strikes and boycotts by journalists and newspaper readers during the early 1900s.
B)the newspaper industry's realization that the best way to make a profit was to not alienate potential readers who held liberal or conservative political views.
C)federal government regulations that made blatant instances of media bias illegal.
D)state government regulations that made blatant instances of media bias illegal.

Question 31

The term fake news is MOST accurately characterized as

A)news stories that criticize only one political party or candidate.
B)false news stories circulated to generate ad revenue or to benefit one political candidate or party over another.
C)news stories that reference anonymous sources.
D)news stories that are published on blogs or social media platforms.

Question 32

Political scientists sometimes describe social media as "the new dinner table" because

A)social media platforms are always free to use.
B)discussions of politics and current events on social media occur within a network of friends and family.
C)there are strong norms on social media platforms that discourage discussions of politics and current events.
D)social media platforms are often used for many different purposes, including completing homework assignments, paying bills, and researching job opportunities.

Question 33

The fact that only 63 percent of high school graduates have broadband internet access at home, while almost 90 percent of college graduates do, is an example of

A)the filter bubble.
B)collegiate privilege.
C)the digital divide.
D)the education dividend.

Question 34

Which of the following statements best describes where younger and older Americans get their news?

A)Social media tend to be a secondary news source after television for most Americans but a primary news source for the young.
B)Social media tend to be a primary news source after television for most Americans but a secondary news source for the young.
C)Social media has become the primary news source for Americans of all ages.
D)Despite an increase in the number of people who get their news through social media, newspapers remain the primary news source for Americans of all ages.

Question 35

Which of the following news sources reaches the MOST Americans?

A)radio
B)television
C)the internet
D)newspapers

Question 36

The greatest challenge for journalism organizations today is

A)obtaining access to high-level political leaders.
B)protecting themselves from libel and slander lawsuits.
C)generating enough revenue to finance traditional investigative journalism.
D)fact-checking the stories written by their journalists and columnists.

Question 37

It is estimated that more than ________ percent of Americans have a television.

A)50
B)66
C)75
D)95

Question 38

Google News, Reddit, and Real Clear Politics are good examples of

A)nonprofit journalism.
B)the penny press.
C)news aggregators.
D)niche journalism.

Question 39

Despite its widespread availability, ________ typically report(s) on the narrowest range of topics and provide(s) the least depth of news coverage.

A)radio
B)television
C)the internet
D)newspapers

Question 40

Digital subscription models in which people pay to access news content have proven to be a

A)profitable approach for many smaller or midsized local newspapers but not for elite, national newspapers.
B)profitable approach for many elite, national newspapers but not for smaller or midsized local newspapers.
C)profitable approach for all newspapers, regardless of their size and focus.
D)failure for all newspapers, regardless of their size and focus.

Question 41

If public concern and interest in data security issues increased after a number of television and newspaper stories about "hacking," it would be an example of the media's ________ power.

A)agenda-setting
B)framing
C)priming
D)indexing

Question 42

The power of the media to draw public attention to particular issues and problems is called

A)framing.
B)canvassing.
C)agenda-setting.
D)the bandwagon effect.

Question 43

The media's reporting of the Watergate affair led to

A)a fundamental change in the nation's libel laws.
B)President Richard Nixon's defeat in the 1972 election.
C)President Richard Nixon's resignation.
D)President Richard Nixon's reelection.

Question 44

The MOST important selection bias in news is the

A)ideology of the journalists.
B)audience appeal of a story.
C)economic interests of the media's owners.
D)approval of government regulators.

Question 45

According to political scientist Jonathan Ladd, trust in the mainstream media has declined over the last 50 years as a result of

A)the federal government's increasing regulation of news content.
B)the rising levels of education in the United States.
C)increased competition in party politics and journalism.
D)immigration and the end of the Cold War.

Question 46

Reporting in which the media adopt a skeptical or even hostile posture toward the government and public officials is referred to as

A)adversarial journalism.
B)yellow journalism.
C)niche journalism.
D)"fake news."

Question 47

In the Pentagon Papers case, the Supreme Court ruled that

A)President Nixon did not commit an impeachable offense.
B)President Nixon would be impeached.
C)the government could not block the release of the papers.
D)the government could block the release of any documents that were illegally leaked to the press.

Question 48

The dramatic rise in political information and the increasing diversity of the media have

A)led to massive increases in the average levels of political knowledge in the American public.
B)led to massive decreases in the average levels of political knowledge in the American public.
C)had very little impact on the average levels of political knowledge in the American public.
D)made political knowledge tests obsolete.

Question 49

In recent years, ________ has released thousands of secret government documents, exposing government corruption, torture, and war crimes.

A)the New York Times
B)the Washington Post
C)WikiLeaks
D)Twitter

Question 50

The ability to find and effectively evaluate information online is referred to as

A)search sophistication.
B)information literacy.
C)e-ability.
D)i-capacity.

Question 51

The Pentagon Papers were released as a result of

A)President Nixon's repudiation of the Johnson administration's strategy in Vietnam.
B)investigations led by Washington Post reporters in 1972.
C)a leak by a minor Defense Department staffer.
D)a Freedom of Information Act request by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Question 52

Priming refers to the

A)bias that news organizations show toward covering dramatic and entertaining stories.
B)process of preparing the public to bring specific criteria to mind when evaluating a politician or issue.
C)tendency that people have to seek out news sources that confirm their prior beliefs about politics.
D)fact that many important news stories go uncovered by the mainstream media.

Question 53

A widely circulated story that the pope endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2016 was a good example of

A)"fake news."
B)adversarial journalism.
C)yellow journalism.
D)nonprofit journalism.

Question 54

Besides their ideological biases, journalists also exhibit selection biases in favor of news stories they view as

A)favorable to leaders and issues they support.
B)having a great deal of dramatic or entertainment value.
C)sympathetic to the government as a whole.
D)critical of leaders and issues they oppose.

Question 55

Edward Snowden is MOST known for

A)creating and maintaining the WikiLeaks site.
B)leaking the Pentagon Papers to the press.
C)leaking the material that revealed widespread global surveillance programs by the U.S.government and major telecommunication companies.
D)leaking information about the Iraq War to the press while serving as Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff.

Question 56

________ is the power the media has to shape what issues Americans think about, and ________ is the power the media has to influence how Americans think about those issues.

A)Agenda-setting; framing
B)Framing; agenda-setting
C)Framing; priming
D)Priming; framing

Question 57

According to political scientist Amber Boydstun, the media has a(n) ________ for breaking stories and a(n) ________ for covering them in greater depth.

A)"alarm mode"; "patrol mode"
B)"patrol mode"; "alarm mode"
C)"horse race mode"; "watchdog mode"
D)"watchdog mode"; "horse race mode"

Question 58

The fact that Democrats referred to the Obama administration's health care initiative as "reform" instead of as "rationing" is an example of

A)agenda-setting.
B)framing.
C)sound bites.
D)adversarial journalism.

Question 59

Which of the following statements best describes the media's role in the Watergate affair?

A)Relentless investigations by journalists revealed various abuses of power by President Nixon and led to his resignation.
B)Journalists did not investigate the Watergate affair until after President Nixon resigned.
C)Journalists investigated the Watergate affair but uncovered no wrongdoing on the part of President Nixon.
D)The journalistic reporting of the Watergate affair was filled with errors and led to government attempts to regulate the print media's coverage.

Question 60

Low-level officials who hope to publicize what they view as their bosses' or the government's improper activities are usually called

A)bell ringers.
B)whistle-blowers.
C)adversarial journalists.
D)watchdogs.

Question 61

In Red Lion Broadcasting Company v.FCC (1969), the Supreme Court upheld the

A)fairness doctrine.
B)right of rebuttal.
C)equal time rule.
D)framing doctrine.

Question 62

The Communications Decency Act was struck down by the Supreme Court because it violated the

A)First Amendment's right to freedom of speech.
B)Federal Communications Commission's equal time rule.
C)Federal Communications Commission's right of rebuttal.
D)Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause.

Question 63

The ________ provides candidates for the same political office equal opportunities to communicate their messages.

A)equal time rule
B)fairness doctrine
C)diversity in media doctrine
D)Communications Decency Act

Question 64

If a television station sold commercial time to a Republican candidate for governor but refused to sell time to the Democratic candidate for governor, this station would be in violation of the

A)Telecommunications Act of 1996.
B)fairness doctrine.
C)equal time rule.
D)Communications Decency Act.

Question 65

Newspapers, television, and radio are the three most important nondigital sources of information for Americans attempting to learn about politics.Write an essay that evaluates these three news sources in contemporary American politics.What are some of the distinct characteristics of each medium? How do the sources differ from each other in terms of the ways in which they disseminate news as well as the audiences they reach?

Question 66

Which of the following requires a Federal Communications Commission license in order to legally broadcast in the United States?

A)satellite radio channels
B)cable television stations
C)internet websites
D)over-the-air television stations

Question 67

The Federal Communications Commission

A)was established in 1949 by President Harry Truman.
B)licenses radio but not television stations.
C)bans explicit sexual and excretory references on airwaves during certain hours of the day.
D)regulates newspapers.

Question 68

In the United States today, the government

A)controls most media content through regulations and tightly controlled press briefings.
B)owns, but does not control, the major sources of media.
C)does not own but regulates the content and ownership of broadcast media.
D)heavily regulates print media but imposes no regulations on radio and television broadcasts.

Question 69

Digital media have revolutionized the way Americans get their news.Discuss the requirements of digital citizenship and how these requirements produce the so-called digital divide.In addition, weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the internet as a tool for Americans to learn about politics.

Question 70

Which media source is regulated by the federal government?

A)newspapers
B)television
C)magazines
D)the internet

Question 71

In 1985, the federal government stopped enforcing the ________, arguing that it was no longer necessary due to the increasing number of television and radio stations.

A)fairness doctrine
B)right of rebuttal
C)equal time rule
D)Communications Decency Act

Question 72

The fairness doctrine required that

A)all network news reports be balanced and fair-minded or they would be labeled editorials.
B)broadcasters who aired controversial issues provide time for opposing viewpoints.
C)all regulated newspapers establish a section of the editorial page for letters from readers.
D)all broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office with equal opportunities to communicate their messages to the public.

Question 73

If a radio station aired a personal attack against a candidate but refused to allow the same candidate the opportunity to respond to that attack on its station, the station would be in violation of the

A)Telecommunications Act of 1996.
B)fairness doctrine.
C)right of rebuttal.
D)Communications Decency Act.

Question 74

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is owned by

A)the government, but it is allowed to report whatever it wants.
B)a private corporation, but it is not allowed to report anything without first receiving government approval.
C)the government and is not allowed to report anything without first receiving government approval.
D)a private corporation and is allowed to report whatever it wants.

Question 75

The frequent reporting on the federal investigation by Robert Mueller regarding whether anyone close to Trump participated in Russia's 2016 election interference is an example of the
Media's commitment to

A)adversarial journalism.
B)yellow journalism.
C)niche journalism.
D)"fake news."

Question 76

The Communications Decency Act

A)made it illegal to make "indecent" sexual material on the internet accessible to those under age 18.
B)made it illegal to broadcast explicit sexual and excretory references between 6 A.M.and 10 P.M.on the radio and on television.
C)imposed a tax on all websites containing obscene material.
D)required that individuals be given the opportunity to respond to personal attacks broadcast on radio and television.

Question 77

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was important because it

A)ended the federal government's licensing of radio and television stations.
B)established the fairness doctrine.
C)allowed for less concentration of media ownership than had been possible since regulation of the industry began in 1934.
D)allowed for greater concentration of media ownership than had been possible since regulation of the industry began in 1934.

Question 78

The Vietnam War initiated the growth of ________ journalism.

A)yellow
B)adversarial
C)corporate-driven
D)government-regulated

Question 79

Which agency regulates broadcast media?

A)Federal Bureau of Investigation
B)Federal Communications Commission
C)Public Broadcast System
D)Department of Commerce

Question 80

The First Amendment assigns a special place for the media by protecting freedom of speech and freedom of the press.What are the three primary roles that the media should serve in a democratic society? What are some of the challenges the American media faces in fulfilling these roles? In your answer, be sure to address the impact of the profit motive in American media coverage and the country's unique system of media ownership.