Deck 7: The News and Social Media

Question 1

For libel to be brought by a public figure, he or she must prove _________, that the publisher knew the material was false or acted in reckless disregard of whether it was true or false, has occurred.

A) actual malice
B) slander
C) intended harm
D) restraint
E) negligence

Answer 1

A

Question 2

__________, which began publication in Boston in 1690, had only a few pages and was more a pamphlet than a newspaper during the colonial era.

A) Two Treatises of Government
B) The Boston Globe
C) The New York Weekly Journal
D) Public Occurrences
E) The Evening Post

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In 1934, Congress created the __________, now a powerful agency that regulates all forms of electronic media, including radio, television and cable television, cell phones, and even wireless networks.

A) Central Intelligence Agency
B) Federal Communications Commission
C) Federal Media Agency
D) National Broadcasting Association
E) National Broadcasting Commission

Answer 3

B

Question 4

________ refers to news sources such as newspapers, television, radio, and the Internet that provide a large audience with information about the nation and the world.  

A) Mass media
B) Social media
C) Muckrakers
D) Watchdogs
E) Electronic media

Question 5

A subset of the mass media that provide the news of the day gathered and reported by journalists is known as

A) the Internet.
B) radio.
C) blogs.
D) news media.
E) public opinion.

Question 6

The Court required proof of actual malice to convict in a libel suit in

A) Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire.
B) Near v. Minnesota.
C) New York Times v. Sullivan.
D) the Pentagon Papers case.
E) Schenck v. United States.

Question 7

__________ is the government's ability to restrict the publication of sensitive material.

A) Censorship
B) Due process
C) Media monitoring
D) Habeas corpus
E) Prior restraint

Question 8

The modern landmark case (1971) on the freedom of the press was

A) Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire.
B) Near v. Minnesota.
C) New York Times v. Sullivan.
D) the Pentagon Papers .
E) Schenck v. United States.

Question 9

Which amendment to the Constitution protects the freedom of the press?

A) First Amendment
B) Second Amendment
C) Fourth Amendment
D) Fifth Amendment
E) Ninth Amendment

Question 10

When reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein researched and revealed information about the Watergate scandal, they demonstrated the media's role of

A) entertaining.
B) investigating.
C) inquiring.
D) interpreting.
E) evaluating.

Question 11

__________ is the publication of false and damaging information about someone.

A) Fraud
B) Libel
C) Negligence
D) Prior restraint
E) Slander

Question 12

The __________ scandal, uncovered by two reporters from the Washington Post , revealed questionable activities in the Richard Nixon administration.

A) Bay of Pigs
B) Irangate
C) Monica Lewinsky
D) Watergate
E) Checkers

Question 13

Over time, the concentration of media ownership has ________ due to more lax FCC control.

A) grown
B) shrunk
C) remained unchanged
D) become unattainable
E) disappeared

Question 14

In the landmark Pentagon Papers case , the Supreme Court ruled that the government

A) had not proven that actual malice had been used by the New York Times.
B) had violated the civil liberties of Woodward and Bernstein.
C) had engaged in illegal activities in pursuing war in Vietnam.
D) had met the burden of proof needed for prior restraint.
E) had not met the extraordinary burden of proof needed for prior restraint.

Question 15

When a newspaper decides to put a news story about a senatorial race on the front page while putting an article about a local firefighter on page seven of the paper, it is engaging in the ________ function of the news.

A) investigating
B) informing
C) interpreting
D) inciting
E) inducting

Question 16

At the heart of democracy lies the ability for the press to inform the people free from government interference, a role known as

A) watchman.
B) trendsetter.
C) opinion creator.
D) muckraker.
E) watchdog.

Question 17

The media are comprised of news sources, including all of the following EXCEPT

A) newspapers.
B) television.
C) personal correspondence.
D) radio.
E) the Internet.

Question 18

In __________, the Court ruled that only in exceptionally rare cases could the government stop the printing of a story, overturning a conviction and invalidating the law that led to the conviction.

A) Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire
B) Near v. Minnesota
C) New York Times v. Sullivan
D) FCC v. Fox Television Stations
E) Schenck v. United States

Question 19

Which of the following is a potential problem with concentrated media ownership?

A) It may result in government restrictions on competition.
B) It may result in a limited watchdog function.
C) It may result in too much competition.
D) It may result in information overload.
E) It may result in too much accountability to the public.

Question 20

The mass media help ensure government accountability and responsiveness by performing which three important tasks?

A) informing, investigating, and interpreting
B) informing, inquiring, and interpreting
C) informing, interloping, and investigating
D) interviewing, informing, and inquiring
E) intervening, investigating, and informing

Question 21

Which of the following is the best example of infotainment?

A) Huffington Post
B) CNN
C) C-SPAN
D) Jimmy Kimmel Live
E) National Public Radio

Question 22

In recent years, nearly 60 million Americans listened to talk radio, and the majority of these listened to __________ programs.

A) comedy
B) communist
C) conservative
D) liberal
E) progressive

Question 23

President Theodore Roosevelt coined the term "________" for journalists who engaged in investigative reporting that sought to uncover corruption and wrongdoing.

A) yellow journalism
B) muckraking
C) advocacy press
D) opinion making
E) scoop

Question 24

__________ is news with fewer hard facts, more emphasis on personal stories that engage (or shock) the public, and often appeals to the emotions rather than the intellect.

A) Watchdog journalism
B) Hard news
C) Soft news
D) Blue journalism
E) Political journalism

Question 25

_________ was a form of journalism that distorted the presentation of events and could mislead the public in the interest of boosting sales.

A) Yellow journalism
B) Gold journalism
C) Muckraking
D) Penny journalism
E) Investigative journalism

Question 26

Benjamin Franklin's writing of __________ defended objectivity in journalism. Although it contradicted the prevailing view at the time, it would help set the standard for future American journalism.

A) "An Apology for Journalists"
B) "A Testimony for the Printers"
C) "An Apology for Printers"
D) "A Cause and Effect Apology for Printers"
E) "Common Sense"

Question 27

Conduct or language that incites rebellion again the authority of a state is called

A) actual malice.
B) alien slander.
C) seditious libel.
D) seditious slander.
E) seditious malice.

Question 28

President John Adams' Sedition Act (1798) made it illegal to print or publish any "_________" about the federal government.

A) revolutionary writing
B) false, scandalous, and malicious writing
C) cruel and vindictive writing
D) bitter, oppressive, and angry writing
E) critical or salacious writing

Question 29

In a series of essays published in New York newspapers, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay responded to the Antifederalists' fierce campaign against the Constitution in what are today known as __________, still regarded as a leading source for understanding the Constitution.

A) Common Sense
B) Two Treaties on Civil Government
C) On Liberty
D) the Federalist Papers
E) the Bill of Rights

Question 30

The decline of newspapers raises concerns because in comparison to television news, newspapers tend to contain more

A) muckracking.
B) hard news.
C) soft news.
D) sound bites.
E) yellow journalism.

Question 31

President _________ started his own newspaper in order to get his message out.

A) Theodore Roosevelt
B) James Buchanan
C) Abraham Lincoln
D) James Polk
E) William Taft

Question 32

Statistics on the changing media environment suggest two main lessons:

A) Americans invent new media every decade; less attention is focused on international affairs.
B) Americans adopt new media quickly; there are more options for getting news than ever before.
C) Americans are increasingly less interested in the news; technology cannot make up for the lack of interest.
D) Americans adopt new media quickly;   they abandon previous options when new technology emerges.
E) Americans are resistant to new technology;  there are more options for getting news than ever before.

Question 33

An individual who posts outrageous things on blogs merely to get attention is sometimes referred to as a

A) citizen journalist.
B) talking  head.
C) troll.
D) advocate.
E) professional journalist.

Question 34

When Benjamin Day began selling the New York Sun for a penny an issue, he began the era of the

A) penny press.
B) anti-government press.
C) sensationalist press.
D) advocacy press.
E) partisan press.

Question 35

The leading platform for social networking is

A) LinkedIn.
B) XING.
C) Tumblr.
D) eHarmony.
E) Facebook.

Question 36

What novel exposed the horrors of the meatpacking industry in 1906?

A) John Bunyan's  Pilgrim's Progress
B) Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian
C) Jeremy Rifkin's Beyond Beef
D) Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
E) Rachel Carson's Silent Spring

Question 37

By the 1960s, people started to rely more on __________ news than newspapers for their political information.

A) Internet
B) periodical
C) radio
D) television
E) word of mouth

Question 38

A __________ is a website that provides a forum for "bottom-up" commentary, description of events, video postings, and general conversation.

A) blog
B) tweet
C) listserv
D) thread
E) troll

Question 39

Who did Americans rate "the most trusted man in America" in 1973?

A) President Gerald Ford
B) Bob Woodward
C) Walter Cronkite
D) Walter Mondale
E) William Randolph Hearst

Question 40

Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, the most famous newspaper publishers of their time, used all of the following to sell papers and attract readers EXCEPT

A) color.
B) large type.
C) provocative headlines.
D) free introductory subscriptions
E) pictures.

Question 41

According to the __________ model, in a process described as selective exposure, people secured information from sources that agreed with them, leading to the reinforcement of beliefs, not to a change of beliefs.

A) naïve
B) minimal effects
C) not-so-minimal effects
D) propaganda
E) selective effects

Question 42

When learning about politics, young adults today prefer to get information through the bottom-up approach which is made possible by

A) the growing availability of new media that allows for citizen participation.
B) broadcasters filtering the news and reporting it to the public.
C) speaking with constituents at political gatherings.
D) participating in political events such as conventions and polls.
E) holding fast to the political beliefs of previous generations.

Question 43

__________ is the ability of the media to alter the public's view on an issue by presenting it in a particular way.

A) Agenda setting
B) Framing
C) Softening
D) Sensationalizing
E) Investigating

Question 44

What are the three important functions of the news media?

Question 45

While not overstating power of the media, the ___________ model acknowledges that the press has a substantial impact through agenda setting.

A) na ï ve
B) minimal effects
C) selective exposure
D) selective perception
E) not-so-minimal effects

Question 46

What are the mass media?

Question 47

According to the text, which of the following is NOT a general concern about the modern news media?

A) The media are biased.
B) The media do not present objective information.
C) The media emphasize too much hard news.
D) The media do not hold elected officials accountable.
E) The media focus on dramatic events.

Question 48

According to the text, the best word to describe today's media environment is

A) informative.
B) biased.
C) soft.
D) choice.
E) declining.

Question 49

In the 2016 presidential campaign, Republicans wanted to focus on stagnant wages, while Democrats wanted to talk about declining unemployment and job creation. How these issues are emphasized by the media is an example of __________, or influencing the criteria for evaluating political leaders.

A) minimal effects
B) selective perception
C) selective exposure
D) priming
E) bias

Question 50

Which of the following is true of the Millennial generation and news consumption?

A) They are more than three times more likely to get news from BuzzFeed than baby boomers.
B) They read newspapers or listen to the radio more frequently and for longer periods than any other generation.
C) They appear completely uninterested in politics and political news.
D) They reject citizen participation in the news gathering process.
E) They prefer top-down information processing and political analysis.

Question 51

The ________ model argues that the press serve the interests of government only.

A) propaganda
B) minimal-effects
C) selective perception
D) selective exposure
E) not-so-minimal effects model

Question 52

Which social networking site is increasingly being used by political candidates, and is becoming a more common way to become aware of breaking news than Facebook?

A) SocialVibe
B) Ryze
C) Myspace
D) Twitter
E) GovLoop

Question 53

____________ was the first president to use the radio to speak directly to the American people.

A) Woodrow Wilson
B) Franklin D. Roosevelt
C) Calvin Coolidge
D) Harry S. Truman
E) Herbert Hoover

Question 54

________, the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, are currently prompting change in the media environment.

A) Latinos
B) Asians
C) African Americans
D) Eastern Europeans
E) Native Americans

Question 55

When politicians avoid public scrutiny or limit themselves to staged events, they are said to stay in

A) the news sphere.
B) the news cycle.
C) the bubble.
D) the hot seat.
E) the spin room.

Question 56

In the past twenty years, Americans' confidence in the press has

A) increased by 50 percent.
B) decreased by 50 percent.
C) remained the same.
D) risen slightly.
E) declined slightly.

Question 57

__________ are very brief snippets of information.

A) Blogs
B) Sound bites
C) Platforms
D) Websites
E) Policy statements

Question 58

Which of the following is a concern about soft news?

A) Visuals may appeal to emotions more than to the intellect.
B) The discussion of public policy may overshadow the personal stories.
C) Televised debates may be harmful to a candidate's reputation.
D) The public may not be able to connect with the content.
E) Young people may change the channels too quickly to pay attention.

Question 59

Define libel .

Question 60

According to Gallup Poll data, about half of Americans feel that the news media have a(n) _________ bias.

A) conservative
B) libertarian
C) liberal
D) corporate-leaning
E) undetectable

Question 61

State the concerns over media bias.

Question 62

Discuss how the news media have evolved and adapted to new technologies.

Question 63

What are the consequences of media choice?

Question 64

Discuss the role of the media in the Watergate scandal. Why is this role important?

Question 65

Define infotainment , and provide modern examples.

Question 66

What is the significance of the Supreme Court decision in  New York Times v. Sullivan?

Question 67

How did muckraker Upton Sinclair influence public opinion and public policy?

Question 68

Distinguish selective exposure from selective perception.

Question 69

Explain how the law protects the press. Why is this important in a democracy?

Question 70

Discuss the rise of professional journalism. How did this impact average Americans?

Question 71

Define propaganda model .

Question 72

Why was freedom of the press so important to the colonists and Founders?

Question 73

Why is the  Pentagon Paper  case important in terms of freedom of the press?

Question 74

Why did Congress create the Federal Communications Commission? Discuss its mandate, and the recent challenges it has faced.

Question 75

Discuss the impact of the penny press on news consumption.

Question 76

Why is radio an underappreciated medium today?

Question 77

How has new media such as blogs and social networking impacted news consumption ?

Question 78

Explain what is meant by prior restraint .

Question 79

Discuss the changing roles of the press during the "Partisan Era" from the late 1700s to 1900. Why is this period important?

Question 80

What is agenda setting? Provide an example of an item on the agenda right now.