Deck 9: The Media Who Sets the Political Agenda

Question 1

The media too often fall victim to source bias.Explain this phenomenon.In what ways does this affect democracy?

Answer 1

Students' answers may vary.

Question 2

Explain how the FCC's regulatory power has been eroded in recent years.For the authors, how do these changes affect the democratic debate? Has news and information diversity been maintained, enhanced, or limited?

Answer 2

Students' answers may vary.

Question 3

What is yellow journalism?

Answer 3

Students' answers may vary.
Yellow journalism is a form of reporting pioneered in the late nineteenth century by the Hearst and Pulitzer newspaper chains, emphasizing entertaining and often lurid scandals as news.

Question 4

Explain how media frames affect the news.

Question 5

Why are the news media agenda setters?

Question 6

The text suggests that news is

A)everything that happens on a particular day.
B)what the media decide is worthy of coverage.
C)what fits the liberal or conservative biases of reporters.
D)what the U.S.Information Agency defines as important.

Question 7

Compare and contrast source bias and pack journalism.

Question 8

What is a virtual democracy?

Question 9

What does Mark Crispin Miller mean by the national entertainment state?

Question 10

What is the effect of the concentration of ownership on news?

Question 11

How has commercialism led to upscale demographics?

Question 12

The puzzle the authors put forth in the text is that the media is not doing its job because

A)nearly three-quarters of Bush supporters believed that weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq.
B)Bush supported the Kyoto Treaty.
C)many of McCain's supporters believed he was in favor of the Kyoto Treaty.
D)top journalists are paid too much.

Question 13

Explain the effect of vertical integration on the media.

Question 14

Explain the effects of corporate ownership and advertising on media reporting.Which of these effects are direct? Indirect? What are the limits of corporate influence over the media?

Question 15

What does the idea of a revolving door mean in the media?

Question 16

Explain the phenomenon that is known as the Rolodex syndrome.

Question 17

Explain how horse race journalism affects the political campaign.

Question 18

How has media changed over time? Trace the history from newspapers to the Internet.In what ways have Americans changed their consumption of media?

Question 19

Why was the Telecommunications Act of 1996 passed?

Question 20

Explain the differences between elite and popular democrats on the role of the mass media in the American political system.In what ways do the two theories agree about the media and in what ways do they disagree?

Question 21

The Rolodex syndrome

A)takes place in secrecy, as only a select number of names are listed.
B)shows the speed of the communications system in developing policy alternatives.
C)reveals the power of the "information superhighway" in transferring a vast amount of information in a short period of time.
D)occurs when the same experts appear on several shows to provide information or insight.

Question 22

An example of the impact of megacorporation control over the media is

A)ABC's becoming more critical of the Walt Disney Company.
B)NBC's airing of hard-hitting exposes on nuclear power plant dangers.
C)ABC's burying of a story dealing with sexual harassment at Disney World.
D)NBC's overt promotion of the nuclear power industry.

Question 23

The text argues that "McNews" is produced by the

A)desire of readers to have newspapers similar to fast food.
B)desire of reporters to write more pithy stories.
C)desire of publishers to cut costs and increase profits.
D)desire of politicians to speak only in sound bites.

Question 24

The media tend to concentrate on stories

A)that happen in out-of-the-way, exotic locales.
B)where reporters have their beats.
C)where journalists think the "hidden" news will be found.
D)in suburbs and small towns where the majority of Americans live.

Question 25

"Yellow journalism"

A)created the modern-day political campaign by emphasizing the dramatic horse race approach.
B)sensationalized news coverage and used newspapers as vehicles for increased sales.
C)was the first reporting of the scandals that characterized much of the government's foreign relations.
D)characterized much of the nineteenth century's news coverage as rivals harassed each other with partisan attacks.

Question 26

The authors contend that the CIA organized "disinformation campaigns" to

A)plant fabricated or trumped-up stories that confused and discredited domestic entities.
B)increase the confidence in the media.
C)ward off possible national security leaks.
D)create the necessary time for the people to debate sensitive issues.

Question 27

Television advertisers are most interested in

A)those stories that raise the most controversial issues.
B)wealthier audiences that favor business news over other news.
C)pursuing topics that highlight the difficulties Americans endure despite the wealth and opportunities that exist.
D)audiences that seek equitable treatment of all issues.

Question 28

According to the authors, with its recent rapid growth,

A)Internet communication is faster and cheaper.
B)eighty-five percent of the public go online every week.
C)growing numbers of people turn to the Internet for their news and information.
D)All of the above are correct.

Question 29

Researchers have found that the media

A)does little to change people's political opinions.
B)transforms people's political opinions.
C)only affects the political opinions of the young.
D)only affects the political opinions of the discontented.

Question 30

An example of the revolving door occurs when

A)a former secretary of state writes his memoirs.
B)a former chief of staff for the president hosts a news talk show.
C)a former employee of one administration is hired by the next administration.
D)the press reports on political events without naming specific people.

Question 31

The conservative charge of a liberal bias in the media

A)contains some truth because reporters are more likely than the general public to vote for Democrats for president.
B)is completely warranted because coverage of campaigns is slanted in favor of liberal candidates.
C)is completely false because the majority of journalists are Republican.
D)is completely false because journalists avoid holding any political opinions at all.

Question 32

Pack journalism occurs because reporters

A)cover everything from political campaigns to presidential trips.
B)must meet deadlines, so their information is often biased.
C)develop a similar view of events based on similar sources.
D)agree to describe events independently from each other.

Question 33

The Telecommunications Act of 1996

A)added a new level of regulation over the broadcasting industry.
B)required media corporations to purchase the new digital spectrum.
C)has promoted concentrated ownership of diverse media.
D)eased corporate fears that the public will discover the partnership between the government and business interests.

Question 34

Centering on the horse race aspect of the campaign

A)discourages attention to the personal character of the candidates.
B)discourages attention to policy positions or the veracity of statements.
C)encourages attention to the historical and international consequences of a political election.
D)encourages citizen awareness of the campaign.

Question 35

About which of the following do elite democrats tend to complain?

A)Too much commercialization in the media
B)Too much corporate concentration in the media
C)Too much advertising on television
D)Too much promotion of unhealthy programming by the media

Question 36

According to the authors, "source bias"

A)is only a problem for smaller, independent media outlets.
B)is rarely a problem anymore because of the growth of electronic media and increased accessibility to the Internet.
C)refers to the tendency of the media to use liberal sources over conservative ones.
D)makes it difficult for journalists to be truly objective.

Question 37

Which of the following is an example of an initial regulatory function of the FCC?

A)Requiring a station director to allocate a percentage of time for public affairs
B)Allowing stations to determine who may and may not advertise on commercial airtime
C)Allowing unlimited ownership of media outlets in a city by an individual
D)Allowing stations to determine how much time opposing views are given

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT a professional standard of journalism?

A)Nonpartisanship
B)Balance
C)Objectivity
D)Cynicism

Question 39

Television network news today is

A)even more profitable than in years past.
B)particularly popular among the young.
C)faced with declining ratings.
D)unchanged since the earliest days of the medium.