Deck 6: The Media and Politics in Texas

Question 1

Who became talk radio's most syndicated host in the 1990s?

A) Rush Limbaugh
B) Dan Patrick
C) Al Franken
D) Neal Boortz

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is true of public radio stations like KERA and KUHT?

A) They are entirely funded by tax money.
B) They provide substantial coverage of local, state, and national news.
C) They are purely for entertainment purposes and include no news.
D) They only include brief news headlines for about five minutes every hour.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The most common way that Americans get their news is from

A) conversations.
B) newspapers.
C) political speeches.
D) radio.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Websites and computer applications that allow users to create online communities and engage in social networking are known as

A) electronic media.
B) mainstream media.
C) social media.
D) print media.

Question 5

People are more likely to hear and remember ideas and information if they come from

A) the governor.
B) a trusted opinion leader.
C) a teacher or professor.
D) anonymous reporters.

Question 6

The media source from which most Texans now get their news is

A) newspapers.
B) the Internet.
C) television.
D) radio.

Question 7

Which of the following is not one of the roles that the text says media fills in U.S. and Texas politics?

A) To help us keep our democracy
B) To provide information for the public and decision makers
C) To be a forum solely for unbiased discussion of political topics
D) To shape our views

Question 8

Which of the following has been a trend in news coverage?

A) There has been no change over time in the diversity and quality of news.
B) There has been less softening of the news, and more hard news.
C) There has been a reduction in the number of and range of alternative sources of news.
D) Competition for viewers and advertising dollars has led to more entertainment and less news in broadcasts.

Question 9

A web page on which writers regularly record opinions, information, and links to other sites is known as a

A) blog.
B) news website.
C) data mine.
D) portal.

Question 10

Once the nation's main source of news, newspapers have declined because of

A) scandals that demonstrated too much bias in newspapers.
B) competition from television and the Internet.
C) lack of funding from political parties.
D) dramatic declines in American literacy rates.

Question 11

Which of the following are more likely to require that stories be vetted for accuracy and to attempt to follow standards of objectivity?

A) Internet news sources
B) major print media
C) FOX News
D) MSNBC

Question 12

Commercial television began in Texas

A) after World War II.
B) in 1928.
C) in 1975.
D) before the Civil War.

Question 13

Which of the following is not true of the 404 non-daily newspapers being published in Texas in 2012?

A) They are influential in state politics because they are read by elites.
B) They tend to provide local, social, and political news.
C) They provide little state or national news.
D) They tend to serve small towns, college campuses, and communities with common interests.

Question 14

Which of the following is not true of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter?

A) Social media use has grown among all demographic groups.
B) Ninety percent of people between the ages of 18-29 use social networking sites.
C) Almost 3/4 of all Americans over the age of 18 use social networking sites.
D) Less than 10 percent of U.S. adults get news from Facebook.

Question 15

Followers of talk radio, cable news (such as FOX or MSNBC) or ideological blogs are likely to

A) develop more political knowledge, but accept inaccurate or incomplete versions of reality.
B) develop less political knowledge, but have more accurate and complete views of reality.
C) develop less political knowledge and accept inaccurate or incomplete versions of reality.
D) develop more political knowledge and have more accurate and complete views of reality.

Question 16

Which of the following is not true of newsmagazines?

A) There are more newsmagazines than there are newspapers, and they are read by more people.
B) They are quite influential because they are read by elites.
C) Their reporters have more time to gather and study information for their stories.
D) Texas lacks competition between major newsmagazines.

Question 17

Despite their relative decline, why are the print media still important sources of information?

A) People prefer to hold paper in their hands rather than stare at screens.
B) They deliver news more quickly than any other source, and are more accessible.
C) They cover stories in more detail, inform the elite, and remain the largest gatherers of news.
D) They provide a conservative bias to balance the liberal bias of television news.

Question 18

What happened when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) abolished the Fairness Doctrine in 1987?

A) Conservative and liberal talk-radio hosts had about equal success.
B) Liberal talk-radio hosts quickly outpaced conservatives.
C) Conservative talk-radio hosts quickly outpaced liberals.
D) Talk radio virtually disappeared from both AM and FM radio.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the status of radio as a news source in America?

A) Twenty-five percentof American homes have at least one radio, but radio is the best source of political news.
B) Seventy-five percent of American homes have at least one radio, but radio has a limited value as a source of political news
C) Fifty percent of American homes have at least one radio, but radio is perhaps the best source of political news.
D) Ninety-nine percent of American homes have at least one radio, but radio has limited value as a source of political news.

Question 20

Which television news format is most used by the public?

A) Local news
B) Cable news
C) Network news
D) News talk shows

Question 21

In the 19th century (1800s), newspapers in Texas and the other American states were

A) highly partisan but always truthful.
B) highly partisan and not always truthful.
C) unbiased and objective but focused on scandal and entertainment.
D) unbiased, objective, and dedicated to presenting only the facts.

Question 22

The strongest effect of attack ads on electoral politics seems to be that

A) people who marginally support an attacked candidate become less certain and abstain from voting for that candidate.
B) people who strongly support an attacked candidate drop their support for the candidate and vote for someone else.
C) people who only slightly support an attacked candidate feel sorry for the candidate and become more likely to vote for them.
D) people who have no opinion on an attacked candidate become more confused about their choice.

Question 23

When it comes to shaping our perceptions of events and issues, the media

A) provide information, but their ability to shape opinion is reduced by personal knowledge, connections, and pre-existing opinions.
B) have almost total control over what people think about and believe about political issues and personalities.
C) have no impact at all on shaping opinions, as opinions are formed by personal knowledge and connections.
D) only shape the opinions of uneducated and socially isolated citizens.

Question 24

Which of the following is true of the Texas media's coverage of scandals in state politics?

A) Media investigations have uncovered corruption and led to instances of public officials being held accountable.
B) The media avoid covering scandals so they can continue to have access to Texas lawmakers.
C) Media outlets cover scandals to get ratings, but never really expose wrongdoing by politicians.
D) Media investigations have revealed that Texas politicians are always honest and abide by the law.

Question 25

When the media help keep public officials honest by asking hard questions and looking into suspicious actions, they are engaging in

A) attack journalism.
B) investigative journalism .
C) yellow journalism.
D) sensationalistic journalism.

Question 26

Which of the following conclusions is not supported by today's research on media influence?

A) The media influencewhich issues or traits citizens bring to bear when evaluating political leaders.
B) The media have an influence on what citizens think about.
C) The media have an impact onwhich considerations shape citizens'thinking on political issues.
D) The media have no real influence, and canonly reinforce and activate existing predispositions.

Question 27

The standards of professionalism are sometimes compromised when professional reporters over-report the views of

A) government officials and others with power whom they see as reliable, legitimate and knowledgeable.
B) critics of the government and those in power who question official explanations of events.
C) celebrities and sports figures who are opinionated about politics.
D) the average person on the street.

Question 28

Compared to political candidates at the national level, candidates in Texas

A) have an easier time controlling or at least influencing how the media covers them.
B) have a harder time controlling or least influencing how the media covers them.
C) have about the same level of difficulty in controlling or at least influencing how the media covers them.
D) have no trouble completely controlling the way the media covers them.

Question 29

When critics of the media complain about "horserace journalism", they are pointing to the fact that

A) media outlets are obsessed with getting to good stories faster than their competitors.
B) the media tend to ignore campaigns in favor of covering horseraces.
C) the media tend to focus more on who is winning an election than on the issues that matter.
D) reporters tend to follow candidates to social events like horseraces.

Question 30

Which of the following tend not to be heavily partisan in Texas?

A) Social media
B) Blogs
C) Newspapers
D) Talk radio

Question 31

When it comes to agenda setting in Texas, the media

A) have no influence at all on the importance given to issues by government and public leaders.
B) completely dominate the public agenda and determine which issues government will deal with.
C) struggle to exert influence because of fewer reporters, fragmented government, competition with interest groups, and more.
D) only assert influence by bribing public officials to address the issues they care about.

Question 32

The media play a role in keeping and protecting democracy by

A) keeping citizens informed enough to make intelligent decisions and investigating government activities.
B) printing negative stories about dictatorships and other non-democratic countries.
C) giving democratically elected leaders the chance to say what they want without being challenged.
D) insisting on patriotism and support for the country's military campaigns.

Question 33

On the editorial pages of newspapers and magazines

A) fiction writers are given a chance to tell their stories.
B) reporters are expected to write with objectivity and neutrality.
C) advertisers are given space to sell their products or services.
D) advocacy is practiced and editors and columnists give their opinions.

Question 34

The term "Yellow Journalism"referred to

A) journalism based on sensationalism and exaggeration.
B) reporting that is objective, neutral, and accurate.
C) reporting featuring opposition and a combative style.
D) cowardly reporting.

Question 35

When reporting is done in a combative style that features opposition, it is referred to as

A) objective journalism.
B) adversarial journalism.
C) yellow journalism.
D) professional journalism.

Question 36

When the news media says how important an issue is or which part of a situation is most important, they are engaging in

A) framing.
B) priming.
C) cropping.
D) marginalizing.

Question 37

When the news media provides meaning or defines the central theme of an issue, they are engaging in

A) dissembling.
B) priming.
C) sealing.
D) framing.

Question 38

For reporting to exhibit professionalism, it should be

A) clearly based on the ideology of the reporter.
B) based on partisanship.
C) objective, neutral, and accurate.
D) driven by the economic interest of the media outlet's owner.

Question 39

In the 1970s, the media in Texas supported Common Cause and other public interest groups in pushing through legislation to require

A) more funding for public television and radio.
B) the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine.
C) regular press conferences by elected officials.
D) open meetings and open records.

Question 40

Which of the following is not a reason that newspapers began to move away from strong partisanship toward more even-handed, objective reporting in the last half of the 19th century?

A) The government passed laws requiring greater objectivity and less partisanship.
B) Increased circulation meant publishers had to be more moderate and professional to avoid alienating advertisers.
C) Increased circulation meant publishers had to be more moderate and professional to avoid alienating subscribers.
D) Newspapers shared stories from news services like the Associated Press.

Question 41

When the three major television networks began to face competition from cable news in the 1980s, they responded by

A) reducing coverage of hard news and increasing coverage of scandals, horserace journalism, and controversial sound bites.
B) increasing the amount of hard news they covered to differentiate themselves from their less serious competitors.
C) seeking out more funding from government sources and less advertising dollars from major corporations.
D) moving more of their operations to the Internet.

Question 42

When it comes to measures of civic engagement like voter turnout, being involved in groups, donating to charity, volunteering and discussing political issues online,

A) Texans are the most active in the nation.
B) Texans are above the national average.
C) Texans are exactly at the national average.
D) Texans are below the national average.

Question 43

Which of the following is not true of Rick Perry's highly successful 2010 gubernatorial campaign?

A) He relied heavily on direct mail, phone banks, and volunteers knocking on the doors of strangers.
B) He asked volunteers to identify 12 friends and turn them out to the polls.
C) He encouraged supporters to send Facebook messages to friends.
D) He relied on friendly bloggers and social media more than on the editorial boards of newspapers.

Question 44

Texas newspapers have generally supported

A) conservative political candidates.
B) moderate political candidates.
C) liberal political candidates.
D) no political candidates.

Question 45

The idea that Internet service providers should treat all Internet data equally without charging differentially or blocking content they don't like is referred to as

A) web non-discrimination.
B) net neutrality.
C) prior restraint.
D) mercantilism.

Question 46

Which of the following is not true of the media today?

A) Television and Internet sources still depend heavily on newspapers for the origination of stories.
B) The need to draw audiences through entertainment has decreased the amount of hard news.
C) The proliferation of channels on television and blogs on the Internet has led to niche journalism.
D) There are no sites on the Internet dedicated to checking facts.

Question 47

Candidates began to use social media for their campaigns in a major way in

A) 1996 and 2000.
B) 2000 and 2004.
C) 2004 and 2008.
D) 2008 and 2012.

Question 48

American courts are very hesitant to allow prior restraint, which means

A) it is very easy for the government to censor, or to suppress material before it is published.
B) it is difficult for the government to censor, or to suppress material before it is published.
C) it is easy for the government to detain reporters who are critical of their policies.
D) there are no ways for the government to limit what the press can find or print.

Question 49

The agency responsible for media regulation is the

A) National Media Regulation Agency (NMRA).
B) National Security Agency (NSA).
C) Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
D) Federal Television Monitoring Commission (FTMC).

Question 50

Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of the press?

A) First Amendment
B) Second Amendment
C) Fifth Amendment
D) Eighth Amendment

Question 51

Which of the following is true of media outlets today?

A) Reporters tend to be conservative and Republican, while owners and publishers tend to be liberal and Democratic.
B) Reporters tend to be liberal and Democratic, while owners and publishers tend to be conservative and Republican.
C) Reporters, owners, and publishers tend to be liberal and Democratic.
D) Reporters, owners, and publishers tend to be conservative and Republican.

Question 52

One of the key strategies that helped Barack Obama win both of his elections for President was

A) investing heavily in direct mail to reach older voters in their homes.
B) identifying and micro-targeting potential younger voters through their e-mail and social media accounts.
C) traveling to less populated parts of the country to target marginalized rural voters.
D) putting lots of resources into television advertisements in conservative states to win them over.

Question 53

Which of the following is not a common concern about concentration of media ownership?

A) The likelihood of homogenization of the news stories increases.
B) There is a decrease in the amount of state and local news.
C) There is an increase in hard news and a decrease in soft news.
D) There is more commercial bias and favorable news about the owner's company.

Question 54

The trend in media ownership in Texas has been that

A) ownership of Texas media outlets by Texas companies has declined.
B) ownership of Texas media outlets by Texas companies has increased.
C) ownership of Texas media outlets by Texas companies has stayed the same.
D) no Texas media outlets are owned by Texas companies.

Question 55

The reporters assigned to cover state-level news, commonly working in the state capital, are known as the

A) capitol press corps.
B) national press club.
C) reporters'circle.
D) beltway insiders.

Question 56

Talk radio has long been dominated by

A) moderates.
B) liberals.
C) conservatives.
D) anarchists.

Question 57

Which of the following is not true of civic engagement and the Internet, according to study by the Pew Research Internet Project?

A) Use of the Internet and social media lead to less civic engagement and political activity.
B) Lower education and income have less of a negative effect on civic engagement among Facebook and Twitter users.
C) Young people are more likely than older adults to be engaged in political activities on social networking sites.
D) There was major growth in political activity on social networking sites during 2008-2012.

Question 58

Which of the following is true regarding freedom of the press in Texas?

A) Texas has a shield law that protects journalists from having to reveal certain confidential sources.
B) Texas has a right-to-know law that requires journalists to reveal all of their sources upon request.
C) Texas has a prior restraint law that allows the government to block newspapers from using certain sources.
D) Texas has no laws regarding freedom of the press.

Question 59

Which of the following is true of media ownership today?

A) Most media outlets are owned by a multitude of small corporations.
B) Just six corporations own most of the national media outlets.
C) The majority of media outlets are owned by private individuals.
D) The government owns most national media outlets.

Question 60

When a news medium focuses on a narrow audience defined by special interest, they are engaging in

A) niche journalism.
B) broadcasting.
C) monopolizing.
D) concentration of ownership.

Question 61

Give a critique of professionalism in journalism. What is the evidence as to whether there is ideological or partisan bias in the Texas media?

Question 62

Do the media shape our political opinions? If so, in what ways? If not, why not?

Question 63

Explain the current trends that seem likely to affect the future of news in the media. Based on these trends, do you think future citizens will be more or less well-informed than today's citizens?

Question 64

Explain the major arguments about regulation of the media in America and Texas. What might you change about the way the media is regulated? If you prefer no change, explain why you think current regulations are ideal.

Question 65

Discuss the history and impact of investigative journalism in Texas. Include in your answer a discussion of open meetings, open records, and scandals.

Question 66

Explain the different kinds of bias in the media and their consequences. How has media bias changed over time?

Question 67

Distinguish between hard and soft news. Discuss the concerns arising from the softening of the news.

Question 68

How has the Internet (and social media in particular) had an impact on campaigns in Texas? What are the positive and negative aspects of the rise of social media in elections?

Question 69

Evaluate the media's roles in furthering democracy.Describe these roles in Texas politics.

Question 70

What aspects of the media are regulated by the national government, and which aspects are regulated by the government of Texas? Distinguish how print and electronic media are regulated.

Question 71

Explain the conflicting views as to whether and how the media affect our political opinions. Which view do you find has the most merit and why?

Question 72

Which demographic groups are more likely to use social media? How might this have an impact on political participation rates among these groups?

Question 73

How are changes in the media affecting the ability of citizens to affect government? Do you think these changes make citizens more or less powerful in their ability to influence elected officials and why?

Question 74

Discuss the changes over time in how Texans get their news.Compare the ways in which Texans get their information today with past patterns.

Question 75

What are the concerns caused by the growing concentration of ownership of media outlets? Discuss the positive and negative effects of the changes the media are undergoing in Texas.