Deck 11: Media

Question 1

What is the significance of the Telecommunications Act of 1996?​

A) ​It deregulated media ownership, creating large media companies that owned multiple outlets in multiple formats.
B) It deregulated media ownership, creating a multitude of small, privately-owned outlets.​
C) ​It deregulated media ownership, dismantling the three broadcast companies that had been in operation since the 1950s.
D) It increased regulation of broadcast television, but deregulated cable networks.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which amendment protects the freedom of the press?​

A) ​The First Amendment
B) ​The Second Amendment
C) ​The Third Amendment
D) ​The Fourth Amendment

Answer 2

A

Question 3

When did television become more prevalent in American households?​

A) ​1940s
B) ​1950s
C) ​1960s
D) ​1970s

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which Supreme Court case established the precedent that the government could not censor a publication in advance, even if that same publication later might be punishable by law?​

A) ​New York Times Co. v. United States
B) ​Near v. Minnesota
C) ​New York Times Co. v. Sullivan
D) ​Nebraska Press Association v. Stuart

Question 5

Which election was the first to have its results broadcast by radio?​

A) The election of 1932
B) The election of 1928
C) The election of 1924
D) The election of 1920

Question 6

Who participated in the first televised debate?​

A) Wendall Wilkie and Franklin D. Roosevelt
B) Adlai Stevenson and Estes Kefauver
C) John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon
D) George McGovern and Hubert Humphrey

Question 7

It is predicted that by 2015, Americans will spend, on average,​

A) ​25 hours per week with media.
B) ​20 hours per day with media.
C) ​15 hours per day with media.
D) ​10 hours per day with media.

Question 8

What branch of the federal bureaucracy is charged with executing regulatory authority of the government in the area of media and communications?​

A) ​The FBI
B) ​The NSA
C) ​The SEC
D) ​The FCC

Question 9

Why did Congress create the Equal Time Rule?​

A) To provide the public with balanced programming during elections split between regular broadcasting and campaign ads
B) To provide the public with balanced information and news coverage of all candidates during elections​
C) To provide the public with thorough election reporting
D) ​To provide the public with a forum for multiple viewpoints

Question 10

What has been the effect of the Internet on twenty-first century newspapers?​

A) ​Traditional print newspapers have disappeared.
B) ​All media are now owned by multinational conglomerates.
C) Some newspapers have moved to an all-digital format.
D) Traditional newspapers are forced to focus strictly on national and international news.

Question 11

Which of the following is not true regarding constitutional protection of the press, as established by the Supreme Court?​

A) ​The government cannot prohibit members of the press from critiquing the government, politicians, or policies.
B) The government generally cannot regulate content that the press produces.​
C) The press must allow prior restraint on the basis of national security.
D) The press has the freedom to report negative or unflattering information if it is true and published without malice.

Question 12

Debates concerning publication of the Pentagon Papers related to issues regarding

A) ​prior restraint.
B) ​slander.
C) ​the public's right to know.
D) privacy of ​public figures.

Question 13

By the time the first political debate aired, televisions were in​

A) ​80% of American homes.
B) ​70% of American homes.
C) ​60% of American homes
D) ​50% of American homes.

Question 14

​Most newspapers in the nineteenth century reported

A) ​national and international news.
B) regional and political news.
C) ​local news more than national issues.
D) mostly gossip and celebrity news.

Question 15

The Cable News Network broadcasts news for​

A) ​8 hours per day.
B) 12 hours per day.​
C) ​16 hours per day.
D) ​24 hours per day.

Question 16

​The first American newspaper was founded in Boston in

A) ​1690.
B) ​1740.
C) ​1790.
D) ​1840.

Question 17

Which of the following does not fall under the category of "info-tainment"?​

A) ​Televised talk shows
B) ​The Washington Post
C) ​The Huffington Post
D) Blogs

Question 18

What was a byproduct of the rise of cable television and its nonstop political news cycle?​

A) ​Declining interest in non-political news coverage
B) ​Shrinking readership for newspapers
C) ​Stagnant profits for media outlets
D) ​Closing of radio stations nationwide

Question 19

The Cable News Network became the first 24-hour news coverage station on television in the

A) ​1960s.
B) ​1970s.
C) ​1980s.
D) ​1990s.

Question 20

The finding in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan gives the press​ the freedom

A) ​from being censored by the U.S. government for printing information that may pose a threat to national security.
B) from being censored prior to printing an article.​
C) ​to report facts without being sued, but does not give newspapers the right to print false statements with malicious intent.
D) to report unsubstantiated information, if done without malice.

Question 21

Which of the following is not a role of the media?​

A) To report the news and inform the public
B) To function as a watchdog for the political system
C) To educate policymakers about the legislative process
D) ​To serve as an agent of political socialization

Question 22

Educational television programming like School House Rocks is an example of the media's role

A) ​as a two-way means of communication.
B) ​as an agent of political socialization.
C) ​as a forum for commentary.
D) in reporting the news.

Question 23

What is the significance of the WikiLeaks and NSA incidents involving the release of classified materials?​

A) ​These incidents reveal that the government lacks control over how and whether information it creates gets leaked to the media.
B) These incidents reveal that the government needs to reenact the Fairness Doctrine.​
C) ​These incidents reveal that the government understands its role in protecting First Amendment rights.
D) These incidents reveal that the government must strengthen the FCC in order to protect its interests.

Question 24

Since the 1970s, the relationship between the media and politicians has generally become ​more

A) informal.
B) ​supportive.
C) adversarial.
D) distant.

Question 25

Partisan media bias tends to be most evident in

A) ​broadcast news operations.
B) major daily newspapers, such as the New York Times.
C) ​Internet-based sources.
D) ​public broadcasting networks, such as PBS.

Question 26

What led to the professionalization of journalism in the latter part of the twentieth century?​

A) The increase of lawsuits filed against newspapers for libel and slander
B) The rise of investigative journalism during the Cold War and Vietnam War
C) ​The increasing pressure from governmental agencies for newspapers to discipline reporters and provide balanced reporting
D) The development of communications and journalism as an academic discipline, and the creation of professional ethics​

Question 27

In what year was the Fairness Doctrine repealed?​

A) ​1977
B) ​1987
C) ​1997
D) ​2007

Question 28

Yellow journalism was newspaper reporting that focused on​

A) ​political debates.
B) ​entertainment gossip.
C) ​investigations and scandals.
D) ​government actions.

Question 29

Muckraking journalism in the early twentieth century, while sensational at times, brought which of the following issues to the public's attention?​

A) The number of workers laid off during the Great Depression
B) ​The Enron corporate accounting scandal
C) Food safety and sanitation problems
D) The secret nuclear testing in Area 51

Question 30

What criticism, along with the advent of cable, caused the FCC to repeal the Fairness Doctrine?

A) ​In a multi-view world, it was no longer needed.
B) ​It impinged upon broadcasters' First Amendment rights.
C) ​It ultimately lessened the diversity of viewpoints.
D) ​It violated broadcasters' Second Amendment rights.

Question 31

Which recent example of investigative reporting is a prime example of reporters serving as watchdogs?​

A) ​The 9/11 attacks
B) ​The Watergate scandal
C) ​Edward Snowden and the NSA
D) ​The impeachment of President Clinton

Question 32

The development of commercial media bias has led to the problem of​

A) ​simplified popular news, rather than items of substance related to significant issues.
B) ​more time per television newscast used by advertising than by reporting.
C) ​more frequent reporting of stories that are critical of the government.
D) ​an increase in infomercials.

Question 33

Political bias in the press is?

A) most evident in the liberal media.
B) most evident in the conservative media.
C) less and less evident.
D) ?difficult to accurately measure.

Question 34

Debate about which two opposing concepts became part of the public agenda after media coverage of NSA surveillance activities?

A) ​Inclusiveness vs. exclusiveness
B) ​Affirmative action vs. reverse discrimination
C) ​National security vs. individual privacy
D) ​Broadcasting vs. narrowcasting

Question 35

In regard to the news media, game orientation means

A) ​coverage of political issues in terms of who is winning and losing.
B) ​coverage of political campaigns and polls in terms of which candidate is ahead.
C) ​the use of sports media technology to report election results.
D) the use of over-simplified entertainment coverage, instead of issue coverage.

Question 36

Which of the following is the best example of the media's function as a forum?​

A) ​A television advertisement by a candidate
B) ​The social media commentary on presidential debates
C) ​A press release issued by a senator
D) ​The coverage of the president's speech on local television

Question 37

The sensationalist stories of muckrakers can be said to have contributed to the policies of​

A) ​Lyndon Johnson and the civil rights movement.
B) ​Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Movement.
C) ​John F. Kennedy and the New Frontier.
D) ​Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal.

Question 38

When a local news organization features the filming of a mo​vie around town on the evening news, this is oriented toward

A) ​eliminating partisan bias.
B) ​delivering horse-race coverage.
C) ​setting the public agenda.
D) ​maintaining advertising dollars.

Question 39

Newspapers prior to the Civil War were often financed by​

A) ​local governments.
B) ​political parties.
C) ​interest groups.
D) ​wealthy businessmen.

Question 40

​What was the first American newspaper that had significant bias?

A) The Pennsylvania Gazette
B) ​The Washington Post
C) ​The New York Times
D) ​USA Today

Question 41

Which of the following statements about members of the media is not true?​

A) Members of the media tend to report poll numbers.
B) ​Members of the media tend to focus on third-party candidates.
C) Members of the media tend to report debate strategies of major party candidates.
D) Members of the media tend to report debate styles of major party candidates.​

Question 42

Which theory works through presenting information and accessing memory?

A) Minimal effects
B) Priming
C) Framing effects
D) Agenda setting

Question 43

​Most media outlets are

A) ​for-profit businesses.
B) ​nonprofit businesses.
C) ​political organizations.
D) ​public service agencies.

Question 44

How does modern media most benefit the government and politicians?​

A) ​It serves as a conduit of communication and facilitates interaction.
B) ​It weeds out those who are unable or unworthy to serve in the government.
C) ​It sets the agenda that politicians wish to communicate.
D) ​It creates a forum for honest public critique of the government.

Question 45

When the media act upon their agenda-setting function in politics, they

A) have the ability to create issues the public will care about.
B) determine which legislation will reach the House and Senate floors.
C) impact what issues the public sees as being significant.
D) enable the public to take a broader political role.

Question 46

Which of the following is the most time-honored tool for politicians to get information out to the public?​

A) Newsletters
B) ​Blogs
C) Town hall meetings
D) ​Press releases

Question 47

Which of the following explains the effects of framing?

A) Information is biased because of the public's reliance on a single, primary news source.
B) The information and language used by the media in presenting issues influences the way people form opinions about it.
C) Information is biased because of the significant role of elites in shaping public opinion.
D) Decision-making is based on poor understanding of the significant issues of the day.

Question 48

Which theory is effective for understanding the way that social media and blogs influence public opinion?​

A) Minimal effects
B) Priming
C) Framing effects
D) Agenda setting

Question 49

The theory of minimal effects was rooted in the idea that people got most of their information from​

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

Question 50

The theory of minimal effects states​ that the

A) media themselves have a limited effect on ordinary members of the public.
B) influence of the media was mediated by the role of business executives.
C) role of newspapers and broadcast television on public opinion is minimal.
D) ​media tend to influence lawmakers, but not other opinion leaders.