Deck 24: Communications Media

Question 1

People who were opposed to "convergence" would logically be opposed to which of the following scenarios?

A) a private company having a monopoly on creating and selling a particular commodity
B) a government body regulating private enterprise
C) a private company limiting access to resources in order to increase value
D) a private company selling shares on the market

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is the best real-life example of "cyberaparthied"?

A) A town-hall meeting with a political candidate
B) A political rally that attracts various special interest groups united for the same cause
C) Politicians only listening to the majority opinion on a controversial issue
D) The physical separation of Opposition and Government MPs in the House of Commons

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What name is given to a type of rolling poll in which the pollster surveys a small new sample every night and averages those data with the results of the preceding two nights' surveys?

A) survey poll
B) running poll
C) telephone poll
D) tracking poll

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which term refers to the selective portrayal of certain pieces of information that shapes public opinion on a specific issue?

A) investigative journalism
B) reporting
C) priming
D) convergence

Question 5

How does the investigative role of media in Canada compare to those of Britain and the U.S.?

A) It is just as highly developed.
B) It is more in-depth.
C) It is undermined by weak disclosure laws and onerous libel laws.
D) It is enhanced by lower libel risks.

Question 6

Which of the following examples is most analogous to major media outlets?

A) a business that must compete for customers
B) a research team that is concerned with solving a complex scientific problem
C) an interest group dedicated to the betterment of society
D) a political party concerned with influencing voter opinions

Question 7

In the Western world,the print media remain almost entirely in private hands and are run as profit-making businesses.

Question 8

Even though reporters usually refrain from editorializing,the way they prime their messages has an effect on public opinion.

Question 9

Organizations dealing with which of the following issues would be MOST affected by agenda-setting?

A) waiting times in hospitals
B) sales tax
C) stricter drinking and driving laws
D) safe injection sites for drug addicts

Question 10

Spin-doctors are communications consultants whose job it is to release news stories to and answer questions from reporters.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT one of the developments identified by David Taras that deprives Canadians of "vital information they need to make decisions about their communities and their lives"?

A) corporate convergence
B) fragmentation
C) journalism that is generally poorer quality
D) the dominance of left-wing perspectives in the Canadian media

Question 12

The branches of media politics include unpaid media,paid media,polling,and the Internet.

Question 13

Which of the following examples is NOT included in communications media?

A) conversations between friends
B) iPods, MP3 players
C) print media
D) television and radio broadcasting

Question 14

Which of the following statements does NOT describe the influence a sped up news cycle has on media politics?

A) It creates a more competitive, harried world.
B) Political leaders and parties have to cope with the faster pace of reporting.
C) It improves the quality of news stories.
D) The frantic pressure to file leaves reporters less time for reflection and discussion.

Question 15

The media are political institutions.

Question 16

Why are the media considered political institutions?

A) because political reporting is partisan and inherently biased
B) because in most countries the media are owned and run by government
C) because they are important two-way links between people and government
D) because they are an objective conveyer of political facts

Question 17

The development of electronic media has affected politics in much the same way as the expansion of the franchise.Why is this statement true?

A) Both developments undermined traditional institutions
B) Both developments made the political process more elitist
C) Both developments made the political process more personal
D) Both developments increased access to the political process

Question 18

Which term refers to someone whose job is to release news stories to,and answer questions from,reporters?

A) journalist
B) pollster
C) spin doctor
D) broadcaster

Question 19

With regard to electronic media,what is the difference between Europe and the U.S.A.?

A) In Europe, radio and television are predominantly public corporations, whereas in the U.S.A. private ownership is the rule.
B) In Europe, radio and television are predominantly private corporations, whereas in the U.S.A. public ownership is the rule.
C) In Europe, there is a hybrid of public and private ownership, whereas in the U.S.A. public ownership is the rule.
D) In Europe, radio is predominantly public and television is private, whereas in the U.S.A. the opposite is true.

Question 20

What is the most immediate benefit of a national news source?

A) it promotes national unity
B) it gives a voice to the federal government
C) it facilitates nation-wide political discourse
D) it is a highly credible news source

Question 21

A type of poll in which the pollster surveys a small new sample every night and averages those data with the results of the preceding two nights' surveys is known as a tracking poll.

Question 22

Because the media tell people what to think about,the very act of reporting plays an important role in __________.An example of this is the selective portrayal of certain pieces of information,which shapes public opinion on a specific issue,also known as________.

Question 23

The media's investigative role is more highly developed in Canada than in the United States and Britain.

Question 24

Outline the four types of ways in which communications media affect political parties and election campaigns.

Question 25

How has advertising influenced political campaigns in democratic states?

Question 26

The rise of large communications corporations combining newspapers,radio,television,and Internet is a phenomenon often called ________.

Question 27

National media can be an important tool for facilitating nation-wide political discussion.

Question 28

Because news reporting sets the agenda for public debate,it therefore tells people what to think.

Question 29

The watchdog activity of __________ journalism is the uncovering of inconvenient facts that governments or powerful interest groups would like to suppress.

Question 30

Are the media political institutions?

Question 31

According to David Taras,one of the reasons why the current media universe is depriving Canadians "of vital information they need to make decisions about their communities and their lives" is the dominance of left-wing bias in the Canadian media.

Question 32

Because Canada's disclosure laws are so weak and libel laws are so strong,the media's investigative role is less highly developed than in the United States and Britain.

Question 33

David Taras lists five contemporary developments that are depriving citizens of vital information they need to make decisions about their communities and their lives: corporate ___________,____________,the decline of ___________ owned broadcasting,a decline in the ____________ of journalism,and the dominance of ______ -wing perspectives in the Canadian media.

Question 34

Convergence is another word for increased government regulation of the communications media.

Question 35

According to David Taras,one of the reasons why the current media universe is depriving Canadians "of vital information they need to make decisions about their communities and their lives" is the relative dominance of government-owned broadcasting in the industry and the dominance of left-wing perspectives.

Question 36

In some regimes,it is illegal to produce media that criticizes the government.

Question 37

The four branches of media politics are: __________,__________,__________,__________.

Question 38

Communications consultants whose job it is to release news stories to and answer questions from reporters are known as ________.

Question 39

Regarding electronic media,the difference between Europe and the U.S.A.is that in Europe radio and television are predominantly public corporations,whereas in the U.S.A.private ownership is the rule.

Question 40

A type of poll in which the pollster surveys a small new sample every night and averages those data with the results of the preceding two nights' surveys is known as a __________.

Question 41

What impact does media ownership and control have on Canadian political culture? In your answer,explain the significance of convergence and the concentration of privately-owned media.How does Canada compare with other countries regarding public and private media ownership?

Question 42

Why is a national news source important? What does it help to accomplish,and how does it do this?

Question 43

How has the proliferation of internet news sources and social media affected the quality of news media? Has this had a positive or negative effect on the political process?

Question 44

Explain the significance of the media's internal logic and particularly how its agenda-setting,priming,and investigative activities influence and shape politics and public opinion in Canada.

Question 45

In what way has new media affected the news cycle? What is the impact on media politics?

Question 46

Discuss the five contemporary developments identified by David Taras that are depriving citizens of vital information they need to make decisions about their communities and their lives