THE MEDIA: [Sometimes called the “fourth branch of government: president, congress, court and public media]

HAND OUTS: These are brief articles from news sources. you should note the basic ideas in each and the points of each article. You need nor remember all of the details, who said what, etc. but should be able to write an informative essay on the relationship between the media and politics drawing upon illustrations from the articles.

--CSM “Debunk the Myth of Al Qaeda”

--DBNJ “This War Brought to You by the Brand of Your Choice.”

--Christian Science Monitor “This Just In: The Factors Behind The Newspapers Rush To Contrition.”

--Christian Science Monitor “Terrorists’ Visual Warfare Use The Media As Weapon.”

--Christian Science Monitor “Press Wrestles with Grim Clips.”

--Chicago Sun times “Real Story of Tillman’s Death is a Pity.”

--Christian Science Monitor “New Story Emerges of an Infamous Massacre.”

--The New York Times. “Real Battles and Empty Metaphors” by Susan Sontag.

-- Christian Science Monitor “When is ‘Terrorist’ a Subjective Term?”

NOTE: Much of what is said about this issue has been studied extensively using empirical research – a major part of what is considered the “science” in political science.

--in this topic on the media studies seek to define carefully what is meant by terms such as “media” “framing” “public opinion” “changing beliefs” “source credibility”:

--for example: in one study “source credibility” is operationally defined as shared ideology between persons and the media to which they pay attention [“liberals” tend to watch … and “conservatives” tend to watch, etc.]

--hypotheses are constructed such as: persons will tend to be influenced in their opinions if they are watching TV news shows that have a high degree of credibility [Presently the impression is that conservaties tend to find Fox News credible hence once would expect a high degree of influence here whereas one would not expect it with regard to “liberals” watching Fox News, a source they tend not to find credible.]

--if a study of numerous persons using the operational definition and hypothesis indicated above show large numbers of persons doing what the hypothesis indicates they probably [probability is a key tool in the scientific toolbox of social scientists!!]will do, then the hypothesis is confirmed and one might add this to the broader theory that news media influences public opinion provided that it is of a nature that fits personal predispositions [beliefs, attitudes, ideologies, etc.]

--empirical refers to sense data such as – in this example and this topic of study -- stated opinions, text in a news paper, number of columns devoted to an issue or candidate.

--probability is concerned with whether something would have happened simply by chance [by luck, happenstance, accident] rather than by some special relationship between the items at hand [In this case sources credibility and influence on public opinion.]

--A nice definition of theory is located on the Internet: a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses"; "true in fact and theory"

1. What is the “media”?

--plural of sources of communication [singular is “medium” such as newspapers are a medium for communication – hence, media refer to newspapers, TV, Internet, etc.]

2. Values:

--What is the basic value involved in this subject: freedom of the press?

--How free?

--Why?

--How does it relate to the nature of citizenship in general and citizenship in a democratic political system?

--Note former U.S. Senator Simpson [Wyoming] who in Nov. 2001 on the Jim Lehrer News Hour [PBS] asserted that reporters should be “patriots first and journalists second.” --- the reply from a communications scholar was that patriotism is providing accurate news – How would you respond to either or both of these?

--challenged with “embedded” reporters in Iraq?

--out-of-the-sunshine meetings by public officials cf “sunshine laws” in Florida

--Freedom of Information Act

--How to hold media accountable?

--supoenas and “sources

3, What impact of the technological changes for politics? for values?

--from newspapers to radio to TV to Internet

--“boutique media” or ideological or value-oriented media --- that is, find the one source that suits you to speak your political language and re-enforce a set of ideological positions or values

-- i.e., conservative talk shows and liberal talk shows

--non-deliberative [perhaps] but ideological TV : Fox News cf CNN cf National Public Radio

4. Does the news media available to us provide means for balanced information to make informed judgments?

--Who owns? Competitive markets or monopolies? [How many newspapers in your hometown?]

--Newsroom bias?

--Does it make a difference with public radio/television: government and/or private donations

--Are the media pandering to the public?

--How much information in a “sound bite

--Note idea of elections and “horse races” instead of issues – pandering to public attention spans/what sells?

5. Media controls or follows public opinion?

--shapes public opinion?

--keep it simple and say it repeatedly [Goebbels]

--to keep using Al Qaeda and terror and Iraq in the same sentences and speeches helps to establish a link now shown to be false between Al Qaeda with Saddam Hussein [50% of American think so even after the investigative report]

--what obstacles to shaping public opinion?

--perceived source credibility

--friends and neighbors // intermediaries in a two-step process: media interpreted/influenced by friend, relative

--set of beliefs/ideology // another type of intermediary

--what about sub-publics? For example: Blacks? Hispanics? Women?

--frames the issue?

--what gets reported and how

--James Druckman article on framing: Note not only conclusion but how he went about the study. Discussed in class

--sets the agenda?

--panders to the public?

POWER POINT PRESENTATION SLIDES: Many will be exactly the same as the outline above since the two are coordinated.

• --CSM “Debunk the Myth of Al Qaeda”

• --DBNJ “This War Brought to You by the Brand of Your Choice.”

• --Christian Science Monitor “This Just In: The Factors Behind The Newspapers Rush To Contrition.”

• --Christian Science Monitor “Terrorists’ Visual Warfare Use The Media As Weapon.”

• --Christian Science Monitor “Press Wrestles with Grim Clips.”

• “Scientific Study:

• empirical

• operational definitions

• hypotheses

• probability

• theories

• Values at stake:

• --freedom of the press

• --how free?

• --why?

• --relationship to citizenship?

• --to democratic citizenship?

• --accountable?

• --how?

• --withhold “sources”?

• Impact of technologic change?

• radio/TV to Internet

• “boutique media”

• Balanced information for informed judgments?

• Who owns?

• Newsroom bias?

• Private cf. Public?

• Media pandering to public?

• How much information in a sound bite?

• controls or follows public opinion?

• simple and repetitive [Goebbels]

• Al Qaeda/towers/terror/Saddam

• obstacles to shaping opinion

• sub-publics

• frames issues? Druckman article

• sets agenda

• panders to public?

• How to become informed?

• self-awareness

• national/international news sources:

• New York Times – Christian Science Monitor –Wall Street Journal – Washington Post

• Google and Yahoo access varied news sources with daily news thus perhaps different perspectives on same story

• PBS one of the most objective with both sides presented – look for civil debate with varied opinions rather than heated arguments that seem more theatrical than useful debate

• read columns of different syndicated columnists: e.g., Nicholas Kristoff cf William Saffire – both in New York Times