Lecture
10-1
Media
The
dynamics of an industry
Todays
newspapers are only distant cousins to the papers of the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries.
Print
journalism, which includes magazines, has experienced change brought about by
advances in technology, altered lifestyles, competition from television and
radio. and other economic forces.
Television has largely replaced radio as a major
source of news and now surpasses newspapers as the primary news source for
national and international news.
The
constitutional basis of the press
The First Amendment confers explicit
constitutional protection on the news media.
Protection of the press is necessary because of
the check the press can apply on the branches of government.
The
Federal Communications Commission
Electronic journalism operates under restraints
that do not apply to print journalism
The Federal Communications Commission is the
regulatory agency that oversees the operation of radio and television station
in the United States.
The
Fairness Doctrine
This is a former policy of the FCC that required
stations to provide balanced coverage of public issues.
Congress may decide to re-instate the fairness
doctrine by statute in the coming years, but the industry resists this.
The
equal-time rule
This is a requirement established by congress
that dates tot he Communications Act of 1934.
It
directs a station to give to sell time to one candidate if the station has
given or sold time to another candidate for the same office.
Direct
communication: the media as vehicles
Electronic media make it possible for the
president or another national figure to speak simultaneously and directly to
virtually everyone in the land
The is a power enjoyed by no political leader
until the 1930s
Political
knowledge and attitudes: The media as gatekeepers
Editors decide in large measure what the
American people will know
Readers and viewers do not retain large amounts
of specific information for very long
The media are influential in shaping public
attitudes about events and political leaders
Issues
making and issue reporting: The media as spotlights
The media highlight particular events, rather
than reflecting life and society as a whole
The media help to define those things people
think are important
When people believe something is important,
public officials usually do too