Politics 5
Terms
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- Who was Admiral Mike Boorda?
- Chief of Naval Operations, the highest ranking man in the Navy
- What was the problem with Admiral Boorda's ribbons?
- He may have been wearing an award for valor that he did not earn, although the Navy policy is not clear.
- What happened when Boorda was told that an article was being written about him?
- He shot himself, again showing the power of the media.
- The average adult or child watches how much TV a day?
- three hours
- What is the most important media for politics?
- TV is the most important
- How do newspapers compete with TV for retaining readers?
- By providing more thorough and thoughtful coverage
- What is threatening the hold of TV over the provision of news to people?
- The Internet, which can respond even more quickly than TV to events
- What was the largest media merger in history?
- AOL and Time-Warner
- What is the threat to democracy from the concentration of the media in a few companies?
- Loss of diversity and the ability of one company, or a few, to influence the whole country
- Why was the Telecommunications Act of 1996 not reported extensively in the media?
- It gave them billions of dollars worth of free access to frequencies for free, a fact they didn't want discussed in public, so most didn't report it
- What factor often impedes TV stations from doing indepth stories as newspapers usually do?
- The news department in a TV station is expected to make a profit like other shows, and can't spend a lot of money on investigation (there are some obvious exceptions, this applies to general news shows)
- What is Atomization of the Media?
- Despite the media mergers, many media outlets such as local cable companies are catering to small groups, and will encourage diversity
- What are the two major trends in the media?
- concentration through mergers opposed by atomization, giant companies vs small, local stations
- What is a major problem with Internet news?
- Any idiot can post anything he wants on the Internet. Note the case where Pierre Salinger reported that a TWA flight that had crashed was shot down by a Navy missile, a story made up by a pilot on the Internet
- What are two aspects of the relationship between the media and politics?
- Symbiotic, they need each other, but also adversarial, they fight all the time
- What are tactics used by politicians in the symbiotic relation with the media?
- Interviews, "Leaks", Press conferences, and "Media events"
- What are Media Events?
- Staged spectacles for TV that combine photo opportunities with a policy statement, usually set up to show support for the policy being discussed
- What is the average "sound bite" of a political speech?
- Under 10 seconds
- What may happen when a politican praises a reporter for a story?
- Others will see the reporter as being "taken in" by the politician
- How did George W Bush change the relationship with the media?
- He pulled back from the heavy involvement of Reagan and Clinton, although he has been more visible since 9/11
- How is media coverage of the Supreme Court different than its coverage of the President and Congress?
- They usually focus on laws or decisions, not on the judges themselves
- What is a major sign of media bias?
- They report much more negative news about politicians than positive news
- What is "Commercial Bias" in the media?
- They often deliberately print or broadcast what advertisers want
- Why do TV stations often play down stories about blacks or minorities?
- Commercial bias. Most middle-class whites don't want to see shows about lower classes or minorities, so the advertisers won't reach as many people
- Why did the media play up the anthrax scare?
- To make the audience fear, so they would watch more to find out what they needed to do, which made the advertisers happy. Another case of commercial bias
- What is "Game Organization" in the media?
- The idea that politicians, especially, are in it to win for their side. It lets the stations portray clear sides, even when there aren't any. This argues against showing compromise
- What is media malaise?
- Feeling by the public of cynicism and distrust against the media
- What is the Arab version of CNN?
- Al-Jazeera, a network based in Qatar that reports from the Arab viewpoint. It has a major influence in the middle east, and may or may not be biased, or just reporting public (Arab) opinion.