How do the media in uence their audience? 245Newspapers can also face prosecution for publishing classified information. In the case
of the Snowden documents, the Post published its story only when it was rumored that
the Guardian planned to release its own story. Even then, Post reporters and editors
agreed to keep certain information out of their stories.
Why do reporters and publishers restrain their stories? Sometimes they agree with
the government that keeping secrets is in the national interest. For example, for several
years mainstream media voluntarily decided not to run stories about secret American
bases in Saudi Arabia from which drone missions were being flown over Iran and other
countries. (Ultimately the information was revealed in a Wired magazine story.^22 )
Other times reporters are rewarded for cooperating—they may get information about
another government policy or be promised future access to officials. Alternatively,
reporters may be coerced to back down from a story through the threat of losing
future access to people in government or even going to jail.
In the main, these constraints apply only to mainstream organizations and their
reporters. Groups that are anonymous or that operate outside the United States can
violate these laws and norms with impunity. For example, when the international
WikiLeaks group released e-mails and documents they had obtained from the
Democratic National Committee, the Clinton campaign, and the Gmail account of
Clinton campaign chair John Podesta, there was no way for the affected groups (or the
government) to initiate legal action or otherwise prevent publication.
Thus, both legal constraints and government officials’ efforts to shape the news can
affect the way that the media report about politics. Politicians will try to depict their
opponents as ill-advised and scandal ridden and to shape media coverage in ways that
show them winning and their opponents losing. Given the multitude of media sources,
it is not hard for a politician to find a reporter who is willing to write exactly what that
politician wants. And that reporter may file a story whether or not he or she believes
that the information the politician provides is true or important—the reporter may be
motivated by other factors, like attracting an audience, gaining the politician’s trust, or
hitting a deadline.How Do The Media Influence their Audience?
The study of media effects explores whether exposure to media coverage of politics
changes what people think or do. There is considerable evidence that media coverage
influences its audience—in simple terms, much of what Americans know about politicsEXPLAIN HOW THE MEDIA
INFLUENCE HOW PEOPLE
THINK ABOUT POLITICSUnderstanding the relationship between politicians and the media is critical for
evaluating the quality and accuracy of the political news you see and read. Because
journalists are constrained in what they can learn about and what they can report,
and because politicians may try to influence what reporters say, there is no guarantee
that any one media source will be able to publish a full and complete account of a
political event or outcome. Under these conditions, the only way to be well informed
about politics is to consult multiple sources and remember that politicians and
media members both have agendas. Sometimes those agendas are similar, but often
politicians and the media want different things.“Why
Should
I Care?”
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