260 Chapter 7 | The Media- Space and time limitations mean that some is
inevitable.
a filtering
b slant
c priming
d framing
e soft news - Why do reporters move beyond “just the facts” reporting?
a Politicians are corrupt, and people need to know about it.
b Americans don’t realize the media are not always objective.
c Readers have already interpreted the news themselves.
d Politics is complicated and often requires some interpretation.
e Reporters have a strong personal bias and can’t write strictly
factual stories. - What is one problem with research on media bias?
a Few scholars are interested in studying media bias.
b It is difficult to measure bias.
c No journalist will admit that bias exists.
d There’s little chance that media sources are biased.
e There are not enough media sources to create a sample.
Do the media work?
Assess whether the media fulfill their role in American
democracy. (Pages 253–257)Summary
In a democracy, the media’s job is to provide citizens with information
about politicians, government action, and policy debates. Although
the media often fall short of this ideal, there are many reasons for this
failure, including market forces and lack of citizen interest.Key terms
attack journalism (p. 255)
horse race (p. 255)soft news (p. 255)
hard news (p. 255)Practice Quiz Questions
- Which is an example of “soft news”?
a CNN’s coverage of a White House press conference
b ABC’s coverage of the president’s State of the Union address
c NPR’s report on the details of the debt-ceiling debate
d CBS’s coverage of election results
e MSNBC’s story about a member of Congress posting risqué photos
of himself to his Twitter account - Why are elected officials often able to successfully demand
that journalists give favorable coverage of events and actions?
a Elected officials can throw the journalists in jail.
b The fairness doctrine requires that journalists publish what elected
officials tell them.
c Journalists defer to elected officials because they need the
information that elected officials can provide.
d Journalists are constrained by the equal time provision included
in federal law.
e Media consolidation has increased the power of elected
officials. - Prior restraint of reporting on government policy is.
a relatively rare because the constitutional guarantees of a free
press are very strong
b relatively rare because reporters are afraid of having to pay
large fines
c common because of media consolidation
d common in the post–September 11 era
e ruled as illegal by the Supreme Court
How do the media influence
their audience?
Explain how the media influence how people think about
politics. (Pages 245–253)Summary
Much of what Americans know about politics comes not only from
the stories that they are exposed to in the news but also from the way
these stories are presented (or if stories are reported at all). Potential
media bias, filtering, and framing all may influence the type and scope
of information that reporters choose to disseminate. In particular, the
effects of filtering and framing are simply unavoidable given limited
resources.Key terms
media effects (p. 248)
hostile media effect (p. 248)filtering (p. 250)
framing (p. 250)Practice Quiz Questions
- “Filtering” the news refers to.
a the media’s attempts to frame public opinion
b sources’ attempts to remain confidential
c newspaper editors determining which stories to report
d politicians attempting to influence coverage by providing select
information
e reporters’ choices to delay a story
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