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Mass media & politics week 5
- 1. WEEK FIVE: MEDIA AND INSTITUTIONS POL 367 – Mass Media and Politics
- 2. Adversarial Relationship Media Wants to monitor and appraise government, muckracking Focus on controversy and conflict But also reliant on government for information and access Government Wants to influence media content to advance own
- 3. Adversarial Relationship Media performs four major functions for politicians: Informs them about current events Keeps them attuned to public concerns Enables them to convey message to the general public Helps them remain in full public view
- 4. Media and the Executive Branch The rise of television has tipped balance of coverage towards the President and the executive branch. Media impact large Media coverage can influence who becomes a candidate Media coverage can influence policy outcomes Impact of media has become more blunted in modern era Fragmented and niche markets Increase in entertainment choices General negative tone of coverage Partisan media and partisanship
- 5. Transmitting Presidential Messages Direct Transmission Media can directly transmit executive messages, allowing executive to get message out with minimal interference Media can still influence through how they frame the message Ex: State of the Union speech Mediated Transmission Executive message mediated by news personal Sound bites, journalistic commentary, guests Ex: Post State of the Union commentary by NBC News panelists
- 6. Three Stages of Media-President Relations Phase 1: Honeymoon Few policies have been passed Executive makes self readily available Media coverage usually positive Has shortened or outright disappeared Phase 2: Criticism Government attempts to implement agenda Media coverage becomes more negative Executive restricts access, attacks press Phase 3: Reconciliation Sides begin to moderate Counterpoint: Hostile relationship between Trump and media may be signifier of end of honeymoon phases.
- 7. Presidential Communication Strategies Orchestrate Coverage Create news events Media blackouts Public ceremonies Direct Messaging Presidential websites Electronic communications Social media and apps Winning Favor Offer good story material Cultivate friendly relationships Threaten loss of access, privilege Shaping News Flow Increase news flows to distract Withhold competing news Resources shortages means media focus on soft news over hard news
- 8. Forms of Contact Press releases News briefings and news conferences Usually try to tightly control questioning through preparing answers, choosing friendly media, and avoiding follow up questions. Backgrounders Off the record meetings Interviews Leaks
- 10. Media and Congress When you combine coverage about legislative concerns and mentions of Congress specifically, Congress as a body receives about equal coverage to the presidency. Stories about individual members of Congress, however, are more prominent in state and local media than at national level. Those in prominent leadership positions get more attention Senior members may also get more attention than junior Senators usually get more coverage than Representatives
- 11. Coverage of Congress versus President Congress Large, diverse body: no single focus Members less dependent on national attention Most of the work is drafting laws, technical details President Represented in single person More dependent on national coverage for success Focus on broad policy direction and statements More “actiony” than Congress
- 12. Have You Seen These People?
- 13. Have You Seen These People? Pres. Donald Trump Most news coverage Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) Minority leader, likely to get more national coverage than others Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) Senator, might get coverage in state but not as much in national Rep. Lee Zeldin (R) From NY 01. May get local coverage but not much state or national
- 14. Cautious Relationship Relationship between national media and MoC less interdependent Larger body means media can turn to another member for access MoC are usually more concerned on district, can focus on state/local media Still, not completely independent relationship Media serves as a source of publicity, particularly for ambitious Media stories and leaks serve as a check on executive branch Local media lets MoC communicate with their district MoC can personalize stories and insider comments Congressional investigations source of story
- 15. Congress and Digital Age Congress has had a growing Internet Presence Both House and Senate have chamber websites Members of Congress of websites (official and campaign) Congressional records and legislation available online CSPAN Video Library records meetings of congress New methods of contacting members of Congress Email, but volume of message often overwhelming Social media, but difficult to coordinate across platforms Traditional methods (letters, phone calls) usually most effective
- 16. Media and the Judicial System The judiciary branch receives the least amount of media coverage. State and local media coverage of judicial elections Confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominees US Supreme Court arguments and decisions of major cases Hearing of Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court Justice
- 17. Covering the Supreme Court Challenges of covering the Supreme Court Multiple decisions released at once Single case can have multiple decisions Few skilled legal experts to analyze meaning Court’s press office usually does not assist Supreme Court bars reporters from all deliberations Television cameras usually barred from federal courts Members of Court highly protective of it, limited press access
- 18. Covering the Supreme Court: California Prop 8
- 19. Covering the Supreme Court: Impact The Supreme Court usually receives higher approval ratings than either the President or Congress. Coverage of Supreme Court, and the judicial system as a whole, as a political institution usually hurts public perception Concerns about public opinion may influence rulings Establishing legacy Public perception
- 20. Covering the Criminal Justice System Most news about the judicial system is through news stories regarding the criminal justice system. About 1/3rd of news coverage is about crime Violent crime reported more often than white collar Concerns about media coverage of crime: Sensationalism and overestimation of crime levels Lack of discussion on causes of crimes and policies Public attention may encourage prosecutors to go for harsher sentences Coverage of crime disproportionally covers crimes committed by minorities, particularly African-American men.
- 21. State and Local News Local news is the most watched form of news, yet local and state news have been some of the hardest hit by the decline in resources. Often a disconnect between the boundaries of media markets and political communities, pushes media towards general interest. Demand for local and state news, however, have lead to an increase in local coverage by traditional media and new, hyper-local media. Examples of local news: Daily: Newsday Weekly: Suffolk Times
- 22. Umbrella Competition Patterns Smaller units operate within an area covered by a larger unit Metro news covers international, national, and regional news Smaller satellites carry more local news Suburban dailies carry local news as well Weekly newspapers and shoppers, mostly advertisements Smaller units usually have less in-depth coverage due to time and resource constraints
- 23. Alternative Press Outside of the umbrella competition patterns, alternative press often specialize on a narrow range of issues: Race, ethnic, or religious newspapers Minority political cultures Alternative lifestyles News is often more in-depth on the range of issues covered. Univision is a Spanish language television network with a viewership on par with top English networks.
- 24. Government and Local Press At local levels less of a need to rely on media to communicate and find out information with other government officials and can interact with press more outside of formal channels. Generally, subnational individuals outside of major cities are less adept at dealing with press relations Press materials are of lower quality Details of mayoral jobs highly technical Journalists at subnational level often also less experienced Less formal education and training Higher turnover rate and non-competition clauses Smaller resources, more reliance on government and pack journalism
- 25. Media Styles Media scholar Phyllis Kaniss has detailed several major ways that subnational government officials interact with the press. Paranoid Media Avoider Naïve Professional Ribbon Cutter Dancing Marionette Colorful Quotables Liars
- 26. Content of Subnational News National coverage of states Focuses on a few major states Swing states, early primaries State News Few outlets specialize in state news Emphasis usually on major metro-areas News on politics sparser due to short sessions Daily papers focus less on politics, not a regular beat Local News Weather, Crime, and People Little to no political content, rarely policy focused Newspaper endorsements can be highly influential
- 27. Foreign Affairs Coverage Americans generally focus on news about the United States Interest in foreign news fluctuates based on US involvement Gatekeeping is stricter: either direct impact on US or a massive event
- 28. Making Foreign News Decline of News Bureaus Associated Press largest source of international news in US Permanent international bureaus no longer model (exception: NYT, CNN) New Sources of Foreign News Foreign correspondents (normal and premium) “Parachute Journalists” Public relations and tourism boards Citizens journalists Foreign news agencies
- 29. Making News: War Coverage Bob Woodruff of ABC News, who was embedded with US 4th Infantry Division in Iraq till injured in an attack in 2006. Post Vietnam War, government has limited access due to concerns that coverage might dissuade support for military coverage Embedded journalism Training journalists to be “embedded” with military units Concerns about objectivity of reporting and limited perspective
- 30. The Beat Correspondents and news bureaus often centered in capital cities Majority of foreign affairs news comes through Washington, DC. Emphasis on nations with major diplomatic or military connections Middle East Western Europe & Russia China, Japan, Korea Mexico & Canada
- 31. Setting for News Selection Cultural pressures Stories reflect US values and stereotypes Political pressures Host country pressure and tolerance of media Media diplomacy Use media to circumvent normal diplomacy Directly involve journalists into political processes Economic pressures Foreign news usually suffers when attention turns domestic Standard for foreign news story particularly high.
- 32. Choosing Stories Sociologist Herbert Gans list of what gets covered from most to least: US activities in a foreign country (war, visits) Events that effect Americans directly (ex: oil embargo) Relations with possibly hostile states Government upheavals and leadership change Dramatic political conflicts Disasters Excesses of foreign dictators
- 33. Impact of Foreign Coverage Support for the status quo Reporting of countries usually reflective of government policy Stereotyping often used, particularly of developing countries Media often willing to collaborate with government on restricting coverage Indexing hypothesis Lance Bennet: Media coverage usually follows government line until respected sources begin to dissent, usually elites. Robert Entman: “Cascade model” – post Cold War, consensus is the exception rather than rule. Media slightly favors President’s interpretation. CNN Effect Claim that graphic media coverage of events can push US to engage in unplanned interventions Evidence suggests effect mostly limited to humanitarian intervention, not military 24/hrs news cycle means government has to respond faster to events than in the
Editor's Notes
- The more people voting in the election and the closer the election, the more the media covers the election.
- The more people voting in the election and the closer the election, the more the media covers the election.