This document discusses the roles and functions of media. It covers how media sources gather and distribute information, though the means of delivery have changed over time. The document outlines the history of media and journalism in the US and how the field has evolved. It also examines how media can influence public opinion and the relationship between media and partisan politics. Key topics covered include the roles of journalists, the rise of new media formats, and theories about media effects on audiences.

1. PO 101
Spring 2017

9.  Sources help to gather, package, and disseminate
information to the public
 Newspapers
 Radio
 Television
 Internet
 Main goal of media has stayed the same
 How information is delivered has changed

10.  I. Roles and Functions of Media
 What does the media actually do?
 II. Brief History of the News Media
 What role has the media played in our political history?
 III. Journalists and the Media
 What roles do journalists play in a democracy?
 IV. The Media, Partisanship, and Public Opinion
 Does the media affect how citizens view events?

12. INSTRUCTIONS
Write down three roles
that the modern media plays today.

13. 1) Inform
2) Investigate
3) Interpret

16.  Labor-intensive
and expensive
 Newsprint comprised
of individual letters of
metal type

18. Common Sense was mass-produced.
The Federalist Papers were published in NewYork newspapers.

20.  Newspapers and partisan politics
 Growing literacy and the “penny press”
 Beginnings of “Yellow Journalism”

21. JOSEPH PULITZER WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST

26. THE “BIGTHREE” KENNEDYVS. NIXON, 1960

28.  Decline inTraditional Newspaper Readership
 Popularity ofTalk Radio
 Rise of Soft News or “Infotainment”
 Prevalence of Blogs
 Rise and Continuation of Social Networking
 Cell Phones andText Messaging

31.  Gatekeeper
 Decide what will be covered
 Managers of wire services, editors, reporters
 Disseminator
 “Just the Facts,” avoid unverifiable stories
 Does this help the public?
 Investigator
 Investigate problems, critically analyze and report them
 “Muckrakers,”Woodward and Bernstein (Watergate)
 Public Mobilizer
 Emphasis on civic journalism
 Grassroots movement due to Internet, etc.

33. Focuses on 1940 Election
Results: People already made up
minds prior to voting; campaign
did not add information
Study gave rise to minimal
effects thesis

34.  Selective Exposure
 Individuals exposed to information with beliefs
 Selective Perception
 Individuals interpret information with beliefs
 Selective Retention
 Individuals recall information with beliefs

36.  Agenda Setting
 Must choose which events to cover— signal to public
 Priming
 Media emphasizes characteristics of people, events,
or issues—and this influences public’s view
 Framing
 Media alters public view on issue by presentation

37. INSTRUCTIONS
Place the following news outlets on your blank chart
by the political ideology that you feel best represents them.
(1) NPR, (2) TheWall StreetJournal , (3) FOX NEWS, (4) CNN
Share your chart with a neighbor.
Do they have the same placements? Why or why not?

41.  Roles and functions allow citizens to learn about
government and critically analyze performance.
 Throughout American history, media’s role has
impacted the course of politics.
 Journalists’ perceptions on their role affects how
news is presented.
 Partisanship and ideology, along with the advent of
social media, will continue to impact how Americans
interact with political events.