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Chapter 7: The Media
TRUE/FALSE
1. American politicians have always complained throughout history about the mass media.
2. In colonial America, newspapers had low circulation because they were costly and only available
in major cities.
3. The regulations on broadcast media by the Federal Communications Commission reflect the
assumption that the airways are public property.
4. The equal time provision requires broadcasters to grant the same amount of on-air time on any
non-news programming to every candidate running for office.
5. Media conglomerates have been created due to regulatory changes that accelerated concentration
and cross-ownership.
6. The Internet has limited the amount of information available about politics.
10. Political candidates running for federal office tend to spend at least 80 percent of their budget on
advertising alone.
11. Most Americans believe that the media is biased against the candidates and policies they prefer.
ANS: T DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – How Does the Media Shape Politics?
OBJ: Explain how the media influences how people think about politics
MSC: Understanding
12. Most political scientists have concluded that journalists tend to have a definitive ideological bias in
the presentation of their news.
13. The Internet has helped to make Americans better informed about politics.
14. The media’s focus on horse race stories reflects journalists’ lack of interest in helping people make
good decisions.
15. Research has shown that if journalists explained the process of government more often, their
ratings would increase.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which one of the following statements is accurate?
a. Media reporting only became controversial in the twentieth century.
b. Since the founding of the republic, politicians have understood that Americans learn about
politics mostly from the media.
c. Politicians were not critical of the media in the nineteenth century.
d. Allegations of bias in the media began when television was created.
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Remembering
2. What was the effect of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798?
a. They required the news media to provide fair coverage of multiple political points of view.
b. They established the freedom of the press.
c. They outlawed publishing stories that might threaten national security.
d. They made it a crime to criticize the president or Congress.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Remembering
3. The invention of cheaper and faster printing presses in the 1830s led to the onset of ________.
a. the penny press c. muckraking
b. wire services d. objective news reporting
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Remembering
5. Which newspaper has the motto, “All the News That’s Fit to Print?”
a. New York Journal c. New York Times
b. Washington Post d. Boston Globe
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Remembering
8. The government’s willingness to regulate broadcast media more heavily than print media reflects
a. public demand for a better political balance on television.
b. the history of partisan ownership of newspapers.
c. the fact that the framers did not anticipate broadcasting and therefore could not protect it
in the Constitution.
d. the belief that the airways are public property.
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Understanding
12. Cross-ownership
a. is illegal in the United States.
b. cannot occur in the same community.
c. is becoming more prevalent in America today.
d. was more common in the nineteenth century than in the twenty-first century.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Understanding
13. The news media in America
a. are owned by the government.
b. are mostly profit-seeking businesses.
c. are considered impartial by the general public.
d. are regulated by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Understanding
14. The trend toward single-company ownership of several kinds of media outlets is known as
________.
a. cross-ownership c. networks
b. concentration d. corporations
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Remembering
NewsCorp owns Fox, Fox News, the film studio 21st Century Fox, the Wall Street Journal, and
the New York Post, among many other media holdings. NewsCorp is an example of ________.
a. a wire service c. the fairness doctrine
b. a blog service d. a media conglomerate
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Applying
19. Which one of the following is a trend experienced by many newspapers in recent years?
a. increasing number of independent newspapers
b. decreasing circulation
c. increase in the number of reporters
d. decrease in online readers
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Remembering
20. What is the most significant reason why most people do not know much about politics?
a. the inept mass media
b. not enough availability of information
c. people are not that interested in politics
d. there is too much corruption in the political world
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Understanding
26. The quality and types of news sources vary most in which media format?
a. Internet c. newspapers
b. radio d. television
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Remembering
27. What is happening at the present time with newspaper circulations and major TV news networks?
a. They are both increasing subscribers.
b. Newspapers are increasing subscribers, and television is decreasing subscribers.
c. Newspapers are decreasing subscribers, and television is increasing subscribers.
d. They are both decreasing subscribers.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Understanding
28. Although newspapers are limited in the ________ of their coverage, the ________ of their
coverage means that they can provide more detailed knowledge to their readers.
a. depth; timeliness c. timeliness; breadth
b. breadth; timeliness d. timeliness; depth
ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Applying
29. The Center for Responsive Politics and Pollster.com are examples of websites that
a. provide search engines for citizens.
b. have many videos of campaign events.
c. provide blogs written by top journalists.
d. collect links to political information.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Remembering
30. The Internet has ________ the barriers of publication, while leading to an increase in ________
reliable sources.
a. lowered; more c. raised; less
b. lowered; less d. not affected; more
ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Understanding
31. The “47 percent” incident during the 2012 presidential campaign demonstrates that
a. the Internet allows anyone to influence the news.
b. campaigns continue to rely on public opinion polling.
c. media conglomerates shape the news through filtering.
d. horse race coverage is declining over time.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Applying
32. Which one of the following characteristics reduces the effectiveness of the Internet in creating
informed citizens?
a. higher barriers to publication on the Internet
b. availability of search engines for finding sites
c. availability of videos of important political events
d. unreliability of many Internet sources
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Applying
33. When Edward Snowden released information about programs being conducted by the NSA, it was
an example of ________.
a. a leak c. invasion of privacy
b. cyberterrorism d. citizen journalism
ANS: A DIF: Moderate
REF: CH07 – How Do Politicians Use the Media? How Does the Media Use Politicians?
OBJ: Explain how politicians use the media to achieve their goals
MSC: Remembering
34.
Which one of the following statements about murder over the last 30 years in the United States is
accurate?
a. The murder rate in the United States has never been higher than it is right now.
b. The murder rate in the United States has never been lower than it is right now.
c. Drawing conclusions about the murder rate in a diverse country is a complicated task.
d. The media’s coverage of violent crime is always balanced.
ANS: C DIF: Difficult
REF: CH07 – How Do Politicians Use the Media? How Does the Media Use Politicians?
OBJ: Explain how politicians use the media to achieve their goals
MSC: Understanding
35. Which one of the following is an example of how leaks within government help provide the basis
for news reports?
a. the delayed rollout of healthcare.gov
b. President Barack Obama’s meeting with House Republicans
c. the nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court
d. Edward Snowden and the NSA
ANS: D DIF: Moderate
REF: CH07 – How Do Politicians Use the Media? How Does the Media Use Politicians?
OBJ: Explain how politicians use the media to achieve their goals
MSC: Remembering
36. If a federal official sues to stop the publication of a top-secret memo about an ongoing military
conflict, and a judge agrees and prohibits publication, this is an example of ________.
a. politics c. a shield law
b. a leak d. prior restraint
ANS: D DIF: Difficult
REF: CH07 – How Do Politicians Use the Media? How Does the Media Use Politicians?
OBJ: Explain how politicians use the media to achieve their goals
MSC: Applying
40. Typically, candidates for federal office spend about ________ percent of their budget on
advertising.
a. 10–20 c. 60–70
b. 30–40 d. 80–90
ANS: D DIF: Difficult
REF: CH07 – How Do Politicians Use the Media? How Does the Media Use Politicians?
OBJ: Explain how politicians use the media to achieve their goals
MSC: Remembering
42. Many Americans learn about politics while engaged in other non-news activities, such as reading
the sports page or watching NASCAR. This process is known as ________.
a. concentration c. shield laws
b. by-product theory d. filtering
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – How Does the Media Shape Politics?
OBJ: Explain how the media influences how people think about politics
MSC: Applying
44. According to research, well-informed people are unlikely to change their minds when they learn
something new from the news media because
a. they do not trust the news media.
b. they believe that media sources contain political bias.
c. they have already decided what they think.
d. they cannot remember all of the information they read or hear.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – How Does the Media Shape Politics?
OBJ: Explain how the media influences how people think about politics
MSC: Understanding
45.
46.
Media conglomerates
a. are not very efficient.
b. provide more alternative points of view.
c. provide less alternative points of view.
d. are an artifact of the past.
ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – How Does the Media Shape Politics?
OBJ: Explain how the media influences how people think about politics
MSC: Applying
51. Public opinion polls taken early during a political campaign ________.
a. are very important
b. are almost irrelevant
c. almost always predict the winner
d. typically favor the Democratic candidate
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Do the Media Work?
OBJ: Assess whether the media fulfill their role in American democracy
MSC: Remembering
55. What do surveys reveal about the public’s perception of media bias?
a. The public believes the media are biased in a conservative direction.
b. The public believes the media are biased in a liberal direction.
c. The public believes the media to be impartial.
d. Democrats believe the media are biased toward conservatives; Republicans believe the
media are biased toward liberals.
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Do the Media Work?
OBJ: Assess whether the media fulfill their role in American democracy
MSC: Remembering
56. The increase in coverage of scandals and controversies is all part of the rise of ________.
a. media conglomerates c. horse race coverage
b. wire services d. attack journalism
ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Do the Media Work?
OBJ: Assess whether the media fulfill their role in American democracy
MSC: Understanding
58. When journalists focus on the relative standing of candidates rather than their policy proposals,
they are engaged in ________.
a. horse race coverage c. hard news
b. attack journalism d. filtering
ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Do the Media Work?
OBJ: Assess whether the media fulfill their role in American democracy
MSC: Applying
59. Which one of the following is not a key characteristic of most modern American media?
a. attack journalism c. horse race coverage
b. hard news d. soft news
ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – Do the Media Work?
OBJ: Assess whether the media fulfill their role in American democracy
MSC: Applying
60. Which one of the following statements is accurate about the media?
a. The media give Americans the coverage they want.
b. The media try to manipulate citizens into caring more about foreign policy issues.
c. The media outlets avoid competing between and among each other.
d. The media will likely stop focusing on scandal and negativity in the near future.
ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: CH07 – Do the Media Work?
OBJ: Assess whether the media fulfill their role in American democracy
MSC: Understanding
SHORT ANSWER
ANS:
The FCC is a government agency created in 1934 to regulate American radio stations and later
expanded to regulate television, wireless communications technologies, and other broadcast media.
It is important because in a democracy, the government does not own and operate the media.
Government officials regulate the broadcast media to try to ensure that no company has a
monopoly on the flow of information to the people and that a diverse array of opinions is presented
to the general public.
2. What is the equal time provision and why is it important in political campaigns?
ANS:
The equal time provision is an FCC regulation which requires officials in the broadcast media to
provide equal airtime on any non-news programming to all candidates running for an office. It is
important in political campaigns because it precludes officials from favoring one candidate over
the others and compels them to provide equal access to all candidates regardless of their
partisanship and ideology.
3. What are media conglomerates and why are they potentially problematic?
ANS:
Media conglomerates are companies that control a large number of media sources across several
types of media outlets. They are potentially problematic if a conglomerate dominates a particular
media market and does not present a diverse array of viewpoints to the public.
4. Why do politicians or other government leaders provide information on background or off the
record?
ANS:
If an elected leader provides information to a journalist on background or off the record, the
reporter can use the information but not attribute it to the politician in question. Sometimes
politicians engage in this approach to the dissemination of information on a trial basis, particularly
if they want to gauge public reaction without committing themselves. On other occasions, a
politician might reveal some details of a negotiation or conflict with the hope of producing
favorable media coverage.
DIF: Moderate
REF: CH07 – How Do Politicians Use the Media? How Does the Media Use Politicians?
OBJ: Explain how politicians use the media to achieve their goals
MSC: Understanding
ANS:
Most people learn about politics from the mass media. In a democracy, the people are dependent
on a free and open press to provide them with critical political information. What people do with
the information that they consume from print media, television, the Internet, or some other source
is entirely up to them.
DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – How Does the Media Shape Politics?
OBJ: Explain how the media influences how people think about politics
MSC: Understanding
6. What are the generational differences that researchers have identified in the use of different media
sources?
ANS:
There are some distinct generational differences when it comes to consuming the news. Older
Americans are more likely than younger Americans to watch the news on television. They are also
more inclined than younger people to read a newspaper on a regular basis. Conversely, younger
people are much more inclined to extract news via the Internet than their older counterparts, who
did not grow up during the Internet revolution.
DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – How Does the Media Shape Politics?
OBJ: Explain how the media influences how people think about politics
MSC: Applying
ANS:
Filtering, also known as agenda setting, results from journalistic and editorial decisions about
which stories to report to the public. Framing refers to how the description or presentation of a
story, including the details, explanations, and context, changes the reaction people may have to the
information presented.
DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – How Does the Media Shape Politics?
OBJ: Explain how the media influences how people think about politics
MSC: Understanding
ANS:
While there are many allegations of an ideological bias in the mass media, it is very difficult to
find a scholarly study that presents strong evidence of systematic bias in a liberal or conservative
direction. Some media sources are openly ideological, and this has typically been public
knowledge for years (e.g., Fox News has a conservative bent). But throughout American history,
citizens have generally consumed a news source which most closely matches their worldview. This
does not necessarily mean, however, that the diverse array of media sources in the United States,
taken collectively, are imposing a distinct ideology on the American people.
DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – How Does the Media Shape Politics?
OBJ: Explain how the media influences how people think about politics
MSC: Analyzing
ANS:
By focusing so much on the actual electoral competition between two or more candidates,
journalists generally do not provide in-depth coverage of the candidates’ stances on the issues and
assess to what extent a candidate will perform in office if elected. As such, media coverage of
American politics tends to focus on soft news over hard news.
ANS:
Journalists tend to ignore details in their reporting and instead focus on negativity and scandals.
There is one simple reason—because it sells. Americans are more likely to consume scandalous or
conflictual news stories rather than hard news itself.
ESSAY
ANS:
In the 1830s, with the advent of the penny press in America, the media’s role in American politics
was revolutionized. For the first time in the history of the republic, the masses could afford to
consume the news due to advances in technology. Instead of a newspaper costing six cents, it could
now be produced for a penny, thus the term. The development of the telegraph later in the
nineteenth century also aided newspapers by enabling reporters on assignment throughout the
country to quickly send stories home for publication. During the 1920s, many radio stations
evolved in the United States, allowing journalists to report directly to the people in their own
households. Later in the 1950s, television was widely disseminated in the United States, which
allowed journalists to provide visual coverage of the news for the first time in history. The number
of news sources expanded decades later, when the Internet was introduced in America.
ANS:
By-product theory is the premise that many Americans acquire political information
unintentionally rather than explicitly seeking it out. For example, a sports enthusiast may read the
box scores in the newspaper but peruse front-page stories along the way. In watching television,
many people may be subjected to a few minutes of news. The reality in America is somewhat
sobering. Most Americans are not that interested in politics and public affairs. Despite
technological advancements such as television and the Internet, Americans still do not consume
political information at a high level because they are simply not interested in doing so. The
electorate could, in theory, be far more knowledgeable about politics than is presently the case
given the state of technology in the early twenty-first century.
DIF: Difficult REF: CH07 – Political Media Today
OBJ: Describe the role of media in American politics and how people get political information
MSC: Understanding
3.
ANS:
Filtering is the influence on public opinion that results from journalistic and editorial decisions
about which of many potential news stories to promulgate to the public. The presentation of the
news is, in fact, a selective process. Many analysts contend that the media sets the political agenda
in the United States in terms of what news stories are presented and which ones are excluded.
Framing is the influence on public opinion caused by the manner in which a story is presented or
covered, including the details, explanations, and context offered in the report.
DIF: Moderate REF: CH07 – How Does the Media Shape Politics?
OBJ: Explain how the media influences how people think about politics
MSC: Applying
4. How do market forces influence media coverage?
ANS:
Mass media sources compete for an audience in terms of profit. Profits are needed in order to stay
in business. The competition between and among media sources has increased dramatically due to
the advent of the Internet. For consumers, there may be some positive effects. Newspaper
publishers have put their content online and moved away from publishing once a day to providing
constant updates. TV stations also provide much of their news online as well. A possible negative
effect is that sometimes reporters search for stories when they really do not exist. For example,
publishing a poll early in a political campaign is often meaningless. What the people think a year
before an election actually takes place is largely irrelevant. Yet because some reporters feel
compelled to write about or present something, they may focus on a story that they know is not
terribly important just so they have something to “report.”
ANS:
Media coverage of politics emphasizes soft news (stories that are sensational or entertaining) as
opposed to hard news (stories that focus on important substantive issues and emphasize facts and
figures). There is a simple explanation. Most Americans are not very interested in politics and
journalists are well aware of this reality. Knowing this, as well as the omnipresent competition for
profits, compels many reporters to present human-interest stories over hard news events.
Journalists also tend to accentuate negativity and scandals for the very same reason. People are
more inclined to consume conflict than a standard hard news story.
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