AP US Government AMSCO Guided Notes
5.20: The Media
AP US Government Guided Notes
AMSCO 5.20 - The Media
Essential Questions
- How does the media function as a linkage institution?
- How do increasingly diverse choices of media and communication outlets influence political institutions and behavior?
I. Media as a Linkage Institution
1. What is a linkage institution and how does the media serve this function in connecting citizens to government?
2. Why is the media often referred to as the 'Fourth Estate' and what does this comparison suggest about its power?
A. The Traditional Press
1. How did the John Peter Zenger case establish the foundation for a free press in America?
2. What role did partisan newspapers play in early American politics, and how did this change as newspapers expanded?
3. How did the creation of the Associated Press in 1848 change news reporting and distribution?
B. Investigative Reporting
1. What is investigative reporting and how did Progressive Era journalists like Ida Tarbell and Lincoln Steffens use it to create change?
2. Why did President Theodore Roosevelt call investigative journalists 'muckrakers' and what did this label reveal about his view of their work?
C. National Political News
1. What role do national newspapers and magazines play in setting the tone for political reporting?
2. How do ideological magazines differ in their approach to political coverage?
D. New Communication Technologies
1. How did radio broadcasting change news reporting, and what role did Edward R. Murrow play in this transformation?
2. How did television change political campaigns and candidate presentation, as demonstrated by the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debates?
3. What is 'narrowcasting' and how did cable news networks like CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News introduce this concept to television journalism?
E. The Internet
1. How has the shift from print to digital journalism affected the number of journalists and the quality of reporting?
2. What is the difference between 'born on the web' news outlets and 'legacy' news sources, and how are they competing?
F. Social Media Advances
1. How has social media changed the way Americans consume news and organize political action?
G. Roles and Influence
1. What is horse-race journalism and how does this scorekeeper role affect media coverage of elections?
2. How does the media's gatekeeper function influence what issues the public considers important?
3. What is the watchdog role of the media and how did Vietnam War coverage and the Watergate scandal demonstrate this function?
II. Changing Media
1. How do increasingly diverse media choices influence political institutions and citizen behavior?
A. Media and the Three Branches
1. What is the relationship between government officials and the press, and why is it described as a 'love-hate' relationship?
2. How do politicians use sound bites to control their message in media coverage?
1. Congress and Press Coverage
1. What is C-SPAN and how has it changed media coverage of Congress?
2. Presidents and Press Coverage
1. How did the relationship between the president and the press change from Kennedy to Nixon?
2. What role does the White House press secretary play in controlling media access and information?
3. Courts and Press Coverage
1. Why are cameras generally not allowed in federal courts, and what does this mean for how the public learns about court proceedings?
B. Political Analysis
1. What is political analysis and how does it differ from news reporting?
C. Political Commentary
1. What is the difference between editorials and op-eds, and how do they represent opinion in news outlets?
2. Why has the line between news and commentary become blurred in modern media?
D. Media Ownership and Bias
1. What is narrowcasting and how has the lifting of the Fairness Doctrine enabled this practice?
2. How did Rush Limbaugh and talk radio create a community of like-minded listeners, and what effect did this have on political news consumption?
1. Media Ownership
1. What is the role of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in regulating media ownership?
2. How did Fox News Channel under Rupert Murdoch change the landscape of cable news when it launched in 1996?
2. Impact of Ownership
1. How has market fragmentation and competition for viewers affected the objectivity of cable news channels?
2. What do studies show about the different media diets of voters on the left and right?
E. Media Bias
1. What evidence exists that national reporters have liberal voting patterns, and how might this affect news coverage?
2. How do Fox News and MSNBC differ in their approach to bias and their influence on viewers' political attitudes?
3. Why is it difficult to measure media bias in today's media landscape?
F. Media and Democratic Debate
1. What is 'cyberpolarization' and how does it affect the quality of public debate?
2. How have increased media choices changed what Americans watch and how this affects political knowledge?
3. What is confirmation bias and how does it influence how people consume ideologically oriented programming?
1. Consumer-Driven Media and Technology
1. What is consumer-driven media and how has it changed the gatekeeper function of journalism?
2. How did the desire for ratings and clicks contribute to Donald Trump's rise in the 2016 presidential campaign?
3. How can changes in tech company algorithms influence the success or failure of news organizations?
2. Credibility of News Sources
1. Where do Americans get their political news digitally, and what does this reveal about media consumption patterns?
2. What is media literacy and why is it important for citizens in an era of consumer-driven media?
Key Terms
adversarial press
horse-race journalism
affiliates
investigative reporting
Big Three networks
news bureaus
broadcast networks
scorekeeper
Cable News Network (CNN)
watchdog
gatekeeper
commentary
confirmation bias
consumer driven media
C-SPAN
editorials
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Fox News Channel
Fairness Doctrine
mainstream media
narrowcasting
op-ed
political analysis
political reporting
sound bites
talk radio