Media Coverage

9 February, 2010

Media Coverage

Media Effects Objectivity Quality of coverage Unmediated news

Role of the Media

Most people gain their information about politics from the mass media

The media report and interpret events Media help to set the agenda by highlighting certain issues

and neglecting others The media also help to shape popular perceptions and

images

Do the News Media Matter?

Most people believe the media exert considerable influence on public opinion

Early studies of media effects following WWII emphasized the importance of propaganda

Later studies found “minimal effects” Debate continues

What are the effects of merely covering an issue? What are the effects of the content of that coverage?

Objectivity Should the press be neutral?

The British Tabloids The BBC Fox News New York Times, Wall Street Journal

Public Perceptions in the United States

Definition of News

What newsmakers (politicians and other political actors) promote as timely, important, or interesting

Familiar (stories often drawing on familiar people or life experiences that give even distant events a close to home feeling)

Sensational (scandals, violence, human drama). The ‘Burglar Alarm’ Analogy; soft news on any number of issues just

because they are shocking False alarms

What is news?

Conflict Wars, fires, heated debates, scandals

Proximity ‘Pack journalism’, ie. Press converging on the same issues Television, splashy video Late night news; Comedy central’s The Daily Show

Coverage and Interest

Coverage and Interest

Source: Pew Research http://people-press.org/report/575/

Election Coverage

Politics is a game of winners and losers, not a serious debate over ideas and issues

Campaign strategies, tactics, victories, and blunders are the focus of coverage

Early primary victories build “momentum” Coverage of Iowa and New Hampshire races is far out of

proportion to their relative delegate share States compete to position their primaries & caucuses

earlier in the season Focus on candidate character and image Personality flaws are fair game Parties become less important

Tone of Coverage

View the SNL skit on the media’s love affair with Obama

Source: Pew Research (2007)

Views of Obama Coverage

Source: Pew Research Center October 2009

Media Coverage of the 2008 U.S. Campaign

Just five candidates were the focus of more than half the coverage with Clinton receiving the most coverage (17%)

Democrats generally received more positive coverage than Republicans

Friendly coverage of Obama (47% positive) compared to critical coverage of McCain (12% positive)

Newspapers more positive; talk radio negative; television more focused on personal backgrounds.

Strategy and horse race dominated coverage

Source: PEJ-Shorenstein study; see http://www.journalism.org/node/8187

Public Reaction to News Coverage

Public vs. Private broadcasting

The most respected news sources in many countries are the public radio and television news services (ie. BBC)

News is a profit making enterprise Public broadcasting allows a broader range of news to be

covered more in depth But should the government regulate media coverage? Criticisms of the BBC; ie. should it have invited Nick Griffin

of the BNP on Question Time?

Unmediated Coverage

One of the most visible examples of parliament at work is the 30 minutes devoted each week to Prime Minister’s Questions

It is one of the few points where - between elections - the legislature can act as a check upon the executive in a visible forum.

Does PMQs enhance or weaken democracy? Stealth Democracy

Would it be better if people did not see politics in action?