Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Explain what the media are and how they are organized
• Describe the main functions of the media in a free society
• Compare different media formats
• Identify forms of bias that exist in news coverage and ways the media can present biased coverage
• Explain how the media cover politics and issues
• Evaluate the impact of the media on politics and policymaking

Media Basics

The term media defines a number of different communication formats from television media, which share information through broadcast airwaves, to print media, which rely on printed documents (newspapers, magazines). The collection of all forms of media that communicate information to the general public is called mass media, including television, print, radio, and Internet. One of the primary reasons citizens turn to the media is for news. We expect the media to cover important political and social events and information in a concise and neutral manner.

To accomplish its work, the media employs a number of people in varied positions. Journalists and reporters are responsible for uncovering news stories by keeping an eye on areas of public interest, like politics, business, and sports. Once a journalist has a lead or a possible idea for a story, he or she researches background information and interviews people to create a complete and balanced account. Editors work in the background of the newsroom, assigning stories, approving articles or packages, and editing content for accuracy and clarity. Publishers are people or companies that own and produce print or digital media. 

Functions of the Media

The media exist to fill a number of functions. Whether the medium is a newspaper, a radio, or a television newscast, a corporation behind the scenes must bring in revenue and pay for the cost of the product. Revenue comes from advertising and sponsors, like McDonald’s, Ford Motor Company, and other large corporations. But corporations will not pay for advertising if there are no viewers or readers. So all programs and publications need to entertain, inform, or interest the public and maintain a steady stream of consumers. In the end, what attracts viewers and advertisers is what survives.

The media are also watchdogs of society and of public officials.  This role helps maintain democracy and keeps the government accountable for its actions, even if a branch of the government is reluctant to open itself to public scrutiny. As much as social scientists would like citizens to be informed and involved in politics and events, the reality is that we are not. So the media, especially journalists, keep an eye on what is happening and sounds an alarm when the public needs to pay attention.^[7]

The media also promote the public good by offering a platform for public debate and improving citizen awareness. The main news organizations inform the voters about national issues, elections, and international news. The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NBC Nightly News, and other outlets make sure voters can easily find out what issues affect the nation.  The network news hosts national debates during presidential elections, broadcasts major presidential addresses, and interviews political leaders during times of crisis. Cable news networks now provide coverage of all these topics as well.

Media Effects and Bias

Concerns about the effects of media on consumers and the existence and extent of media bias go back to the 1920s. Reporter and commentator Walter Lippmann noted that citizens have limited personal experience with government and the world and felt the media, through their stories, place ideas in citizens’ minds. These ideas become part of the citizens’ frame of reference and affect their decisions. 

By the 1970s, it was believed that the media developed a person’s view of the world by presenting a perceived reality. What we see on a regular basis is our reality. Media can then set the thinking for readers and viewers by choosing what is covered or discussed.

In the end, the belief among observers is that the media has some effect, even if the effect is not obvious. This raises the question of how the media, even general newscasts, can affect citizens. One of the ways is through a creation of a narrative, or context, for a news story. The news often uses a story in such a way so the reader understands its importance or relevance. Yet, at the same time, the placement of the story in the newscast influences the reader or viewer to process the story in a different way.  This happens when a story focuses on isolated details or specifics rather than looking broadly at a whole issue.  Another way is when a story takes a broad look at an issue and skips numbers or details. It looks at how the issue has changed over a long period of time and what has led to it.

Coverage Effects on Political Campaigns and the Government

The media’s coverage of campaigns and government can sometimes affect the way government operates and the success of candidates. The media sometimes plays a strong role in influencing who will become the Democratic and Republican nominees in presidential elections. They can discuss the candidates’ messages, point out their credentials, carry sound bites of their speeches, and conduct interviews. The candidates with the most media coverage build momentum and do well in the first few primaries and caucuses. This, in turn, leads to more media coverage, more momentum, and eventually a winning candidate. Thus, candidates need the media.

Political campaigns increasingly use social media to relay their message. Candidates can create their own sites and pages and try to spread news through supporters to the undecided. In 2012, both Governor Romney and President Obama maintained Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts to provide information to voters. Yet, on social media, candidates still need to combat negativity, from both the opposition and supporters. 

Once candidates are in office, the chore of governing begins, with the added weight of media attention.  When presidents and other members of the White House are not forthcoming with information, journalists must press for answers.  Cabinet secretaries and other appointees also talk with the press, sometimes making for conflicting messages. The creation of the position of press secretary and the White House Office of Communications both stemmed from the need to send a unified message from the executive branch.

Congressional representatives have a harder time attracting media attention for their policies. House and Senate members who use the media well, either to help their party or to show expertise in an area, may increase their power within Congress, which helps them bargain for fellow legislators’ votes. Senators and high-ranking House members may also be invited to appear on cable news programs as guests, where they may gain some media support for their policies. Yet, overall, because there are so many members of Congress, and therefore so many agendas, it is harder for individual representatives to draw media coverage.

It is less clear, however, whether media coverage of an issue leads Congress to make policy, or whether congressional policymaking leads the media to cover policy. In the 1970s, Congress investigated ways to stem the number of drug-induced deaths and crimes. As congressional meetings dramatically increased, the press was slow to cover the topic. The number of hearings was at its highest from 1970 to 1982, yet media coverage did not rise to the same level until 1984. 

Later studies of the media’s effect on both the president and Congress report that the media has a stronger effect on the president than on Congress. What the media choose to cover affects what the president thinks is important to voters, and these issues were often of national importance.

Revision and Adaptation. Authored by: Daniel M. Regalado. Title of Work: Texas Government (https://courses.lumenlearning.com/odessa-texasgovernment/) License: CC BY: Attribution