Chapter Eight: The Media - Practice Questions Flashcards
(25 cards)
A local station that broadcasts national network programming is called a(an) ___ station.
a) affiliate
b) cable
c) digital
d) network
a) affiliate
- Local stations are affiliated with a national network corporation, and they broadcast national network programming to their local viewers.
- Before the existence of cable and fiber optics, networks needed to own local affiliates to have access to the local statsion’s transmission towers.
- Affiliate, by agreement with the networks, gives priority to the network news and other programming chosen by the affiliate’s national media corporation.
- Affiliate stations will show local news before and after network programming to inform local viewers of events and issues.
Cable programming is often ___.
a) local
b) national
c) network
d) sports
b) national
ex: CNN (Cable News Network)
- Cable programming offers national networks a second method to reach local viewers directly.
- Cable stations transmit programming directly to a local cable company hub, which then sends the signals to homes through coaxial or fiber optic cables.
- Cable does not broadcast programming through the airwaves; cable networks can operate across the nation directly without local affiliates.
- They purchase broadcasting rights for the cable stations that they believe their viewers want.
A conglomerate is a corporation that ___.
a) owns all television news stations in a state
b) owns many businesses and media networks
c) owns only radio stations
d) owns only television and newspapers
b) owns many businesses and media networks
- Most media is controlled by a limited number of conglomerates.
- A conglomerate is a corporation made up of a number of companies, organizations, and media networks.
- A conglomerate can make a policy that affects all stations and programming under its control.
- Conglomerates can create a monopoly on information by controlling a sector of a market.
- When a media conglomerate has policies or restrictions, they will apply to all stations or outlets under its ownership, potentially limiting the information citizens receive.
- Conglomerate ownership creates circumstances in which censorship may occur.
When acting as an agenda setter, the media ___.
a) decides which issues deserve public attention
b) covers presidential campaigns equally
c) reports on corruption in government
d) brings in advertising revenue for the media corporation
a) decides which issues deserve public attention
How can conglomerates censor information?
conglomerates set policies that affect all organizations and networks within the corporation
- A media conglomerate has polices or restrictions, that will apply to all stations or outlets under its ownership potentially list the information citizens receive
In what ways is media responsible for promoting the public good?
by offering a platform for public debate and improving citizen awareness.
Why is social media an effective way to spread news and information?
social media allow citizens and businesses to quickly forward information and news to large groups of friends and followers
(1) politicians are connected to the people directly
(2) stories can be posted and retweeted, allowing readers to comment and forward material
(3) allows users to instantly communicate with one another and share audiences that can grow exponentially
- Social media is a set of applications or web platforms that allow users to immediately communicate with one another.
Newspapers during the Revolutionary War period tended to ___.
a) give fake news and sensationalize stories
b) unite the colonists and provide information about the British
c) print party propaganda
d) attack colonial politicians
b) unite the colonists and provide information about the British
- Newspapers took part in the effort to inform citizens of British misdeeds and incite attempts to revolt.
Muckraking occurs when newspapers ___.
a) investigate problems in government and business
b) investigate actions of celebrities
c) print sensational news on the front page to sell papers
d) print more editorials and opinion pieces to sell papers
a) investigate problems in government and business
- With the arrival of the Progressive Era, the media began muckraking: the writing and publishing of news coverage that exposed corrupt business and government practices.
Radio quiz shows and comedy shows were most popular in the ___.
a) 1900s
b) 1930s
c) 1970s
d) 1990s
1930s
Television news became a regular feature during ___ due to the public’s demand for ___ to explain current events.
a) WWI1; images and maps
b) Great Depression; charts and tables
c) WWII; images and maps
d) Vietnam War; charts and tables
c) WWII; images and maps
- The public did not immediately begin buying televisions, but coverage of WWII changed their minds.
- CBS reported on war events and included pictures and maps that enhances the news for viewers.
Why is soft news good at reaching out and educating viewers?
the state of the union address and rally around the flag speeches help explain policies and offer comfort after crises
- Presents news in an entertaining and approachable manner, painlessly introducing a variety of topics.
- Soft news, or infotainment, is a type of news that combines entertainment and information.
In which circumstances would the courts find libel?
a) a reporter uses a source that incorrectly states a celebrity is using drugs
b) a columnist writes his opinion about whether an actor is hiding a drug problem
c) a television reporter delivers a story about increased drug use at the local college
d) a reporter writes that local college students are drug dealers but has no sources
a) reporter uses a source that incorrectly states a celebrity is using drugs
- The media does not have the right to print false information with the intent to harm a person or entity.
- False information is presented as fact
The Supreme Court determined that the right of the press to print classified material ___.
a) is obsolete, and the press may never print classified material
b) is partial, and the press may print classified material only if it does not compromise troops or covert operatives
c) is complete, and the press may print anything it likes
d) has not yet been defined
b) is partrial, and the press may print classified material only if it does not compromise troops or covert operatives
- The Supreme Court ruled that while the government can impose prior restraint on the media, meaning the government can prevent the publication of information, that right is very limited.
- The Supreme Court has also affirmed that the FCC has the authority to regulate content.
- The Supreme Court does not give the press complete freedom to keep sources confidential, though the government can choose whom it prosecutes for hiding sources.
The Federal Communications Commission oversees the programming of which entities?
a) television
b) television and radio
c) television, radio, and satellite
d) television, radio, satellite, and cable
d) television, radio, satellite, and cable
- The Communications Act 0f 1934 replaced the Radio Act and created a more powerful entity to monitor airwaves–a seven-member Federal Communications Commission to oversee both radio and television communication.
- FCC requires radio stations to apply for licenses, granted only if stations follow rules about limited advertising, providing a public forum for discussion, and serving local and minority communities.
- The FCC now enforces ownership limits to avoid monopolies and censors materials deemed inappropriate.
Which of the following is a reasonable exception to the Freedom of Information Act?
a) medical records for government employees
b) budget for the Department of Labor
c) minutes from a president’s cabinet meeting
d) transcript of meetings between Department of State negotiators and Russian trade negotiators
a) medical records for government employees
- The Freedom of Information Act, passed in 1966 and signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Act requires the executive branch of the U.S. government to provide information requested by citizens and was intended to increase openness in the executive branch, which had been criticized for hiding information.
Why is it a potential problem that the equal-time rule does not apply to candidates supports?
potential loophole
- If a newscaster is covering a political rally and is able to secure a short interview with a candidate, equal time does not apply, and if a news program creates a short documentary on the problem of immigration reform and chooses to include clips from only one candidate, the rule does not apply.
- The equal-time rule states that registered candidates running for office must be given equal opportunities for airtime and advertisements at non-cable television and radio stations beginning forty-five days before a primary election and sixty days before a general election.
Under what circumstances might a journalist be compelled to give up a source?
national security concerns
What is an example of episodic framing?
a) a story on drug abuse that interviews addicts and discusses reasons for addiction and government responses to help addicts
b) a story on how drug abuse policy has changes since 1984
c) a story on candidates answers to a drug question in a debate
d) a story detailing arguments against needle exchange programs
a) a drug abuse story; interviews addicts, discusses reasons, government responses
According to research, why might a woman decide not to run for office?
a) she feels the work is too hard
b) she fears her positions will be covered too closely by the press
c) she fears the media will criticize her family
d) she fears the campaign will be too expensive
c) many women do not wish to expose their children or spouses to criticism
- The effect that negative media coverage has on families.
Media coverage of a race tends to ___.
a) accuraetly portray all races equally
b) accurately portray White and Black Americans as victims
c) overrepresent White people and the elderly as poor
d) overrepresent African Americans as poor
d) overrepresent African Americans as poor
- Studies have found that the media’s portrayal of race is flawed, especially in coverage of crime and poverty.
- One study revealed that local news shows were more likely to show pictures of criminals when they were African American, so they overrepresented Black people as perpetrators and White people as victims.
How might framing or priming affect the way a reader or viewer thinks about an issue?
(1) episodic framing and thematic framing
(2) biases
- Framing is the creation of a narrative, or context, for news stories.
- Episodic framing occurs when a story focuses on isolated details or specifics rather than looking broadly at a whole issue.
- Thematic framing takes a broad look at an issue and skips numbers or details.
- Priming is when media coverage predisposes the viewer or reader to a particular perspective on a subject or issue.
Why would inaccurate coverage of race and gender affect policy or elections?
the media frames discussions and chooses pictures, information, and video to support stories, which may affect the way people vote on social policy and in elections
Why did Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chats help the president enact his policies?
explained his ideas and actions directly to the people on a regular basis, confident that he could convince voters of their value
- “Fireside chats” formed an important way for him to promote his New Deal agenda.
