Civic Learning from Media

Question 1

Rob E. Park on news

Answer 1

• News provides us with limited knowledge- just enough to be acquainted with a subject.
• Functions as a ‘window to the world’ that is limited & limiting

Question 2

Lance Bennett (2011)

Answer 2

• “Information biases”
• Personaliziation bias (Ex. Trump’s hair)
• Dramatization
• Fragmentation: news is like chicken nuggets, sometimes no connection
• Normalization: giving the illusion of control, “Everything is ultimately okay.”
• Overarching metaphors

Question 3

Metaphors for News

Answer 3

• Channels or conduits
• Shared deposit or source

Question 4

Tichenor, Donohue, and Olin (1970)

Answer 4

• Mass media info. flows & growth in knowledge.
• At any point in time, one a certain amoutn of people will have the info.
• Those with higher level of education will acquire info. faster and earlier.
• Knowledge gap
  
  • Is a form of inequality
  • There exists a speed of learning differential.

Question 5

Knowledge gap: What predicts learning?

Answer 5

• General knowledge, education, interest, habitual informational media use
• Problem: you are not necessarily testing knowledge.
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Question 6

Knowledge gap: What do people learn?

Answer 6

• Trivia civic info.. but does not equal comprehension.
• Images, personalities, strategies, vs. issues
• Info acquired from media is fuzzy, mixed with misinformation
• Dependency on instruments (recall vs. recognition)

Question 7

(Civic Learning) Connection to Lazarsfeld

Answer 7

• Distinctions from opinion leaders and followers.
• Two step flow of information: Media –> opinion leaders –> followers (general public)
• Unequal distribution of info: Indicative of differences in communicative potentials.
  
  • Also indicative of social inequality.
• Mediating ‘filter’: interpersonal interactions in one’s social networks
  
  • Social networks act as a protective shield that filters info not consistent with political predispositions

Question 8

Shehata (2015) study design

Answer 8

• Tested ‘inadvertent learning’- learning in the absence of interest or motivation
• Changed media environment
  
  • “High choice” environment: more channels, more niche outlets
  • Widening or narrowing the knowledge gap?
  • Media systems: with or without a vibrant public service system?

Question 9

Shehata (2015): effects of vibrant public service system

Answer 9

• Makes it easier for people to acquire info.
• Learning depends less on individual’s motivation to learn.
• Inadvertent learning does not guarantee factual info.

Question 10

Shehata Key Findings

Answer 10

• Learning did take place over 5 month period
• Higher level sof relative PSC exposure–>higher rates of learning in each time interval
• Higher levels of political interest–> higher rates of learning
• Higher rates of relative PSC exposure and lower levels of relative political interest associated with higher rates of learning.
• Reduction in variation of differences (in effect of time of learning) with increase of PSC exposure.

Question 11

Matthew Baum: Early Evidence

Answer 11

• Do people learn ‘hard’ info by watching ‘soft news’ programs on TV?
• People with no high school experience were most likely to have higher soft news consumption, therefore had higher chance of knowing where Noriega sought refuge.
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