conflict theories of media Flashcards
(21 cards)
Who owns most newspapers in Queensland and East Coast?
Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch is a prominent media mogul with significant influence over media ownership in Australia.
Define sensationalism in media.
The presentation of stories intended to provoke public interest or excitement, at the expense of accuracy.
What concept suggests that audiences are active and media content is driven by profit?
Pluralist theory
Pluralism posits that no single group has a monopoly on power in media.
What do critics argue about media ownership and diversity?
Media ownership remains highly concentrated, giving a small number of owners significant influence over content.
What limits real diversity in media according to critics?
The high cost of entering the media market
This limits the number of voices and perspectives in media.
What is the audience’s role in the Marxist Instrumentalist perspective?
The audience is passive.
What is the primary role of media according to the Marxist Instrumentalist perspective?
To maintain the status quo and prevent criticism of capitalism.
According to the Marxist Instrumentalist perspective, who controls media content?
Media owners who are part of a ruling elite.
What does Neo-Marxism suggest about journalists?
Journalists have accepted the ruling class’s worldview as common sense.
What concept limits news content according to Neo-Marxist theory?
Gatekeeping and agenda setting.
What is Noam Chomsky’s view of the media?
The media serves as a propaganda machine.
List the five filters in Chomsky’s Propaganda Model.
- Ownership
- Advertising
- Sources
- Flak
- Fear Ideology
What criticism is leveled against Chomsky’s Propaganda Model?
It is overly cynical and deterministic.
What does gatekeeping theory emphasize?
Journalists and news/mass media producers decide what gets airplay.
What limitation does gatekeeping theory have?
It focuses on individual journalists and ignores broader structural pressures.
What does Agenda Setting Function Theory assert?
The media can tell us what to think about but not what to think.
What is the importance of a story indicated by in media?
The size of its heading and position within the newspaper.
What concept did McCombs add to Agenda Setting Theory in 1998?
Framing.
What does framing in media refer to?
How the media presents a story and what aspects are emphasized.
How does Agenda Setting Theory differ from Klapper’s Reinforcement Theory?
Agenda Setting can influence topics of discussion, while Reinforcement Theory suggests media only reinforces pre-existing views.
What is a limitation of Agenda Setting Function Theory?
It underestimates the role of social media in setting agendas.
