Multiple choice Chapter 16

Question 1

What is news media?

Answer 1

Broad term for any type of media that includes newspapers, magazines, and TV that covers important events.

Question 2

What is agenda setting?

Answer 2

The media’s ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the public’s attention.

Question 3

What role does media play in shaping American political culture?

Answer 3

Media plays a huge role in shaping American culture and influencing Americans’ attitudes toward government.

Question 4

What is mass media?

Answer 4

Sources designed to reach a wide audience.

Question 5

What is investigative journalism?

Answer 5

An approach to news gathering in which reporters dig into stories, often involving wrongdoing.

Question 6

What are ‘muckrakers’?

Answer 6

‘Muckrakers’ dig up mud, expose wrongdoing, and the government and public respond.

Question 7

What is broadcast media?

Answer 7

Outlets for news that bring stories directly into people’s homes, including TV and radio.

Question 8

What is social media?

Answer 8

Form of electronic communication that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking

Question 10

What is the FCC?

Answer 10

A federal agency that regulates broadcast media

Question 11

What is media consolidation?

Answer 11

The concentration of ownership of the media into fewer corporations

Question 12

What were the results of the Telecommunications Act of 1996?

Answer 12

Raised the percentage of a national audience a corporation could hold

Question 13

What is partisan bias?

Answer 13

The slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular party or ideology

Question 14

What is horse race journalism?

Answer 14

Focus on the latest polls and emphasizing drama rather than on policy issues

Question 15

What is watchdog journalism?

Answer 15

Exposing wrongdoing and corruption by policymakers

Question 16

What is infotainment?

Answer 16

Trying to gain viewers by blending information and entertainment

Question 17

What is a criticism of talk radio?

Answer 17

They are a lot more conservative

Question 18

Who appoints members of the FCC?

Answer 18

The president appoints them.

Question 19

Describe early regulation of broadcast media (radio).

Answer 19

Had to have a license to get on the radio.

Question 20

Which city has the largest concentration of reporters in the world?

Answer 20

Washington, D.C.

Question 21

What is a media event?

Answer 21

A situation so staged that the mass media are compelled to cover it.

Question 22

What are gatekeepers?

Answer 22

Media executives, news editors, and prominent reporters.

Question 23

What is the ‘television hypothesis’?

Answer 23

TV is to blame for the low level of citizens’ knowledge on public affairs.

Question 24

What is the stereotyped bias of journalists and reporters?

Answer 24

They tend to be more liberal.

Question 25

What does 'on background' mean?

Answer 25

Can use the information, but not use the source.

Question 26

What does 'off the record' mean?

Answer 26

Not an official statement.

Question 27

How much freedom does the media in the United States have compared to other countries?

Answer 27

The media in the United States has significant freedom, but it is dependent on advertisements to cover costs.

Question 28

What has been the trend for all three major networks for their ratings of the evening news since the 1980s?

Answer 28

All have had a big drop in their audiences.

Question 29

What is the role of the FCC?

Answer 29

An independent federal agency that regulates interstate and international communication by radio, television, and internet.

Question 30

What is the Associated Press?

Answer 30

An organization that allowed newspapers to gather, share, and sell resources beyond their city by pooling resources.

Question 31

What are the largest national newspapers in the United States today?

Answer 31

The main sources of media were newspapers from the 1880s till the 1960s.

Question 32

When did radio come into existence?

Answer 32

Radio came into existence in the early 1920s.

Question 33

What are broadcast networks?

Answer 33

A show that is played in different parts of the country on different stations.

Question 34

Which president first effectively used radio to communicate?

Answer 34

President Franklin Roosevelt with his fireside chats.

Question 35

How did television impact the 1960 presidential election?

Answer 35

The first televised presidential debate made viewers feel that John F. Kennedy looked better.

Question 36

What is narrowcasting?

Answer 36

Trying to tailor content for a certain audience.

Question 37

What is selective exposure?

Answer 37

Favoring sources of information to adhere to their own beliefs.

Question 38

How do Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC tend to tailor their news?

Answer 38

CNN and MSNBC are more towards liberals, while Fox News is more towards conservatives.

Question 39

What is the digital divide?

Answer 39

Some older Americans or low-income people either do not use the internet or don't have access to it.

Question 40

What are sound bites?

Answer 40

Usually about 10 seconds, when common quotes are taken out of much longer speeches and stories.

Question 41

What is the role of the President's press secretary?

Answer 41

Person who holds almost daily press conferences with reporters to answer questions regarding legislation and other issues regarding the president.

Question 42

How was the relationship between the media and politicians until the early 1960s?

Answer 42

Until the 60s, the media and politicians had a relatively good relationship.

Question 43

How has the relationship between the media and politicians been since the late 1960s?

Answer 43

After the 60s, it has been a much more strained relationship.

Question 44

What impact do Americans believe the media has on political institutions and public opinion?

Answer 44

Americans strongly believe that media influences political institutions and public opinion.

Question 45

How does the Supreme Court typically view Freedom of the Press?

Answer 45

They usually strike down government attempts to restrain the media, with the exception being strategic information during wartime.

Question 46

What is slander?

Answer 46

Spoken lies to damage someone's reputation.

Question 47

What is libel?

Answer 47

Printed lies to damage someone's reputation.

Question 48

What are pros and cons of having the name value advantage?

Answer 48

People are more likely to vote for someone they've heard of unless it's for something bad like a scandal.

Question 49

What is the source of most news about Congress?

Answer 49

It comes from press releases issued by members.

Question 50

Who does television news devote the most time to?

Answer 50

They devote the most time to the president.

Question 51

How is it believed that those with higher cognitive skills get the news?

Answer 51

They believe that people with higher cognitive skills read the news.

Question 52

What is a presidential news conference?

Answer 52

The president delivers carefully rehearsed answers to anticipated questions.

Question 53

What is the bully pulpit?

Answer 53

A stage where the president could persuade the public of his agenda.