The Media Flashcards
MEDIA WOOT WOOT (26 cards)
adversarial press
The suspicious attitude of the national press toward public officials.
attack journalism
The current era of media coverage that seizes upon any amount of information that calls into question the qualifications or character of a public official.
background story (news)
A tactic by government officials to win journalistic friends. The official discusses current policy on condition that they remain anonymous.
confidentiality
Reporters’ keeping sources of their stories secret. Most states and the federal government allow courts to decide on possible confidentiality.
equal time rule
An FCC regulation requiring stations to sell time to both candidates seeking office.
fairness doctrine
An FCC rule, abolished in 1987, that required broadcasters to give time to both sides of a controversial issue.
feature stories
A type of news story that involves a public event not routinely covered by reporters.
Federal Communications Commission
An agency of the federal government that develops regulations for the broadcast media.
gatekeeper
The role played by the media in influencing what subjects become national political issues.
insider stories
A type of news story that involves information not usually made public: requires official leak or investigative reporting.
loaded language
The use of words to persuade people of something without actually making a clear argument for it.
market (television)
The area reached by a station’s television signal.
mental tune-out
When a person tunes out media messages they do not agree with.
muckracker
A journalist who investigates the activities of public officials and organizations seeking to expose and publicize misconduct or corruption.
party press
Newspapers created, sponsored, and controlled by political parties to further their interests.
political editorializing rule
A regulation of the FCC providing a candidate with the right to respond if a broadcaster endorses the opposing candidate.
popular press
Self-supporting daily newspapers aimed at a mass readership.
prior restraint
Government censorship by forbidding publication of the information.
right-of-reply rule
A regulation by the FCC permitting a person the right to respond if attacked on a broadcast other than a regular news program.
routine stories
A type of news story that involves a public event regularly covered by reporters. Least biased by reporter’s political opinion.
scorekeeper
The role played by the national media in keeping track of and helping make political reputations.
selective attention
Perceiving only what one wants to perceive from media reporting.
sound bite
A video clip used on nightly broadcasts by political officials. Have become increasingly shorter.
trial balloon
A tactic by an anonymous source to test a policy’s public reaction before the policy is actually proposed.
