US Chapter 6 Flashcards
Agenda setting
The process by which the news media select and focus on a small number of stories from a large number of possibilities–shaping, in part, Americans’ opinions about what is important
Backgrounders
News briefings in which reporters may not reveal the identity of the source of their information
Equal-time rule
A provision of the Communications Act of 1934 that requires radio and television stations to give or sell equivalent time to one political candidate if the station has sold or given time to another candidate for that office
Exclusive
An interview that an official or other individual grants to one or more journalists that provides information not generally made available to all media
Fairness doctrine
A regulation of the Federal Communications Commission that required radio and television stations to devote some airtime to a balanced discussion of public issues and that was abolished in 1987
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
An agency of the national government that regulates the telecommunications industry in the United States, including the licensing and operation of all radio and television stations
Fifth branch
Refers to the press in its role as a check on public officials, after the other four branches (Congress, the president, the Supreme Court, and the bureaucracy)
Framing
The way that the media presents a story, consisting of angle, tone, and point of view
Journalists
People who gather, write, and report the news for newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet
Leak
The deliberate release of information by an official to a journalist for a specific purpose
Mass media
Instruments such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet that provide the means for communicating with large numbers of people in a short period of time
News briefing
An announcement or explanation of policy by an official
News release
A story written by a press agent for distribution to the media
Nielsen ratings
Surveys conducted by A. C. Nielsen Company to measure the size of television audiences
Photo opportunity
An event scheduled to give newspaper reporters and television crews a change to photograph someone
