Mass Media Trust Mass Media Linkage Institutions Mass

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Mass Media Trust Mass Media

Mass Media Trust Mass Media

Linkage Institutions Mass Media How do people feel about the mass media?

Linkage Institutions Mass Media How do people feel about the mass media?

Public Trust in Media Mass Media

Public Trust in Media Mass Media

Mass Media Public Trust Some argue that political reporting is biased in favor of

Mass Media Public Trust Some argue that political reporting is biased in favor of one point of view Trust in Media 100 Americans were most likely to trust media outlets in the mid 1900 s. Americans are likely to distrust “the news media” but generally trust the news outlets that they rely on. When asked what outlets they rely on, most Americans name a traditional media outlet

Mass Media Public Trust Accusations of the mass media being liberally biased are most

Mass Media Public Trust Accusations of the mass media being liberally biased are most common Liberal Media 100 Journalists are more likely to self identify as liberal than conservative Studies do not find that this impacts reporting in the mass media - that most reporting is not systematically biased toward a particular ideology or party

Mass Media Public Trust Media outlets are concentrated in cities, especially large cities Liberal

Mass Media Public Trust Media outlets are concentrated in cities, especially large cities Liberal Media 100 Media may be more to the left than the country as a whole on social issues like feminism, gay rights, and civil rights More than anything, this is an impact of chasing the biggest audiences. Media outlets cannot afford to take stances that turn off entire groups of people

Mass Media End of “Fairness Doctrine” Public Trust Ronald Reagan eliminated the FCC’s Fairness

Mass Media End of “Fairness Doctrine” Public Trust Ronald Reagan eliminated the FCC’s Fairness Doctrine in 1987 This meant broadcast outlets no longer had to present both sides of any controversial 100 issue they discuss This mostly impacted radio outlets, especially “talk radio” which began to be able to discuss politics from a one sided point of view.

Mass Media Conservative Media Public Trust With the end of the Fairness Doctrine, broadcast

Mass Media Conservative Media Public Trust With the end of the Fairness Doctrine, broadcast outlets no longer had to present “both sides” of issues The years following saw an explosion of AM talk radio stations with conservative 100 viewpoints discussing the news The most famous of these pundits was Rush Limbaugh, who has a daily political talk show and often criticizes Republicans for not being conservative enough

Mass Media Public Trust Gallup began tracking public trust in the media in 1972.

Mass Media Public Trust Gallup began tracking public trust in the media in 1972. Public Trust Polling 100 Highest trust was in 1976 when 76% of people said they trusted the media In late 1990 s and through the 2000 s trust has fallen steadily – since 2007 it’s been below majority level Republican trust of the media has fallen sharply since the 2016 election

Mass Media Public Trust 100

Mass Media Public Trust 100

Mass Media Public Trust 100

Mass Media Public Trust 100

Bias in Reporting Mass Media

Bias in Reporting Mass Media

Mass Media Bias in the Media Bias in Media Bias occurs when one point

Mass Media Bias in the Media Bias in Media Bias occurs when one point of view is emphasized People in the US claim the media has a liberal bias, a conservative bias, or a corporate bias. Several consumer based “watchdog groups” (interest groups) monitor these claims

Mass Media Bias in the Media Bias in Media Real bias is towards stories

Mass Media Bias in the Media Bias in Media Real bias is towards stories that draw the largest audience People are more likely to follow stories that involve conflict, violence, and scandals. This is likely to lead the public to lose trust in the government as the news emphasis is on scandal and chaos

Mass Media Liberal Bias Some critics say there is a strong liberal bias in

Mass Media Liberal Bias Some critics say there is a strong liberal bias in the mainstream media The large majority of journalists are Democratic voters and donate to Democratic campaigns Journalists are more likely to have personal beliefs that are to the left of the country as a whole, such as abortion, affirmative action, and social services About 45% of people feel that the media is “too liberal” – 70% of conservatives, 35% of moderates, & 15% of liberals

Mass Media Conservative Bias Liberal Bias Rupert Murdoch is the owner of 21 st

Mass Media Conservative Bias Liberal Bias Rupert Murdoch is the owner of 21 st Century Fox & owns Fox. News & The Wall Street Journal and is known for presenting conservative viewpoints About 20% of people feel that the media is “too liberal” – 16% of conservatives, 20% of moderates, & 44% of liberals Conservative groups are more likely to own and operate local media outlets than national media outlets,

Mass Media Liberal Bias

Mass Media Liberal Bias

Mass Media Liberal Bias

Mass Media Liberal Bias

Mass Media Liberal Bias

Mass Media Liberal Bias

Mass Media Pro-Government Bias Liberal Bias Media is often accused of being biased in

Mass Media Pro-Government Bias Liberal Bias Media is often accused of being biased in favor of the government Likely due to the cozy relationship between journalists and policy makers The journalists are likely to portray politicians in a positive light in order to maintain good relationships with them and get access to them and their info in the future

Corporate Bias Mass Media

Corporate Bias Mass Media

Mass Media Bias in Media Corporate Bias Six major corporations own the vast majority

Mass Media Bias in Media Corporate Bias Six major corporations own the vast majority of media outlets Stories that are critical of these corporations can be underplayed by the media outlets they own Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed them to control oven more outlets. Stories that portray advertisers negatively may be underplayed or good stories about them may get more coverage than they should

Mass Media Profit Motives Bias in Media These outlets are driven by the need

Mass Media Profit Motives Bias in Media These outlets are driven by the need to make profits Profits are dependent on how many people watch, regardless of whether they find it adequate or informative News outlets go after high numbers of viewers instead of high quality for viewers This drives our news outlets more towards “infotainment“ than good information or analysis

Mass Media Results Bias in Media Cost – cutting : more tactics like talking

Mass Media Results Bias in Media Cost – cutting : more tactics like talking heads & news services Focus on sensational news stories over those that may have more impact on people Oversimplification of information – appealing to the “lowest common denominator” The media provides an oversimplified set of information that is more easily commercialized

Mass Media “Media Imperialism” Bias in Media The corporations that own media outlets are

Mass Media “Media Imperialism” Bias in Media The corporations that own media outlets are huge and often multinational As these get larger and more powerful, it will be come more difficult for local media to survive Smaller scale local coverage will not be able to compete, and may decrease The further globalization of media sees much of the rest of the world dominated by American media

Bigly Ideas Beliefs & Behaviors

Bigly Ideas Beliefs & Behaviors

Mass Media Wrap Up Impacts of Private Ownership Concentration of Media FCC Regulations Focus

Mass Media Wrap Up Impacts of Private Ownership Concentration of Media FCC Regulations Focus on these things: