AP US Gov Media Notes

Chapter 10

3/27/12

I.               Roles of the Media

A.             Gatekeeper

1.             Decide what stories are important

2.             Just because they bring up certain stories, doesn’t mean they shape our opinions

B.             Scorekeeper

1.             Track political reputations

2.             Keep score during an election

3.             Leads to a lack of substance in debates

4.             Focus on small things that happen in the competition and not on policy to the point that we don’t get enough of the substance or international news

C.            Watchdog

1.             Watch over the government

2.             Expose scandals

3.             Investigate personalities

II.              Influence of Mass Media (growth of TV and 24 hour cable news cycle)

A.             Weakening of political parties

1.             Candidates can connect with us directly through the media and therefore do not need the parties

B.             Access to more information

1.             We can learn on our own without a filter

2.             People can communicate with us directly

3.             Dangers- information overload and information that is not factual or properly sourced

C.            Made our political system more divisive

1.             Cable news networks are either liberal or conservative, and have polarized us further.  A conservative will only watch a conservative channel and reinforce his/her views, and the same for liberals

2.             It is important to read/ watch both sides to get both points of view

D.             Furthered the idea that the presidency is about celebrity and not policy

E.             More grassroots involvement in politics (this is a positive because people have more participation in politics)

III.