POL SCI 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: First Amendment To The United States Constitution, Selection Bias, Centrism
7 Dec 2016
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Review session: issues in the study of media. Media in the context of the course. Watchdog over govt, 4th branch of govt . Competition as a mechanism for reaching truth? (ie. not one national channel like bbc, for ex) Neutrality / truth the result not premise. Pack journalism: check each other"s copy, form a narrative . Emphasis on negative news polarises public and creates cynicism. Liberal bias in newspapers, even wsj is mixed. Affect social issues more than economic issues. Commercial bias: the news is whatever sells. Drama, personal, conflict vs historical, contextual, institutional. Presidency emphasised and horse race coverage of elections. Selection bias: more outlets, individuals choose their news source. Some evidence of bias, and public perception of it. Minimal effects thesis: hard to move public opinion. The news has little effect in changing people"s opinions. Need to get people to hear the message (exposure) People have attitudes (vs opinions) that are hard to move.
