POL 102 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Watergate Scandal, Fairness Doctrine, 8 Seconds
9 Aug 2018
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Document Summary
3 major changes mark the evolution of issue campaigns: media keeps delivering information faster and faster, today"s media includes many more voices and format, new media permits the public to be much more active. New media: on-demand access to information and entertainment through digital devices that also features interactive participation with content. Without media bridging the gap, the public would be ignorant of most political events. News items can have an impact on people who have not yet made up their minds. Here is the paradox: news media is most likely to influence the people who pay the least attention to it. Because this group does not follow politics and government, only news stories with a loud signal: media stories with a very broad coverage and an unambiguous message. Media serves as a public watchdog: media coverage that alerts the public when a problem arises in politics or society. Editors and reporters have enormous influence on what americans think about.
