POSC150 Chapter 15: CH 15 Book Notes: Media, Power, and Political Communication
31 May 2018
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Ch 15: Media, Power, and Political Communication
November 24, 2017
Gatekeepers: journalists and media elite who determine which news stories are covered and
which are not
Where Do We Get Our Information?
● Wide array of media sources
● Mass media: the means of conveying information to large public audiences cheaply and
efficiently
● Media convergence: the merging of traditional media with digital communication
technologies such as telecommunications and the internet
Mass Media Today
● Today media convergence defines how we get our news-we get at least a little news
from a lot of sources
○ 20-25% from radio
○ 28% from news websites and apps
○ 30% from network news
○ 31% from cable TV
○ 46% from local tv
○ 62% of adults get news on social media
● Levels of political information are not high
The Demise of Print Media
● “Society does not need newspapers, it needs journalism”
● Well researched and objective information
Radio and Television
● Narrowcasting: the targeting of specialized audiences by the media
● Political shows target particular age groups or ideologies
● Politics is often the subject of the jokes
● Political candidate appearances have the effect of humanizing the candidates nad
making them seem approachable
The Internet
● Connects home or business computers to a global networks of digital sites and an ever
expanding array of media content
● The internet has revolutionized the way we get information
● Digital age has made politics immediate and personal
● News organizations: businesses (and occasionally nonprofits) devoted to reporting and
disseminating news via print, broadcast, or digital media-or a multimedia combination
● News aggregators: web sites, applications, and software that cull content from other
digital sources
How Does Media Ownership Affect Control of the Narrative?
Who Owns the Media?
Document Summary
Gatekeepers: journalists and media elite who determine which news stories are covered and which are not. Mass media: the means of conveying information to large public audiences cheaply and efficiently. Media convergence: the merging of traditional media with digital communication technologies such as telecommunications and the internet. Today media convergence defines how we get our news-we get at least a little news from a lot of sources. 62% of adults get news on social media. Levels of political information are not high. Society does not need newspapers, it needs journalism . Narrowcasting: the targeting of specialized audiences by the media. Political shows target particular age groups or ideologies. Politics is often the subject of the jokes. Political candidate appearances have the effect of humanizing the candidates nad making them seem approachable. Connects home or business computers to a global networks of digital sites and an ever expanding array of media content. The internet has revolutionized the way we get information.
