Mass Media

• Mass Media/News Media*

  Mass media is the definition of media in general, twitter, images, articles, etc. that can be a wide range of topics, mass communication that can reach a large audience. The News media focuses on delivering news to the general public. Mass media is used for many different purposes, such as entertainment, informing, memes, and more, while the news media solely focuses on informing people of current events. 

  CNN, ABC, NBC, Social media
• Bias

  When the media favors one side over the other and makes it obvious in their article, video, etc. Bias is everywhere, in videos, in voting booths, in articles, and so much more. It is very hard to publish something in the media without any bias, since humans are always going to favor one side over another, even just a little bit. Bias towards a side can easily change people’s opinion and make them support the side the publisher/creator of the media is supporting. 

  CNN story against christians is bias. Bias is bad because it influences bad things into people
• Yellow Journalism

  media where it’s more about feeling than facts. It uses sensationalism and shocking headlines. 

  “Colorado city will pay 1.9 million settlement after officers drew weapons on a Black family in a mix up over a stolen vehicle.”on CNN is very sensational because racism is a huge topic that causes a lot of mixed reactions. 

  bad for democracy because if its more about sensationalism over accuracy it can cause distrust and reduce civic participation.
• Muckraking*

  Media where a group or another person, event, etc gets exposed. Muckraking can be everywhere, articles, video footage, or on social media, all with one purpose, to expose.

  “New York’s Illegal Alien Compounds Exposed | STABBINGS, DRUGS, DEATHS, AND MORE” on muckraker.com is an example of exposing because they are exposing New York immigrants and called them aliens
• Press Release

  written statement that someone or an organization sends to the news media

  samsung wrote a press release when they launched a new phone
• Press Briefing

  meeting when an organization or the government informs the press of something. It just focuses on one topic

  “White House holds press briefing | NBC News'' on youtube is showing the white house having a press briefing on recent occurrences
• Press Conference

  A meeting in which someone makes an official statement to journalists and answer their questions

  The Arab American Civil Rights League had a press conference in response to a Wall Street Journal Article
• Off the record/On the record

  on the record: info can be used with no limitations

  off the record: information can’t be used for publication
• Gatekeeper*

  A gatekeeper is someone who decides what information should move past them into the public and what shouldn’t. Gatekeepers fall into a surveillance and data monitoring role. They will make sure only the most important things will come to the public so people don’t need to deal with other hundreds of tiny things that the news media wanted to publish.
• Medium

  “means of communication”, transmits some kind of information

  CNN10 is a news platform to transmit information, such as their 10 out of 10.
• “Sound Bites”

  a memorable and short comment that can easily fit in news

  an example is Joe Biden’s “will you shut up man” during the debate with trump
• Amicus Curiae

  known as “friend of the court” usually volunteers or called in to give advice in court

  Obergefell v. Hodges and the amicus curiae was filed by the American Psychological Association “to support the end of legal restrictions in marriage”
• Narrowcasting

  News focused on one topic and aimed towards one audience

  displaying tampon ads in women’s bathrooms, since it is one topic aimed towards one audience.
• Equal Time Rule

  No candidate running for office is getting less time than the other in front of the radio/news. Discontinued in 1960. 

  It was abolished because because not many things are hosted directly by a network or a station which are now just considered “news events” which makes equal time rule unnecessary
• Fairness Doctrine

  A law that required media to present contrasting viewpoints on a particular topic

  No longer in practice since 1987, but Congress tried to bring it back around 2021, and many people aren’t happy about it since our first amendment gives us freedom of speech.
• New York Times v Sullivan case happened in 1960
• The New York Times made an ad paid for by Civil Rights Activists, openly criticizing the police department in Montgomery, Alabama
• Most things in the ad against police were accurate, but some were false
• Police commissioner LB Sullivan claimed he had been "libeled"
• Alabama ruled in favor of Sullivan, finding the newspaper misinformative
• The New York Times appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the ad was protected under the first amendment
• The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the New York Times, stating that the ad was protected under the first amendment
• To prove something as libel, it must be shown that it was made with actual malice
• Horse Race Journalism *

  cover campaigns by emphasizing the relative standing on the candidates in the polls rather than on the issues they discuss. Many people don’t want this to be a thing, and others do. The media would look at the more entertaining polls and where the candidates are standing in terms of winning and losing.

  In the horse race between Biden VS Trump, Biden was 98 positive 2 negative on CBS, and 80 positive 20 negative on Fox. Trump was 92 negative 8 positive on CBS, and 56 negative 44 positive on Fox.
• Agenda Setting *

  media using their influence to sway importance of topics that are currently on the public agenda, and usually has the influence to shape the public's perception of events. Agenda Setting focuses the public’s attention on certain issues or events. The media uses agenda setting to make people think how they think and make people know which current events are the most important. Agenda setting could also sneak a lot of bias in and make people think a certain way and change their perception of events.
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

  Agency in the government that regulates tv, radio, wire, satellite, and other communications. 

  They are having a privacy and data protection task force. They are aiming to protect privacy and data across the country.
• Shield Laws

  laws that will protect witnesses from revealing certain information in court.

  -protects journalists from having to reveal sources

  -protects rape victims from revealing history

  major shield laws are rape and journalist shield laws.
• Prior Restraint

  content-based restriction that prohibits speech and expression prior to when the speech happens

  Area 51, the government can stop people from disclosing information about area 51. If people go there, they can’t talk about it, if they're still alive after that.
• Libel*

  a false statement that has been published on the media damaging a person’s reputation. People could then sue the person, but not everyone wants to since it could cause more problems. The court ruled that libel isn’t punished unless proven to be false and with “actual malice”. People could post something on social media, a video, something in an article, an image, and more that is false and harmful. 

  AI generated images of Taylor Swift were posted on social media, and suing is being considered because the images were fake and inappropriate.
• Trial balloon

  Observes public reactions to issues

  The Trump Administration wanted to introduce a vaccine to make people vote for him. The trial balloon was observing if Trump should shorten this process.
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA*)

  Been in practice since 1967, provided the public the right to access records from any government agency. It basically allows the citizens to know what is going on in the government. People can request to know information under the FOIA. 

  People request to see info since FOIA is important for a good functioning democracy
• Watchdog*

  A watchdog investigates the government and reports if they do anything wrong. They highlight the abuse of power in the government. Coverage of the Watergate break in stopped the era of watchdog journalism. Watchdogs in the media have an important role in society of keeping people safe and informed of corrupt politicians. The biggest example of watchdog journalism is the Watergate scandal, making Richard Nixon resign. 

  “Bipartisan border fails in senate” on CNN. That was investigated by certain people and exposed on CNN as a government fail.