Most people describe government and election news coverage as superficial, narrow, and limited. Explain what factors contribute to these tendencies in news coverage in the United States
Whom do government officials and candidates blame for the nature of news coverage? Whom do journalists blame?
What will be an ideal response?
An ideal response will:
1, Discuss the factors that contribute to the superficial and narrow coverage of American news, including the need to retain an audience and not be boring or confusing, the short amount of time given to news analysis, the fact that the media focus on strategy and the horse race, and the development of technology that has allowed reporters to do their jobs faster but not better.
2,Explain how politicians blame the media for this problem because the media are driven by a need to generate an audience and thus can ignore politicians' requests for time to discuss issues at length. For example, the text mentions the rebuff of President Clinton and his request for network time to discuss United States–China relations. In addition, discuss how politicians often claim that they have a lot to say, but that the media only discuss a small portion of it. Note Jimmy Carter's frustration with the superficial coverage of campaigns, despite the fact that it is covered by more than 100 reporters.
3, Explain how the media blame politicians for embracing the sound bite as a way to stay visible in the news without saying anything of substance, and that the incentive is to build catchy phrases instead of substantive plans.
You might also like to view...
What is the approximate world population today and where is it located?
a. over 10 billion but below 12 billion, most of which is in the Developing World b. over 6 billion but less than 8 billion, most of which is in the Developing World c. between 2 billion and 4 billion, most of which is in the industrialized world d. over 6 billion but less than 8 billion, most of which is in the industrialized world
Stating that democracy can be measured by the degree to which the population had a voice in selecting members of the executive and legislative branches of government is an example of
a. causal relationships. b. a hypothesis. c. conceptualization. d. a research question. e. operationalization.