POSC 225 Exam 2 (Ferraiolo) – Study Guide, Revision Notes, and Practice
Questions for Exam Preparation
Partisan press - ✔✔parties created, sponsors and controlled newspapers to help their own
interest
penny press - ✔✔politically independent, reliance on advertisers as a source of revenue
yellow journalism - ✔✔increase circulation big headlines, sensationalist stories, want more
readers
objective journalism - ✔✔more responsive, facts instead of opinions, objectively presented
sources of news - ✔✔-T.V.
-social media
-newspapers
-radio
-internet/digital news
question of trust and bias - ✔✔-journalists personal views = lean towards democrats
-morn
functions affecting the media today - ✔✔watch dog, making the public's electoral choice clear,
provide policy information
watch dog - ✔✔the role of the media in scrutinizing the actions of the govt. officials, 1st
amendment helps ensure that the news media will be able to expose misbehavior w/o fear of
censorship or prosecution
, -ex). watergate scandal in 1970s
making the public's electoral choice clear - ✔✔serves to clarify what the political parties stand
for and how the candidates shape up lots of their views, w/o info it would be hard for voters to
make a well informed choice
provide policy information - ✔✔present diverse, full, and enlightening set of facts and ideas
about public policy, need to know about emerging problems that might need attention
factors affecting the media today - ✔✔corporate ownership, uniformity and diversity, profit
motives
corporate ownership - ✔✔most of the biggest stations and newspapers, t.v. and cable
networks are owned by large media corporation
uniformity and diversity - ✔✔growing diversity of news outlets but news sources are
contracted; uniformity in sources, diversity in outlets
-ex). almost all major newspapers subscribe to associated press (AP) associated press wireless
serves
profit motives - ✔✔need to appeal to audience, attract ad revenue - effect on coverage, means
closing down foreign bureaus and cutting the number of reporters focused on govt. affairs in
washington or the economy and financial system
limited geography of political news - ✔✔comes from a few places in the country: D.C., the seat
of the federal govt., NYC, the center of publishing and finance in US, this has intensified the
growing importance of online reporting
dependence on official sources - ✔✔most political news is based on what public officials say,
the fact has important consequences for how well the media serve democracy
Questions for Exam Preparation
Partisan press - ✔✔parties created, sponsors and controlled newspapers to help their own
interest
penny press - ✔✔politically independent, reliance on advertisers as a source of revenue
yellow journalism - ✔✔increase circulation big headlines, sensationalist stories, want more
readers
objective journalism - ✔✔more responsive, facts instead of opinions, objectively presented
sources of news - ✔✔-T.V.
-social media
-newspapers
-radio
-internet/digital news
question of trust and bias - ✔✔-journalists personal views = lean towards democrats
-morn
functions affecting the media today - ✔✔watch dog, making the public's electoral choice clear,
provide policy information
watch dog - ✔✔the role of the media in scrutinizing the actions of the govt. officials, 1st
amendment helps ensure that the news media will be able to expose misbehavior w/o fear of
censorship or prosecution
, -ex). watergate scandal in 1970s
making the public's electoral choice clear - ✔✔serves to clarify what the political parties stand
for and how the candidates shape up lots of their views, w/o info it would be hard for voters to
make a well informed choice
provide policy information - ✔✔present diverse, full, and enlightening set of facts and ideas
about public policy, need to know about emerging problems that might need attention
factors affecting the media today - ✔✔corporate ownership, uniformity and diversity, profit
motives
corporate ownership - ✔✔most of the biggest stations and newspapers, t.v. and cable
networks are owned by large media corporation
uniformity and diversity - ✔✔growing diversity of news outlets but news sources are
contracted; uniformity in sources, diversity in outlets
-ex). almost all major newspapers subscribe to associated press (AP) associated press wireless
serves
profit motives - ✔✔need to appeal to audience, attract ad revenue - effect on coverage, means
closing down foreign bureaus and cutting the number of reporters focused on govt. affairs in
washington or the economy and financial system
limited geography of political news - ✔✔comes from a few places in the country: D.C., the seat
of the federal govt., NYC, the center of publishing and finance in US, this has intensified the
growing importance of online reporting
dependence on official sources - ✔✔most political news is based on what public officials say,
the fact has important consequences for how well the media serve democracy
