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Internet Activities: Politics and the Media
 
 
 

Independent, aggressive, and critical media are essential to an informed democracy. With mergers in the news industry accelerating, greater limits are being put on the spectrum of viewpoints having access to the mass media. Also, the vast majority of U.S. media outlets are owned by for-profit conglomerates and are supported by corporate advertisers. As a result, independent journalism is being compromised. Perform the activities associated with the following Web sites


Just the Facts, Please

1. National Association of Broadcasters (http://www.nab.org/). This trade association represents the voices of broadcasters in Washington, DC. Describe its primary objectives and cite examples of the ways in which it protects broadcasters.

2. Federal Communication Commission (FCC) (http://www.fcc.gov/). Describe when and how the FCC was established, its purpose, and its jurisdiction.


Compare & Contrast

1. The FAIR organization is a media watch-dog group that examines issues relating to fairness and accuracy in reporting. Explore http://www.fair.org.

  • Describe FAIR’s objectives. Provide examples of the ways FAIR serves the media industry.
  • Compare and contrast FAIR with the role and service provided by Accuracy In Media (AIM)(http://www.aim.org/).

Also from the FAIR organization website you can link to its serial publication, Extra!, and its weekly radio show, CounterSpin. Go to http://www.fair.org/. Select the link to "Extra!" in the left-hand column and then to "The Best of Extra!". Select the link at the top to "1998 (or 2000 if appropriate)," then select the link to "Horserace Tramples Issues." Read the article and answer the following questions:

  • What is horserace reporting? Why would a focus on a "hot race" preclude news coverage of the issues involved in the campaign?
  • According to the article, how would journalists covering the "horse race" typically report about campaign financing?
  • Do you agree with this reporter’s assessment of election reporting? Why or why not?

 2. Go to C-SPAN’s web page (http://www.c-span.org/) and peruse the "Current Events" and the "Browse Issues" columns (on the left-hand side). Note that you can search for programs from the C-SPAN archives. There are also ample "watch and listen links" on the site, where speeches, panel presentations, debates, etc. can be seen in their entirety. Because events change so rapidly, peruse at least five of the links available. After covering these five links, answer the following:

  • Was C-SPAN’s coverage thorough? Or did you discern any weaknesses or gaps?
  • Conversely, would the average citizen make use of C-SPAN in your opinion?
  • How does C-SPAN coverage compare to political coverage found on network TV?
  • Similarly, how does C-SPAN coverage compare to daily newspapers?

 
 
   
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Exploration

1. Read "The Global Media Giants: The Nine Firms That Dominate the World" (http://www.fair.org/extra/9711/gmg.html)by Robert W. McChesney, then answer these questions:

  1. What is the role of corporations as owners of the media?
  2. Who are the corporations, and what was their annual 1997 income?
  3. What media outlets do each of these corporations own?
  4. What other firms do these corporations own?
  5. Why should an organization like FAIR be concerned about these mega-monopolies?

2. The Media Research Center (MRC) was, according to information on its web site, "founded in 1987 with the mission of bringing political balance to the nation’s news media and responsibility to the entertainment media.’ Also, as stated on its Web site, "The MRC tapes over 150 hours a week of news and entertainment shows aired no the broadcast networks and cable news channels. With over 160,000 hours or more than 25,000 videotapes, the MRC is the only organization with a complete tape library of network news and entertainment shows back to the late 1980s."

Go to MRC’s Web site at http://www.mediaresearch.org

  1. Examine two of the links on the main page. What is the focus of the MRC’s Web site? In what ways is its focus different from the mainstream news services?
  2. Return to the main page and select "Conservative News Service." What is the lead story? Why was the story selected? What are the MRC’s objections to the mainstream news coverage of this story?
  3. Return to the main page and select the "Parents Television Council" link. Read one of the reviews on the site. Do you find it informative? Is it a fair review? Why or why not?

3. The Atlantic Monthly has an archive of issues on the internet with articles of interest to students of American government. Go to http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/96feb/media/media.htm and you will find an article titled "Why Americans Hate the Media." Read the article and answer the following questions:

  • Summarize the main point Fallows made about the media. Include a description of the differing reactions to the President Clinton’s State of the Union address in your discussion.
  • Watch a news program on television and pay close attention to any news stories on politics or politicians. Did the reporter spend more time talking about the "game" of politics than in analyzing substantive issues? (Go to ABC News at the http://www.abcnews.com and watch television news on the web.)
  • Read a newspaper story about politics or a specific politician. Go to the Washington Post at http://www.washingtonpost.com, select the link to the politics on the left, and read a story about politics or politicians. Do you feel the story contained enough information about the substance of the issues presented? Was more attention paid to the process than to the issues?
  • Summarize your own opinion on this topic. Do you feel that reporters are more "cynical" than the average American? Do you feel that their reporting is generally fair? Do you think they generally pay careful attention to possible conflicts of interest or ethical problems?
  
   
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