Chapter Review

COMMON THREADS

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One of the Common Threads discussed in Chapter 1 is about the role that media play in a democracy. Today, one of the major concerns is the proliferation of news sources. How well is our society being served by this trend—especially on cable and the Internet—compared with the time when just a few major news media sources dominated journalism?

Historians, media critics, citizens, and even many politicians argue that a strong democracy is only possible with a strong, healthy, skeptical press. In the “old days,” a few legacy or traditional media—key national newspapers, three major networks, and three newsmagazines—provided most of the journalistic common ground for discussing major issues confronting U.S. society.

In today’s online and 24/7 cable world, though, the legacy or mainstream media have ceded some of their power and many of their fact-checking duties to new media forms, especially in the blogosphere. As discussed in this chapter and in Chapter 8, this loss is partly economic, driven by severe cutbacks in newsroom staffs due to substantial losses in advertising (which has gone to the Internet), and partly because bloggers, 24/7 cable news media, and news satire shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are fact-checking the media as well as reporting stories that used to be the domain of professional news organizations.

The case before us then goes something like this: In the “old days,” the major news media provided us with reports and narratives to share, discuss, and argue about. But in today’s explosion of news and information, that common ground has eroded or is shifting. Instead, today we often rely only on those media sources that match our comfort level, cultural values, or political affiliations; increasingly these are blog sites, radio talk shows, or cable channels. Sometimes these opinion channels and sites are not supported with the careful fact-gathering and verification that has long been a pillar of the best kinds of journalism.

So in today’s media environment, how severely have technological and cultural transformations undermined the “common ground” function of mainstream media? And, are these changes ultimately good or bad for democracy?

KEY TERMS

The definitions for the terms listed below can be found in the glossary at the end of the book. The page numbers listed with the terms indicate where the term is highlighted in the chapter.

news, 488

newsworthiness, 488

ethnocentrism, 490

responsible capitalism, 490

small-town pastoralism, 491

individualism, 491

conflict of interest, 494

herd journalism, 500

sound bite, 505

public journalism, 508

For review quizzes, chapter summaries, links to media-related Web sites, and more, go to bedfordstmartins.com/mediaculture.

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REVIEW QUESTIONS

Modern Journalism in the Information Age

  1. What are the drawbacks of the informational model of journalism?
  2. What is news?
  3. Explain the values shift in journalism today from a more detached or neutral model to a more partisan or assertion model.

Ethics and the News Media

  1. How do issues such as deception and privacy present ethical problems for journalists?
  2. Why is getting a story first important to reporters?
  3. What are the connections between so-called neutral journalism and economics?

Reporting Rituals and the Legacy of Print Journalism

  1. Why have reporters become so dependent on experts?
  2. Why do many conventional journalists (and citizens) believe firmly in the idea that there are two sides to every story?

Journalism in the Age of TV and the Internet

  1. How is credibility established in TV news as compared with print journalism?
  2. With regard to TV news, what are sound bites and happy talk?
  3. What roles are pundits now playing in 24/7 cable news?
  4. In what ways has the Internet influenced traditional forms of journalism?

Alternative Models: Public Journalism and “Fake” News

  1. What is public journalism? In what ways is it believed to make journalism better?
  2. What are the major criticisms of the public journalism movement, and why do the mainstream national media have concerns about public journalism?
  3. What role do satirical news programs like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report play in the world of journalism?

Democracy and Reimagining Journalism’s Role

  1. What is deliberative democracy, and what does it have to do with journalism?

QUESTIONING THE MEDIA

  1. What are your main criticisms of the state of news today? In your opinion, what are the news media doing well?
  2. If you were a reporter or an editor, would you quit voting in order to demonstrate your ability to be neutral? Why or why not?
  3. Is the trend toward opinion-based partisan news programs on cable and the Internet a good thing or bad thing for democracy?
  4. Is there political bias in front-page news stories? If so, cite examples.
  5. How would you go about formulating an ethical policy with regard to using deceptive means to get a story?
  6. For a reporter, what are the dangers of both detachment from and involvement in public life?
  7. Do satirical news programs make us more cynical about politics and less inclined to vote? Why or why not?
  8. What steps would you take to make journalism work better in a democracy?

ADDITIONAL VIDEOS

Visit the image VideoCentral: Mass Communication section at bedfordstmartins.com/mediaculture for additional exclusive videos related to Chapter 14, including: