IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENT #2 (15 MINUTES)

Discuss your blog post in groups of 3

What news do you consume? From where? How much? Why?

Do you think entertainment can be considered news sometimes?

How often do you talk about news with others?

How can you improve your news diet?

NEWS CONTENTBENNETT, CH. 2

DR. KRISTEN LANDREVILLEMON. AUG. 30, 2010

BENNETT’S INFORMATION BIASES

Personalization Dramatization Fragmentation Authority-disorder

Compared to a political bias, these 4 biases are: Deep Systematic Less Obvious Costly Difficult to overcome May hinder intellectual debate and criticism

PERSONALIZATION News downplays big social, economic, or political stories News favors personalized, human-interest, and surface

stories Focus on personalities and the power players, not issues Why?

Easier than an investigative risky probe into an issue

Alternative is “institutional”

Example of Personalization: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/08/30/

glenn.beck.rally.monday/index.html?hpt=C2 Using Beck to personify a trend without digging into his

past, his motivations, his agenda; little issues mentioned

DRAMATIZATION Focus on crisis rather than continuity

Focus on the present rather than past or future

Infotainment

Alternative is “analytical” frame

Example of Dramatized News: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/29/

president-says-hes-worried-muslim-rumors/ No mention of “why” this is the case

FRAGMENTATION

Stories are not connected to each other over time since each is self-contained Hard to see the big picture

Alternative is “historical”

Example of Fragmented News: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/08/29/

mayor-violent-mexican-border-state-assassinated/

No mention of related stories or links to learn more about the drug war

AUTHORITY-DISORDER BIAS

Politicians come out to calm the public in troubling times saying they’ll return order

News sometimes support claims of return to order by authoritiesExample: 9/11 coverageGenerally positive government coverage. Why?

News sometimes challenges authority’s ability to restore orderExample: Hurricane Katrina coverageGenerally negative government coverage.

Why?

GOOD COVERAGE

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/08/30/gulf.dead.zone.minnesota.farm/index.html?hpt=C1

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/08/26/mine.disasters.survivors/index.html?hpt=C2

Why and how would I categorize these stories as good coverage?

Do you agree or disagree with me?

Do you see any biases?

NEWS CONTENTBENNETT, CH. 2

Wed. Sept. 1, 2010

THE EFFECTS OF THE 4 BIASES

Distraction from potentially important causes of problems

Egocentric, rather than socially concerned view, of social problems

Blame individuals, not institutions

Lack of shared critical understandings of issues

Promotion of dramatically satisfying but practically unworkable solutions

AN ARGUMENT FOR POLITICAL BIAS IN NEWS

Bennett argues that the presence of a political bias in the news media is small.

Let’s examine other evidence…

THE POLITICAL CONTENT OF NEWS:JOURNALISTS’ PERSPECTIVES

• CBS reporter Bernard Goldberg in 1996– “The old argument that the

networks and other media elites have a liberal bias is so blatantly true that it’s hardly worth discussing anymore. No, we don’t sit around in dark corners and plan strategies on how we’re going to slant the news. We don’t have to. It comes naturally to most reporters.”

THE POLITICAL CONTENT OF NEWS:JOURNALISTS’ PERSPECTIVES

ABC (now Fox News) reporter Brit Hume regarding 1992 campaign“During critical periods in this one,

anti-Bush media sentiment was obvious and dominant… The media’s defenders argue that, after the rough treatment Bill Clinton got on the Gennifer Flowers case and his draft record, no one can say he was treated favorably. But he was.”

ALLEGATIONS OF BIAS FROM BOTH SIDES

Media Research Center

Journalists are more liberal than public.

Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting

Media conglomerates promote conservative and status-quo agendas.

On the Right On the Left

WHAT DOES THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SAY?

JOURNALIST’S VS. PUBLIC’SPOLITICAL ATTITUDES

Data from Media Studies/Roper Center study in Nov./Dec. 1995.

THE POLITICAL CONTENT OF NEWS:LOWRY (1974) STUDY

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

ABC CBS NBC

# of Favorable Stories in News Coverage

Nixon

McGovern

THE POLITICAL CONTENT OF NEWS:SMITH & RODEN (1988) STUDY

750

800

850

900

950

1000

1050

Seconds of Coverage of Conventions & Campaign by a CBS affiliate in Arkansas

Republicans

Democrats

THE POLITICAL CONTENT OF NEWS:SMITH & RODEN (1988) STUDY

-1000

-500

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Valence of Coverage Weighted by Time at CBS Affilitate in Arkansas

Republicans

Democrats

THE POLITICAL CONTENT OF NEWS:STEMPEL & WINDHAUSER (1989)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1960 1964 1968 1980 1988

Presidential Endorsements From "Prestige Press" (e.g., NYT)

Democrat

Republican

THE POLITICAL CONTENT OF NEWS:STEMPEL & WINDHAUSER (1989)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Early Sept. Late Sept. Early Oct. Late Oct. Early Nov.

Quantity of Newspaper Campaign Coverage 1988

Democratic

Republican

THE POLITICAL CONTENT OF NEWS:CMPA CONTENT ANALYSES

THE POLITICAL CONTENT OF NEWS: SUMMARIZING PARTISAN NEWS BIAS

Meta-analysis (D’Allesio & Allen, 2000) of partisan bias on TV news, newspapers, and news magazines indicates:

No evidence of consistent gatekeeping bias No evidence of consistent coverage bias No evidence of consistent statement bias in

newspapers Small bias in favor of Democrats and liberals on

network TV news Small bias in favor of Republicans in news magazines

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENT #3

Individual Writing Activity Consider the follow questions:

Do you think the findings have changed since this research was published?

Do you think it exists? Is it widespread? Does it exist more in certain media or channels? Can you think of any specific examples of stories

or events that exhibited political bias? What conversations have you had in the past

with people about this topic? What do your parents and friends think?

NEWS CONTENTBENNETT, CH. 2

Fri. Sept. 3, 2010

THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT BLOG POSTS

Conversational style

Engaging stories

Willingness to admit news diets need improvement

TIPS TO IMPROVE BLOG POSTS

Google your name in quotes Your blog comes up, so proofread for spelling,

grammar, and capitalization Create an “about” page Change the tagline Delete the “Hello, World” post Try experimenting with links and images

Demonstration Remember to read instructions and grading

rubric carefully before posting Avoid run-on sentences

Sentences should not be 4 or 5 lines long

BLOG POST #2

See http://klandreville.wordpress.com/cojo-2480-politics-media/ for Blog Post #2 instructions, tips, and grading rubric

No sample post this time

See previous lecture slides in this file for examples of each of Bennett’s 4 information biases

IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENT #4

Assignment on Bennett’s 4 Biases Work individually 10 minutes

OTHER TYPES OF BIAS

Moving beyond partisan bias and Bennett’s 4 biases

IYENGAR’S (1991) “FRAMING BIAS”

• Episodic framing– TV news is primarily

episodic– produces beliefs that

individuals are responsible for social problems

• Thematic framing– claim NP and mags are

primarily thematic– produces beliefs that

society/gov’t is responsible

0

500

1000

1500

2000

TV News Coverage

Episodic

Thematic

THE ANTI-INCUMBENT BIAS

Why? Incumbent has record to criticize

Graber’s study of tone of coverage Some bias against Bush/Quayle in 1992 Bias favored Clinton/Gore in 1996 Findings consistent with claim eventual winner

gets best coverage

HORSERACE BIAS

Defining horserace Focus on polls, strategy, endorsements, gossip,

image, personality Less coverage on issues

HORSERACE BIASCMPA CONTENT ANALYSES

HORSERACE BIASCMPA CONTENT ANALYSES

HORSERACE BIASSOUND BITE NEWS

HORSERACE BIASSOUND BITE NEWS

IMPLICATIONS

Cynicism and apathy

Issue knowledge

Viability of candidates

FOR NEXT TIME…

No Class Mon. 9/6

Wed. 9/8 Blog Post #2 Due

For Wed. 9/8 Class: Read Bennett Ch. 3

Next 3 Lectures on Citizens & the News