Topic 5.12 The Media AP Government
Summary
TLDRThe video discusses the evolving role of media in political participation. It traces how news consumption has shifted from traditional outlets like newspapers and radio to cable TV, the internet, and now social media. The media's role in connecting people to government is explored, with a focus on two key functions: 'horserace journalism,' which emphasizes polling over substantive issues, and 'watchdog journalism,' where investigative reporting exposes government wrongdoing. The potential effects of media coverage on elections, including the 'bandwagon effect,' are also examined.
Takeaways
- 📰 Traditional media includes newspapers, radio, and network TV, which were the primary news sources in earlier times.
- 📺 In the 1980s, cable TV became a new way for people to consume news, followed by the Internet and blogs in the 1990s and early 2000s.
- 🌐 Today, many people get their news from social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, even though these are not traditional news outlets.
- 🗞️ The media connects people to the government by reporting on important issues, influencing public perception through the way stories are portrayed.
- 📊 One key role of the media is 'horserace journalism,' which focuses on public opinion polls and political candidate approval ratings rather than substantive issues.
- 🏇 Horserace journalism can leave the public less informed about political platforms, focusing more on the rise and fall of poll numbers like a competition.
- 📉 This type of coverage can contribute to the 'bandwagon effect,' where people vote for candidates leading in the polls, ignoring those trailing behind.
- 🕵️ Another significant role of the media is being a 'watchdog,' through investigative journalism, uncovering political scandals, corruption, and wrongdoing.
- 🔍 Watchdog journalism helps ensure government transparency by exposing illegal actions and administrative failures.
- 🎬 The video is part of a larger series on government and media, with one more video left in the unit, signaling the conclusion of new government content in the course.
Q & A
What is the main idea of the video?
-The main idea of the video is to explore how media influences political participation, with a focus on changes in news consumption over time and the roles media play, such as horserace journalism and watchdog journalism.
How has the way people get news changed over time?
-News consumption has evolved from traditional media like newspapers, radio, and network television, to cable TV in the 1980s, the internet and blogs in the 1990s and 2000s, and now to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
What are the two key roles of the media discussed in the video?
-The two key roles are horserace journalism, where media focuses on polling and public opinion instead of substantive issues, and watchdog journalism, where media investigates and exposes government wrongdoing or corruption.
What is horserace journalism, and what are its potential negative effects?
-Horserace journalism is the tendency to focus on polling and election standings rather than issues. Its negative effects include leaving the public less informed about political platforms and encouraging a bandwagon effect where voters support candidates based on polling trends rather than their policies.
What is the bandwagon effect, and how can it impact elections?
-The bandwagon effect occurs when voters support candidates who are leading in polls, often disregarding other candidates. This can skew election outcomes by influencing public opinion based on perceived popularity rather than informed decisions.
Why might horserace journalism make the public less informed?
-Horserace journalism emphasizes poll numbers and the competitive aspect of elections, diverting attention from substantive issues and candidate platforms, leading to a less informed electorate.
What is watchdog journalism?
-Watchdog journalism is investigative reporting that seeks to uncover wrongdoing, corruption, or incompetence in government, ensuring that officials and agencies are held accountable to the public.
Why is the role of watchdog journalism important?
-Watchdog journalism is important because it helps to expose illegal actions or failures in government, protecting the public interest and ensuring transparency and accountability in governance.
How does social media impact the way people get news today?
-Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, though not traditional news outlets, have become major sources of information for many people, often providing a quick, accessible way to consume news but with the risk of misinformation.
What will be covered in the final video mentioned at the end of the transcript?
-The final video in the series will wrap up the topic of news media and serve as the last video of new government content for the course.
Outlines
📺 Introduction to Media Influence on Political Participation
The video opens by discussing the influence of media on political participation, focusing on how news stories, coverage, and analysis shape public opinion. It mentions the evolution of news sources from traditional media, such as newspapers, radio, and television, to modern platforms like blogs and social media, which have become major sources of information. The shift in how people consume news has had a significant impact on how they engage with politics.
📰 Media's Role in Connecting People to Government
The video highlights the role of media in keeping citizens informed about governmental actions by choosing which stories to cover and how to frame them. The media can influence public perception by emphasizing certain issues over others or portraying events in a particular light. This power allows the media to shape how people view political issues, potentially affecting their engagement with the political process.
🐎 Horserace Journalism and Its Negative Impact
The video introduces the concept of horserace journalism, which refers to the media’s tendency to focus on polling and public opinion data rather than the policies and platforms of political candidates. This style of reporting can leave the public less informed, as it prioritizes who is leading in polls over substantive political issues. The focus on polling can also contribute to the bandwagon effect, where voters may choose candidates simply because they are leading, rather than based on their positions.
🎠 The Bandwagon Effect in Elections
Expanding on the concept of horserace journalism, the video discusses the bandwagon effect, where voters are influenced by polling results to support the perceived frontrunner. This phenomenon can skew election outcomes, as people may jump on or off the 'bandwagon' depending on who is leading or falling behind in the polls. It suggests that polls may predict election results not by reflecting public opinion, but by shaping it.
🕵️ Media's Watchdog Role: Investigative Journalism
The media's role as a watchdog is discussed, focusing on investigative journalism that uncovers government misconduct, corruption, and scandals. This kind of reporting holds authorities accountable by exposing wrongdoing and ensuring that government operations are conducted properly. Investigative journalism plays a critical role in maintaining transparency and public trust in government.
🎬 Wrapping Up the Media Unit
The video concludes by summarizing the discussion of media's influence on politics and the roles of horserace journalism and investigative reporting. The presenter notes that one final video remains in this unit, marking the end of the course’s content on government and media. Viewers are encouraged to stay tuned for the final video.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Political Participation
💡Media Coverage
💡Traditional News Media
💡Social Media
💡Horserace Journalism
💡Public Opinion Polls
💡Bandwagon Effect
💡Investigative Journalism
💡Watchdog Role
💡News Media
Highlights
Media coverage can influence political participation through how stories are reported and analyzed.
Traditional news media includes newspapers, radio, and network television, which were the primary sources of news in the past.
The 1980s introduced cable TV, followed by blogs and internet media in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Today, a significant number of people get their news from social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
The media plays an important role in connecting people to the government by selecting what to report on.
Media coverage can present issues in a positive or negative light, affecting public perception.
The length and intensity of media coverage can make certain issues seem more important than others.
Horserace journalism focuses on polling data, approval ratings, and candidate standings, often at the expense of substantive political issues.
The emphasis on polls can lead to a less informed public since it shifts focus away from candidate platforms and policy positions.
Horserace journalism can lead to the 'bandwagon effect,' where voters support candidates leading in the polls, regardless of policies.
Polling can influence election outcomes by encouraging voters to back perceived winning candidates and abandoning underperforming ones.
The media also serves as a 'watchdog,' with investigative journalists uncovering political scandals, corruption, and wrongdoing.
Investigative journalism helps ensure government agencies and officials are held accountable for their actions.
Investigative reporting uncovers illegal actions, inefficiencies, or corruption in political administrations or agencies.
The video series on media coverage is nearing its conclusion, with one more video to complete the course content.
Transcripts
welcome back in this video we're talking
about the media let's do it alright so
the idea is that political participation
can be affected and influenced by media
coverage by the way that stories are
reported by news analysis and so we want
to really dig in and see what exactly or
how exactly the news is being reported
and some changes in ways that that has
happened over time so if we start with
traditional news media we're thinking of
things like newspapers we're thinking of
the radio network television and this
would be the way that people in the
olden days got their news we come up a
little bit more modern it's like the
1980s and we get to cable TV we come
into the 90s and the early 2000s and we
end up with Internet and media like
blogs stuff like that being a way that
people were getting their news and we
come to today a lot of people get their
news from social media from Twitter or
Facebook as crazy as that sounds because
those aren't news outlets but that is
where a lot of people are informed and
do get the majority of their news so
there's been a major shift in the way
that people obtain their news now the
news media plays some important roles in
connecting people to the government
obviously by choosing to report on
certain things it allows the people to
be informed we know that they can
portray issues and a more positive or
more negative light and that this too
will affect the way that we see these
issues they can choose to report on
things for a longer period of time or
more dramatically again making it seem
more important we're gonna focus in on
two roles that the media plays one we're
talking about something known as
horserace journalism and this is the
tendency of the news media to focus on
public opinion polls on approval rating
polls on polling between candidates
running for political office and there
can be some really negative effects of
this for one thing the public might end
up being less informed than they would
be otherwise because instead of
reporting on the platform of the
candidates on substantive political
issues they typically end up focusing on
the polling to say Oh candidate a is up
by two points today look at them rising
the polls can it be as falling they're
down three points they
or up a few days ago now they're losing
and they start reporting on things as if
it's a horse race keeping score instead
of again informing people of the issues
and of things that might lead to people
being better informed now there is a
fear that this could actually lead to
something known as the bandwagon effect
and I touch on this in the public
polling video back in unit 4 this is the
idea that people might end up paying
attention to these polls so much that
they end up voting for the candidates
who are winning and disregarding
candidates who might not be doing as
well in the polls and this can actually
lead to the polling predicting the
outcome of elections not because they're
really a good indication of where people
believe right then but because people
jump on the bandwagon or jump off a
bandwagon when a candidate is struggling
another role of the media is that of
watchdog this is the idea of
investigative journalism
so this is where news outlets would have
reporters who are investigating
uncovering wrongdoing or political
scandals trying to make sure that things
are being done properly in government
uncovering illegal action or things that
might be forms of corruption or things
that are showing that a particular
administration or agency isn't doing its
job properly so this is just a brief
intro into the news media we have one
more video left on this topic about the
news media one more video left in this
unit and really it's the last video of
new Gov content in the whole course so
stay with me for that we're almost done
you guys have almost made it till next
time this has been a little money
production all right thanks again for
watching this video if you haven't
already make sure you subscribe hit that
like button got one video to go
appreciate all your help so much I'll
see you in that video
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