11 Media, Politics, and Government: Talking Heads are Better than None

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11Media, Politics, and Government Talking Heads
are Better than None
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The Whole China Charade

• How does one know if China really exists if one
  has never been there?
• Most of peoples reality consists of things
  outside of their direct experience.
• This is particularly true in the study of
  politics there is almost nothing in government
  or politics that you experience directly.
• People come to believe that one political thing
  or another is true by putting together bits and
  pieces of information, much like they do to
  understand that China exists.

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Your New Brain and the Creation of Reality

• As a result, how those bits and pieces of
  information are presented to people and how they
  are used to create an understanding of politics
  is critical.
• While it is obvious how the things people
  directly experience become part of their reality,
  the creation of agreement reality is a bit more
  interesting.
• For example, in his textbook on social science
  research methods, Earl Babbiei argues that
  science can be thought of in terms of a set of
  rules that people developed to help them decide
  when to accept something as agreement reality.
• By conducting experiments according to certain
  rules, scientists convince others to accept their
  work as part of reality.
• Babbie wants students to learn the rules of
  science so they can create new bits of reality by
  conducting research.
• Science is an effort to create agreement reality.
  
• i Babbie, Earl. The Practice of Social
  Research (10th Edition). Belmont CAWadsworth
  Publishing Co., 2004..

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Your New Brain and the Creation of Reality

• Science is not the only way people try to
  intentionally convince each other to accept
  something as part of reality.
• In an educational environment, the teacher is
  intentionally trying to build a specific reality
  for students to accept.
• In addition to the organization and details of
  the course, the teacher also uses the authority
  bestowed by the school and even the structure of
  the classroom to alter the way students
  understand reality.
• Peoples drive to find causes for the effects
  they see is a big part of what allows humans to
  make globe-transforming inventions
• It also makes people prone to fooling themselves
  about reality and, it also makes them susceptible
  to manipulation by others.
• The way humans perceive the world around them is
  significant for the mediated reality of politics.
  

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Your New Brain and the Creation of Reality

• Political reality is a mediated reality it comes
  to people, primarily through the news media.
• Understanding how the news media selects
  information and presents it to others is critical
  for developing an understanding of politics and
  government.
• People constantly see, hear, and smell far more
  than their brains perceive.
• Peoples minds use a set of instinctual and
  learned filterscognitive frameworksto sort the
  mass of incoming information.
• Every person has several unique sets of mental
  filters, and they use different ones in different
  situations.

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Your New Brain and the Creation of Reality

• The diversity of ways that people make sense of
  the world is amazing, but there are a few common
  predispositions.
• People tend to notice things that fit their
  existing beliefs and fail to notice things that
  do not.
• This makes people prone to fooling themselves.
• It also makes it possible for others, whether
  intentionally or accidentally, to manipulate
  peoples reality.
• By using a speech to provide a cognitive
  framework for people to understand an issue, a
  policy, or a candidate, a politician can
  predispose others to interpret things in the way
  the politician desires.
• By carefully choosing and building that
  framework, the politician can lead the public
  toward a desired conclusion.
• Some people call this spin, and others call it
  framing.

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Your New Brain and the Creation of Reality

• People can all see roughly the same information
  in the news.
• However, the reality the information creates
  largely depends on the particular framework they
  initially choose and how that framework has been
  used to filter information.
• That framework provides organization to the
  overwhelming mass of information, and it shapes
  their reality.

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News Media and Politics

• A vast proportion of the information people have
  about politics comes through the news.
• In fact, modern politics is often discussed as
  mediated politics.
• Some depict the very nature of politics as a
  process of strategic communication and social
  coordination that occurs through the content of
  the news media.
• The news media provide an accessible,
  inexpensive, communal, and reliable source of
  information to form agreement reality about
  politics and government.
• The way the news media filters and selects the
  information it prints or broadcasts and the way
  it presents the news as a story, can favor
  certain cognitive frameworks over others.
• The processes and imperatives that operate in the
  news media can have a tremendous influence on how
  people understand the reality of politics.

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News Media and Politics

• Ideally, the news media would perfectly reflect
  political reality.
• Ideally, the news media would present reliable
  and accurate information.
• Is this how it is?
• The real is far from the ideal.
• The image of politics presented by the media is
  dramatically distorted.
• One must examine the ways in which the news
  distorts, emphasizes, or ignores information in
  order to fully appreciate how it might best be
  utilized to understand politics.
• Knowing what the distortions better prepares one
  to deal with them in understanding politics or
  even acting politically.

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The Business of the News

• News is a business, a big business.
• The demands and limitations that arise from the
  drive to make money have a major effect on the
  content of the news.
• The subtle ways that business imperatives shape
  content are very important to the construction of
  our mediated political reality.
• What are they selling?
• Not space, but you - the audience
• If you wanted to maximize the audience for a news
  broadcast, what would the news look like?

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Commercial Concerns

• Mass media outlets are private companies who
  exist to make a profit
• Where do they get their income?
• Advertising
• What are they selling?
• Not space, but you - the audience
• If you wanted to maximize the audience for a news
  broadcast, what would the news look like?

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Commercial Concerns

• Lengthy explanations of the complexity of
  politics or visuals and sound bites?
• Government at work or scandal and negativity?
• Enlightening or Entertaining?
• Event-Driven spontaneous news with good pictures
  or more substantive political analysis?
• The news is going to be Sensational, Superficial,
  and Controversial
• In sum, the Spectacle gt the Substance of politics

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Ownership and Control

• In the U.S., we pride ourselves on our free
  media free from what?
• Free from government control
• But not free from the requirements of the market
• News marketplace today is shaped by what will
  maximize an audience
• Ratings are the ultimate in democracy people get
  what they want
• Is this the same as the public interest?
• Gives people what they want to hear, not what
  they need to know
• Marketing the News drives news to the lowest
  common denominator

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The Business of the News

• The business side of the news focuses on the
  audience as a product and the cost of creating
  the audience.
• These concerns must constantly be balanced
  against the size and value of the audience.
• News outlets constantly try to find the story
  that will keep the audiences eyes glued to the
  screen as cheaply as possible.
• Much of the politics of the media builds on the
  tension between these two business imperatives.

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The Political Soap Opera

• To meet the business imperative, the coverage of
  a war, a large piece of legislation, an electoral
  campaign, a scandal, a debate, all take on the
  basic form of a television soap opera.
• The first law of the soap opera is that everybody
  is always fighting over everything.
• The very premise of the dramatic story structure
  is that of action and change driven by conflict.
• The reality is that politicians often agree a
  great deal of work gets done, but this is lost
  behind the bickering presented on TV.

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Makes the World Go 'Round

• The first law of the soap opera is that everybody
  is always fighting over everything.
• The very premise of the dramatic story structure
  is that of action and change driven by conflict.
• Thus, war is a better news story than peace,
  conflict on the campaign trail is sexier than
  covering how candidates stand on the issues, the
  trade dispute is more newsworthy than the
  thousands of other things that get sold from one
  place to another.
• The emphasis on conflict even extends to the
  norms of fairness and objectivity by which
  journalists swear.
• In order to be objective reporters often
  provide equal coverage of the arguments of
  opposing sides in a story, even if one side
  represents a near consensus.
• This exaggerates the conflict by making it look
  like the disputants are locked in a debate, even
  if one position is ridiculous.

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Sex and the City

• The second universal law of soap operas is that
  sex sells in every soap opera around the world,
  just about everyone is beautiful.
• Sex gets peoples attention and this obvious fact
  is not lost on the editors, reporters, and
  producers responsible for creating the news.
• It also influences the content of newspaper and
  television news by shaping the very idea of what
  stories should be covered.
• A sexual element adds to the presumed
  newsworthiness of a story, sometimes to the point
  that the media obsess over stories that are about
  little or nothing.

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Honey, the Dingo Stole Another Baby

• The third law of soap operas is that there is no
  such thing as a normal day.
• The unusual is dramatic.
• Newsworthiness is related to unusualness or the
  degree that an event deviates from the norm.
• No one wants to read about the routine functions
  of government or other commonplace occurrences.
• Even if it is important, if it is common, it is
  not news.

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The Tragically Hip

• The final law of the soap opera is that stories
  must be tragic.
• Human impact is one more aspect of
  newsworthiness.
• A small fire that destroys a familys home is far
  more newsworthy than a huge fire in the woods.
• News is filled with world of war, death, and
  disaster.
• People see the unusual events that have a large
  impact on people.
• War is always newsworthy, peace seldom so the
  newspapers make it seem like the whole world is
  at war all the time.
• Since people base their understanding of the
  reality of politics on this distorted image it
  is critical for understanding of politics.
• The reality is that politicians often agree a
  great deal of work gets done, but this is lost
  behind the bickering presented on TV.

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The Political Soap Opera

• The second universal law of soap operas is that
  sex sells a sexual element adds to the presumed
  newsworthiness of a story, sometimes to the point
  that the media obsess over stories that are about
  little or nothing.
• The third law of soap operas is that there is no
  such thing as a normal day. The unusual is
  dramatic.
• The final law of the soap opera is that stories
  must be tragic.
• News is filled with world of war, death, and
  disaster.
• Since people base their understanding of the
  reality of politics on this distorted image it
  is critical for understanding of politics.

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Lacking Context

• Previously papers were informational arms of
  political parties
• Following WWII, more of an emphasis on profit so
  claimed to follow a norm of objectivity to
  maximize audiences
• Because dont want to appear biased dont comment
  or criticize on official sources
• Become, essentially, a mouthpiece for power
• Allows public officials virtually free reign to
  construct their spin on political reality
• In order to avoid appearance of bias, largely
  eschew any context or analysis
• Rarely provide solid explanations or conclusions
• Makes it very difficult for news spectators to
  understand the full complexity and substance of
  politics

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He Brings Balance to the Force?

• The journalistic norms of objectivity and
  fairness can make the distortions caused by the
  dramatic imperative (particularly conflict) even
  more problematic.
• The best way to objectively cover an issue, even
  if it is one that is pervaded by cooperation, is
  to present both sides to the conflict on an equal
  and fair basis.
• Because not all conflicts are made up of two
  reasonably equal sides, this. can lead to
  distortions.
• This is particularly true when a journalist
  presents a vocal minoritys perspective on the
  same terms as a much larger majority.
• The news makes it appear that there is almost
  always two roughly equal sides, but that is often
  not the case.

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Elite Dominance of the Sources of News

• Journalistic presumptions of newsworthiness also
  influence the coverage of politics by stressing
  elite voices.
• Elites dominate the news because journalists
  presume that because they are already prominent
  points of societal focus, elites are newsworthy.
• The president, pope, rock star, or athlete
  capture and hold peoples attention.
• They contribute to an audience that can be sold
  to advertisers.
• Elites are unusual by definition, and they often
  have tremendous effects on peoples lives because
  of their status.
• Fighting elites are even more newsworthy which
  actor broke up with which actor this week?

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A Vast Conspiracy?

• Elites are motivated and have the necessary
  resources to pursue beneficial news coverage.
• Actors may complain about the paparazzi, but
  being they benefit from public exposure.
• Name recognition may be the most important
  resource in democratic elections, and it often
  does not matter from where that public
  recognition came.
• Former actors have an easier time wining
  elections because voters recognize who they are.
• The ability to gain news media coverage is
  tremendously valuable in democratic nations it
  can be used to create wealth or influence
  politics.
• To remain an elite public figure, public
  attention is essential, and news media coverage
  can help sustain that attention.
• It should be no surprise that elites actively
  encourage news coverage by the news.

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A Vast Conspiracy?

• For political elites, news coverage is even more
  of a consideration.
• In addition to being the focus of public
  interest, political elites make decisions and
  take actions that tremendously impact peoples
  lives.
• Elites want coverage, and the media wants to
  cover elites.
• The news medias prominent focus on political
  elites combined with the importance of coverage
  to political elites makes it seem like a media
  conspiracy to ignore the average persons
  concerns.
• There is no conspiracy it is self interest and
  the business imperative.

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The Mutual Exploitation Model

• The news media and elites have a tremendous
  coincidence of interests.
• The news media exploits elites as cheap sources
  of news that are of public interest.
• The elites exploit the news media by using them
  to present a public image that is helpful to
  their ambitions.
• There is no need for a conspiracy economic
  forces and self interest drive the media and
  elites to cater to each others needs.
• Because journalists cover want to preserve their
  access to newsworthy individuals, they tend to
  present the image these politicians want.
• Elites cater to the reporters and editors
  business needs by giving them newsworthy stories
  in order to get their ideas and words out to the
  public.

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Braunwarth Political Rhetoric (ch. 5 Reader)

• Political Issues are inherently complex
• TV Media can only present part of the issue
• Political Actors try to present their own
  self-interested frames or picture of reality
• To avoid appearance of bias, the media practice a
  norm of objectivity which includes reliance on
  official sources with little commentary or
  criticism
• Allows public officials virtually free reign to
  construct their spin on political reality
• Very difficult for news spectators to figure out
  because of the lack of context in which these
  constructions could be better understood

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Constructing Public Opinion

• Many use the mass media to try to shape Public
  Opinion in a democracy
• In the realm of Public Opinion, the reality of
  politics is what is accepted by the public
• How is opinion successfully constructed?
• It must be framed correctly
• It must be simple
• Play on basic emotions to grab audience
• It must be brief

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Framing Public Opinion

• How are issue framed? Try this exercise
• Dont think of an elephant
• What did people think when Nixon said, I am not
  a crook?
• Why a tax burden rather than membership dues
  or service fees?
• Why strong and resolute rather than
  intelligent and compassionate?
• The way a policy is framed or worded is often
  more important than the policy itself
• Particularly important given high levels of
  ignorance
• Both parties are increasingly attentive to
  framing but which view of reality has been
  winning the framing debate?

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The Mutual Exploitation Model

• If given sufficient incentive, either side will
  turn on the other.
• If elites perceive enough benefit or if they are
  upset enough, they will turn against the media.
• The media quickly turns on elites if a story is
  sufficiently newsworthy.
• Media coverage of scandals has tremendous costs
  for the elite who are at the center of the storm.
  
• Elites always face the reality they will be
  caught in a newsworthy scandal and have to face a
  drama-obsessed media.
• Coverage of scandals also provide insight into
  the democratic role of the press.
• Journalists expose illegal activities, and they
  can make it difficult for politicians caught in a
  scandal to remain in office.

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Of Cockroaches and Politicians

• Media coverage of scandals also influences the
  activities of other political actors and
  politics.
• The modern democratic politician most fears
  getting caught in the middle of a media feeding
  frenzy over a scandal or disastrous policy.
• When the media rips the liver out of a politician
  caught in a scandal, it tells all other
  politicians they had better not do the same
  stupid thing.

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Protest and the Disadvantaged Voice

• Another way to address the idea of a conspiracy
  between the media and elites is to examine the
  things that get into the news, despite the
  elites preferences.
• Aside from scandals and the intense coverage of
  failed policies, there are plenty of other
  examples.
• Elites cannot shut out other sources of coverage,
  e.g., protests.
• Protests, en-mass or even the occasional dramatic
  individual action, are one way that non-elites
  can get their voices and opinions inserted into
  the news coverage.

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Protest and the Disadvantaged Voice

• The reality of protests is that even the biggest
  protests involve only a tiny portion of the
  public.
• A protest involving thousands is huge, but the
  world is populated by billions.
• The proportion of people protesting anything is
  miniscule, but when those thousands get on TV or
  get the front page, the media creates a separate
  political reality.
• People perceive that the protests involve or
  represent a significant portion of the public,
  and politicians often treat that tiny minority as
  if they do represent the larger public.
• A successful protest must gain significant media
  coverage to insert itself into the political
  reality of the population and political elites.
• Few people or elites will actually see, hear, or
  otherwise directly experience the protest.

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Protest and the Disadvantaged Voice

• The medias consistent distortions are not the
  only aspect of the news that is important.
• The role of political commercials in elections,
  the coverage of war, the role of investigative
  journalism, how media creates our understanding
  of other places, how leaders act to manipulate
  their media image, how the media influences the
  public and political agenda, could all easily
  fill an entire undergraduate course.