Roles+and+Functions+of+the+Media

=The Roles and Functions of the Media=

Editor: Trevi Yavorek
=The Roles and Functions of the Media=

The media plays a big part in the political world. During campaigning, the media provides different mediums in which candidates and parties can spread information to the public. The media can influence the way people view a candidate, whether it is good or bad. Media is also an unfortunate tool for spreading rumors with ease. People believe everything they hear, see, and read. The ultimate purpose of the media is to spread new information nationally or universally but through the grapevine of travelling information, people’s words get mixed #|up andthat is where the confusion begins to set in. For the most part though, news is reliable and the news media is a huge part of politics. However, framing is a common practice seen in all forms of media. Framing is the process by which a news organization defines a political issue and consequently affects opinion about the issue.

=The Different Types of News Media=

PRINT MEDIA
Long before the United States was a #|country, the print media, in the form of newspapers, was used as a method to spread the ideas and discuss political debates. The Anti-federalists and the Federalists used the partisan newspapers to discuss the ratification of the Constitution. The newspapers eventually changed to the penny press. This new type of newspaper was not only cheap, but it was veering away from the single party view to broaden the audience of readers. The newspapers helped the politicians get their information across to many people, which helped politics.The print media did have plenty of drawbacks, however. Yellow journalism, the type of journalism that relies on sensationalism and lurid exaggeration to attract readers, did not always report the most reliable information. The most important thing about this type of journalism is the appeal and exciting information, not the truth and facts that were correct. Another type of journalist include the muckrakers. The muckraking journalists searched for and expose real or alleged corruption, scandal, or the like. This journalism brought about many rumors that had no evidence to prove the truthfulness. Muckracking did help with anti-trust acts and rules though.

RADIO NEWS
__#|Radio news__ became very popular in the late 1800s. The function of the radio has changed slightly over time. For the most part its sole purpose is to relay news to people whether it pertains to politics, music, or sports. The radio has played a very large role in our history. President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the radio as a tool to promote his New Deal. He would have “fireside chats” which would benefit his New Deal, the public works project FDR promoted. During both World Wars, before television was the prominent news source, the radio was essential. It informed the entire country on the status of the war and the politics that surrounded it. In the 1980s, despite the fact __#|televisions__ had become more popular in the last thirty years, talk radio had started a resurgence of the #|radio news. Rush Limbaugh, a radio host, was known for his controversial and conservative views, which influence other conservative hosts. Today, television has taken over drastically, but the radio still exists.

TELEVISION NEWS
Television news became the new phenomena in the mid 1900s. It made the spreading of news significantly easier and it also made it a lot more personable considering you could see the faces of those reporting to you. Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, many scientists were coming out with new findings about the ways in which televisions work. WRGB claims to be one of the first television companies and that was in the late 1920s. After that T.V. just started to become more and more part of regular culture. Shows like the Ed Sullivan Show that viewed in the mid 1900s were easy to watch but still relatively informative and kept the viewers in the loop regarding pop culture as well. The evolution of shows was pretty gradual; the change in game shows, reality t.v., soap operas, etc. In terms of politics however, using the television became very common. The first televised presidential debate was in 1960 between Nixon and Kennedy. This advancement changed the whole dynamics of politics because people were now seeing for themselves how the debates ran rather than just hearing about them or listening to them.

NEW MEDIA
New media consists of social networking sites such as Facebook Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and other similar sites. These websites usually coincide with other forms of media, such as television media. Many news anchors will have twitter accounts that they may update regularly that people could check on to see the latest news. Otherwise campaigns for all different things, such as fundraisers, may use Facebook accounts to get their information out there and to gain more support. Using this form of media provides easier access to influencing the younger generations who thrive off of this networking sites. Citizen journalists are ordinary people who collect, report, and analyze news content. Citizen journalists are not professionals thus it is more like blogging. It is an unregulated system and is designed for amateurs to post on social media sites mostly.



The Role of the Media in Campaigns
The media plays a major role in the campaigning process. The campaigns use the media as a source to reach possible voters. The news outlets like Twitter and blogs, as well as news on the television, continuous have information regarding the candidates and their parties. Often speeches, events or any other "important" gathering of politicians during the campaign and election seasons are reported.The media helps the candidate and party get recognized by the people. The news allows the candidate's name to be reported and to potential become a name most are familiar with. The media also reports the things candidates do not want the general public to know. Sex scandals, alleged drug use, fraud, the list goes on. All things that may not help the candidate in the long run, but at least the name is known. The news coverage close to election time can also persuade the public's view on a candidate. The media has a strong impact on the campaigns. Without it, potential politicians would not be advertised.

The media has changed over the years. Newspapers where once one of the only methods of communication of politics. Now politicians and news anchors have Twitters and Facebooks, which people can access almost anywhere. The media still plays a huge part in the politics. During campaigning and elections, the media explodes with news about the candidates and what happens in the world of politics.

Intro-

 * ===Framing- process by which a news organization defines a political issue and consequently affects opinion about the issue ===

Print-

 * ===Anti-Federalists- pro-state government ===
 * ===Federalists- pro-federal government ===
 * ===Partisan- an adherent or supporter of a person, group, party, or cause, especially a person who shows a biased, emotional allegiance. ===
 * ===Yellow Journalism- the type of journalism that relies on sensationalism and lurid exaggeration to attract readers ===
 * ===muckrakers- to search for and expose real or alleged corruption, scandal, or the like, especially in [|politics]. ===

Radio-

 * ===New Deal- FDR's public works project solution to the Great Depression ===

New Media-

 * ===Citizen Journalists- ordinary people who collect, report, and analyze news content (not a professional system) ===


 * Review Section: **
 * Roles and Functions of the Media **
 * Questions: **
 * 1.) What was the turning point in television media? **
 * 2.)What are the four different types of media we see today? **
 * 3.) What were two types of print media we discussed? **
 * 4.) T/F does the media have a huge impact on politics? **
 * 5.) What is a citizen journalist? **
 * 6.) T/F can framing be seen in all forms of media? **
 * 7.) What is muckraking? **

Roles and Functions of the Media Review Answers
 * For the answers to the questions in the link above, click below **


 * For Additional Information Check Out These Websites: **

@http://www.adbi.org/speeches/2003/12/03/368.journalism.good.governance/role.of.the.media/ http://apgovernmentchs.wikispaces.com/Criticisms+of+the+Modern+Media http://apgovernmentchs.wikispaces.com/Political+Socialization
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Works Cited