Deck 4: Political Influence on Media

Question 1

One of the myths about government regulation of the media is that ______.

A) the media industry generally opposes all forms of government intervention
B) all national governments have some form of media regulation
C) democratic societies have generally supported freedom of the press
D) the United States generally has fewer regulations on media compared to Europe

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Compared to most other industrialized nations, the United States has generally had ______ regulation of the media industry.

A) more
B) less
C) about the same amount of
D) almost no

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The government regulation forcing networks to buy programming from independent producers is called the ______.

A) Creative Commons License
B) Fin-syn Rule
C) Fairness Doctrine
D) Diversity Doctrine

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Conservatives often support regulations that ______.

A) limit the concentration of media ownership
B) discourage "free market" competition
C) restrict media content on moral grounds
D) provide government subsidies to large media companies

Question 5

The so-called radio pirates have faced legal troubles because they ______.

A) broadcast "indecent" material
B) operate without federal licenses
C) traffic in stolen goods
D) criticize elected officials

Question 6

One of the arguments about the media that "free market" advocates usually make is that ______.

A) consumers have the ultimate power to tune in or buy media products
B) those with the most money should have the biggest impact on the media
C) government should be a counterweight to the power of private media conglomerates
D) media companies need to protect consumers from sexually explicit materials

Question 7

In the early years of broadcasting, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was an example of a(n) ______.

A) early commercial media conglomerate
B) profitable media company
C) state monopoly broadcast system
D) foreign-owned broadcast system

Question 8

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 ______.

A) tightened restrictions on media ownership
B) eased restrictions on media ownership
C) eliminated the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
D) revamped the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Question 9

Which is true about the Fairness Doctrine?

A) It was introduced during the early years of the Clinton presidency.
B) is still in effect
C) applies to radio, television, and cable companies
D) It was repealed during the Reagan presidency.

Question 10

The following clause comes from the U.S. Constitution: "To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive rights to their respective writings and discoveries." To what does this clause refer?

A) copyright
B) freedom of speech
C) mergers and acquisitions
D) defamation

Question 11

Which of the following government regulations clearly benefits the media industry?

A) limitations on ownership of media outlets
B) broadcast license requirements
C) the (now-defunct) Fairness Doctrine
D) the Concentration Act

Question 12

The major ongoing debate about media regulation is ______.

A) whether or not the government has the right to regulate the media
B) whether or not the government should regulate the media
C) what kind of government regulation should exist
D) how to enforce the regulations

Question 13

The chief media and communication regulatory body in the United States is the ______.

A) FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
B) MRB (Media Regulations Board)
C) FTC (Fair Trade Commission)
D) Department of Justice

Question 14

The five commissioners on the FCC are ______.

A) elected by the members of Congress to 4-year terms
B) appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate
C) chosen by media industry leaders and confirmed by the president
D) appointed by the Supreme Court and confirmed by the president

Question 15

Government has regulated broadcast media differently than print media primarily because ______.

A) broadcast signals use the public airwaves to reach an audience
B) broadcast signals are seen in the privacy of the home
C) media companies are completely dependent on advertising for revenue
D) media companies lobbied government

Question 16

The phrase "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech or of the press" is from the ______.

A) Declaration of Independence
B) First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
C) Communications Act of 1934
D) founding charter of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Question 17

The First Amendment was originally designed for ______.

A) all forms of media
B) the print media only
C) only White, male, property owners
D) east coast only

Question 18

This landmark media regulation eased media ownership requirements so that big media businesses could flourish. What is this regulation called?

A) The Fairness Doctrine (1949)
B) The Concentration Act (1988)
C) The Telecommunications Act (1996)
D) The First Amendment (1791)

Question 19

Which of the following is not a common characteristic of the early broadcasting systems in Europe?

A) They tended to emphasize public service programming.
B) They were not subject to government regulation.
C) They were national in character.
D) They tended to be noncommercial.

Question 20

The Fairness Doctrine required that broadcasters address public issues of concern to the community and ______.

A) provided opportunity for the presentation of contrasting points of view
B) limited the amount of commercial time on children's television
C) limited the number of radio or television stations that could be owned by one company
D) banned harmful advertising such as tobacco

Question 21

The process whereby an organization monitors its own adherence to legal, ethical, or safety standards, rather than have an outside, independent agency such as a third party entity monitor and enforce those standards ______.

A) copyright
B) industry self-regulation
C) MPAA
D) regulating for morality

Question 22

The "Fin-Syn" (financial interest and syndication) rules limited major television networks' ability to produce their own in-house programs.

Question 23

Embedded journalism refers to citizens' participatory reporting of government affairs.

Question 24

What is fin-syn?

A) Rules that allow networks to air syndicated programming they had a financial stake in.
B) a self-organizing group of people with common interests
C) financial interest and syndication rules
D) financial syndicate

Question 25

In recent years, the U.S. military has considered information to be "sensitive," and thus subject to censorship, if it ______.

A) is critical of the military's performance
B) could endanger U.S. troops or negatively affect troop morale
C) discusses still-active conflicts
D) mentions casualty figures

Question 26

All governments develop some policies aimed on the regulation of media and controlling the media because ______.

A) it influences people's day-to-day lives
B) government officials don't want people to feel trapped
C) media has an important role in social and political cultures
D) the government can then keep tabs on its citizens

Question 27

In the United States, ______ is outlawed.

A) spam material
B) obscene material
C) pornography
D) erotica

Question 28

To ward off government regulation, the MPAA in 1968 collaborated with theater owners and film distributors to develop a rating system that filmmakers would adopt voluntarily. This is an example of ______.

A) the fairness doctrine
B) checks and balances
C) industry self-regulation
D) copyright

Question 29

In ______, the Local Community Radio Act was signed in to law.

A) January 2010
B) January 2011
C) July 2010
D) July 2011

Question 30

______ is a nonprofit organization that offers free legal tools to protect the use of creative work while maximizing the amount of material that is available for free and legal sharing, use, repurposing, and remixing.

A) Creative Commons
B) Copyright
C) FCC
D) Fin-Syn

Question 31

The 1996 Telecommunications Act facilitated concentration of media companies.

Question 32

The top three countries in the Reporters Without Borders 2013 Press Freedom Index were all except ______.

A) Norway
B) Sweden
C) Finland
D) Netherlands

Question 33

The U.S. legislative system protects the freedom of press by ______.

A) treating the licensing of press as a form of illegal suppression of media by the government
B) opposed taxing the press
C) restricted criminal libel suits
D) all of these

Question 34

Why would the FCC limit the amount of radio stations a single company can own in the early 1990s?

A) to prevent potential monopolistic power of a media conglomerate
B) to create more air waves for the FCC's own competing interests
C) It was a result of the Cold War as a final attempt to combat the potential for communism in the United States.
D) So that listeners will have a better variety of tunes.

Question 35

Pornographic material is illegal to ______.

A) own
B) produce
C) sell to minors
D) watch

Question 36

Motion picture ratings, television content ratings, and "explicit lyric" CD warning labels are examples of ______.

A) government regulation of the media
B) consumer influence over the media
C) industry self-regulation
D) media convergence

Question 37

Supporters of press freedoms and increased media diversity often call for ______.

A) Some regulations, namely, those that benefit the industry.
B) More debate on media regulation in order for all groups to come together on an agreement on what types of regulation the government should implement.
C) separation of religious morality from the media
D) Regulations that protect the interests of the public against the influence of the powerful media industry.

Question 38

The United States generally has more media regulations than Europe.

Question 39

Why would the media industry (art, music, advertisement, etc.) want government intervention when copyright laws are violated?

A) Copyright protects ideas, facts, and how they are expressed.
B) The media industry wants copyright to stop P2P sites.
C) Legal Fees from the Copyright violations help to keep the economy circulating, no matter how miniscule.
D) Copyright gives the for-profit media industry the ability to function and protect media owners.

Question 40

The call for media regulation ______.

A) comes from both liberals and conservatives
B) differs based on political orientation
C) is demanded by the media industry only when it benefits the media industry.
D) all of these

Question 41

The only type of regulation and management of the media through government law seems to be endorsed by the media industry when it benefits the industry; do you agree?
A. If yes, why do you agree? Is this just another example of businesses trying to survive by getting the most protection as possible without consequence or is this greed? Could it be both? Explain your answer.
B. If no, why do you disagree?

Question 42

"Similar to the study of violence in other media, some studies have found playing such games desensitizes players to real-world violence and can increase aggressive behavior (Bartholow, Sestir, & Davis, 2005; Carnagey, Anderson, & Bushman, 2007), but other researchers argue that the concern is overstated (Ferguson, 2007; Kutner, & Olson, 2008)." Which side do you agree with? Do you think this material should be regulated?

Question 43

Sexually explicit materials involving children are illegal in the United States.

Question 44

"What constitutes the "national interest" is a debatable topic, but governments sometimes regulate media to protect or advance what they define as the national interest." How does the government regulating media to advance national interest make you feel?
A. If trapped, strange, manipulated, and so on. Why? Does this information make the idea of "checking your news sources" feel more important? How? Do you think the regulation of the national interest could be manipulated based on the political party that currently has a president voted into the White House? Explain your answer, and how you know it.
B. If indifferent, why? Do you not believe this is important information? Do you think the regulation of the national interest could be manipulated based on the political party that currently has a president voted into the White House? Explain your answer, and how you know it.

Question 45

Conservatives generally favor deregulation of media based on free market principles.

Question 46

Government often controls and manages the flow of information during war times. Provide some examples of such control, particularly on journalists' war coverage.

Question 47

Major telecommunication companies such as Comcast and Time Warner generally favor Net Neutrality.

Question 48

The 1949 Fairness Doctrine required media companies to pay a fair amount of copyright fees to independent artists.

Question 49

What constitutes the "national interest?" Do you believe this varies cross-culturally (within continents, countries, states, counties, etc.)? Does political affiliation have a role?

Question 50

Explain the idea of "Creative Commons License." What is it and how does it compare to the traditional copyright law?

Question 51

Explain the differences between indecent material, pornography, and obscene material. Which are legal? What regulations apply to different categories?

Question 52

It is important to consider the political environment in which different sources of media operate to better understand those sources.

Question 53

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) regulates U.S. interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable.

Question 54

What are the major arguments supporting strict government media regulations? What philosophies/ideologies support such regulations? What are the major arguments against regulations? What philosophies/ideologies are behind fewer government regulations?

Question 55

What is "net neutrality?" Define the concept and provide major arguments for and against it.