Deck 10: Politics and the Media

Question 1

Which of the following is true of the old media in the twentieth century?

A)Film displaced print media in the early twentieth century.
B)Television did not have an effect in displacing print media.
C)Beginning about 1950, the number of adults reading a daily paper began to increase dramatically.
D)Radio did not displace print media in the early twentieth century.
E)Beginning about 1950, the circulation of the newspaper declined to a great extent.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A major problem facing news organizations is that readers or viewers of online newspapers and news programs are typically the same people who read the printed news editions and view the news programs on TV.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The courts have always supported broadcast media with freedom of expression.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Online activists who support a particular candidate but are not controlled by the candidate's organization are known as _____.

A)spin doctors
B)netroots groups
C)Web strategists
D)Web managers
E)citizen journalists

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true of concentrated ownership of media?

A)There is substantial evidence that corporations that own media significantly influence reporting.
B)The owners of media outlets air information that could be damaging to their advertisers if they earn profits.
C)If only one or two companies own a city's newspaper and its TV stations, these outlets present a diversity of opinion.
D)The owners of media outlets are unlikely to publicize views that they disagree with politically.
E)Concentrated ownership may be a more serious problem at the national level than at the local level.

Question 6

Which of the following is true of news coverage?

A)It cannot be manipulated by campaign staff.
B)Coverage by the news media is very expensive.
C)Political consultants plan political events to accommodate the press.
D)The media do not devote much of their coverage to polls.
E)Hardly any aspect of a campaign focuses on potential news coverage.

Question 7

BNB Prime, a news channel, has started narrowing the focus of its news to a few cities in the United States. It hardly broadcasts any of the other major events taking place in the world. In this scenario, BNB Prime uses _____.

A)priming
B)hyperlocalism
C)framing
D)negative advertising
E)partisan bias

Question 8

Recently, a famous news channel broadcasted that their country experienced the lowest rate of unemployment in the last ten years. This made the viewers feel optimistic. In this scenario, the media outlet was able to influence the viewers' opinions with a technique called _____.

A)podcasting
B)microtargeting
C)priming
D)lobbying
E)narrowcasting

Question 9

The United States Supreme Court extended freedom of the press to movies in 1915.

Question 10

Televised debates have been a feature of presidential campaigns since 1960.

Question 11

The use of the Internet is a very expensive way for political candidates to contact, recruit, and mobilize supporters, as well as to disseminate information about their positions on issues.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true of traditional journalism?

A)It is personal commentary, revolving around highly politicized TV figures.
B)It is based on opinion and punditry.
C)It is becoming a smaller part of today's news culture.
D)It ignores fact-based reporting.
E)It is a form of hyperlocalism.

Question 13

Which of the following is a disadvantage of negative advertisements?

A)The more negative the television advertisements, the less likely they are to get free media coverage.
B)Candidates and their campaign managers avoid negative advertisements because they do not help the candidates.
C)Extreme ads may create sympathy for the candidate being attacked rather than support for the attacker, particularly when the charges against the candidate being attacked are not credible.
D)They are less likely than positive ads to grab the viewers' attention and make an impression.
E)They are less likely to focus on substantive political issues, and thus they do a poorer job of informing the voters about important campaign issues than positive ads do.

Question 14

In order to attract more viewers, the television news industry:

A)has turned to "infotainment" programs.
B)has turned to negative advertising.
C)has started to treat an important issue in much more detail than print medium.
D)has started to provide editorials taking positions on an issue and arguments supporting those positions.
E)has relied on news reporting that is done in a very detailed manner.

Question 15

Which of the following is true of the media and the First Amendment?

A)The concept of freedom of the press has been applied to electronic media since the adoption of the Bill of Rights.
B)The Internet was the first type of new media to be considered under the First Amendment.
C)The First Amendment has granted complete protection to broadcast media.
D)Radio and television received no protection upon their development.
E)Freedom of the press was not applied to movies until 1997.

Question 16

Samantha has the responsibility of persuading reporters to give a particular event an interpretation that suits the political candidate she is working for. Recently, after a press conference, she convinced the reporters to publish only the positive aspects of the conference to benefit her candidate. In this scenario, Samantha is a _____.

A)spin doctor
B)citizen journalist
C)community journalist
D)blogger
E)hacker

Question 17

Which of the following statements is true of televised debates?

A)They allow candidates to discuss their policies as much as they want to, without any time constraints.
B)They cannot provide an opportunity for candidates to improve their images.
C)They help shape the outcome of the elections.
D)They have been a part of every election since 1990.
E)They restrict candidates from pointing out the flaws of their opponents.

Question 18

Each presidential candidate has press advisers, often called__________, who try to convince reporters to give a story or event an interpretation that is favorable to the candidate.

A)Web managers
B)hackers
C)bloggers
D)spin doctors
E)lobbyists

Question 19

__________is another term that has been used to describe the news blogosphere.

A)Narrowcasting
B)Web managing
C)People journalism
D)Managed news coverage
E)Air game

Question 20

In the context of agenda setting, _____ are stories about how the world works.

A)slick sets
B)gaffes
C)frames
D)podcasts
E)spins

Question 21

Which of the following statements is true of the impact of partisan bias on reporting?

A)If reporters hold liberal views, they are reflected in their reporting.
B)Left-leaning reporters automatically equate to left-leaning news coverage.
C)Reporters are completely responsible to printing and airing news stories, hence the news coverage is biased.
D)The impact of a published story is biased according to the leaning of editors or publishers.
E)The most important protection against bias in reporting is a commitment to professionalism on the part of most journalists.

Question 22

In a recent study, the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that 64 percent of reporters in both national and local media applied the term__________to themselves.

A)liberal
B)conservative
C)extremist
D)moderate
E)biased

Question 23

Which of the following statements is true of online advertising revenue?

A)There is an absolute shortage of online advertising revenue.
B)The additional revenues that newspapers have gained from their online editions make up for the massive losses in advertising revenue suffered by their print editions.
C)Content providers receive a large share of online advertising revenue.
D)Investing heavily in online news delivery is the solution for news companies seeking to increase readership and revenues.
E)Most of the online advertising revenue goes to aggregators.

Question 24

Those who claim that talk-show hosts go too far ultimately have to deal with the constitutional issue of _____.

A)right to information
B)right to democracy
C)free speech
D)free media
E)free advertisements

Question 25

A__________is a televised comment, lasting for only a few seconds, that captures a thought or a perspective and has an immediate impact on viewers.

A)hack
B)spin
C)blog
D)sound bite
E)statement

Question 26

Which of the following accompanies the perception of majority of Americans that the news media are not unbiased in their reporting?

A)The decline in the percentage of teenagers who use the Internet
B)The increase in the number of liberalists who listen to the news
C)The decline in public's confidence in the news in the recent years
D)The increase in the number of conservatives who listen to the news
E)The dominance of the Internet as the primary source of information

Question 27

Which of the following is true of the blogosphere?

A)Only a few people are licensed to create blogs.
B)It contributes little to the innovation in news delivery today.
C)Blogs are offered by the citizenry at large.
D)The mainstream news organizations refrain from adding blogs to their websites.
E)Blogs are purely for entertainment and hardly political in nature.

Question 28

Identify an accurate statement about the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

A)First Amendment protections allow the U.S. government to restrict speech on the Internet.
B)The United States Supreme Court restricted First Amendment protections to the Internet until 1952.
C)Film was one of the first types of new media to be considered under the First Amendment.
D)In 1915, the United States Supreme Court extended First Amendment protections to the movies.
E)Radio and television received First Amendment protections upon their development.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is true of the fairness doctrine?

A)It would have made it difficult for radio stations to broadcast conservative talk shows exclusively, as many do now.
B)It allowed the holders of broadcast licenses to present controversial issues in ways that suited their interests.
C)It banned the holders of broadcast licenses from presenting controversial issues of public importance.
D)It is still in force and imposes a variety of restrictions on print media and broadcast media.
E)It was repealed by the Federal Communications Commission in 2012.

Question 30

Michael has created a blog that focuses on the political activities that occur in his area. He recently wrote an article about how the government officials helped transform an abandoned parking lot into a park. He got a lot of views for this article on his blog. In this scenario, Michael is involved in _____.

A)narrowcasting
B)framing
C)community journalism
D)podcasting
E)traditional journalism

Question 31

Kathleen Hall Jamieson believes that media bias does play a significant role in shaping presidential campaigns and elections, and she argues that it is a _____.

A)bias that favors Democrats
B)bias that favors Republicans
C)bias against winners
D)bias against losers
E)bias against conservatives

Question 32

Which of the following statements is true about media?

A)Following World War II, newspapers became the dominant form of communication.
B)The radio has supplanted the Internet as the most popular medium of communication in the world today.
C)Beginning about 1950, the circulation of the newspaper began to decline steadily.
D)Film and radio displaced print media in the early twentieth century.
E)Radio, television, and print media remain important to American politics and government.

Question 33

_____ refers to a reporter's slant on, or interpretation of, a particular event or action.

A)Narrowcasting
B)Priming
C)A spin
D)Agenda setting
E)A podcast

Question 34

During a presidential campaign, Alexander's campaign manager ran multiple television broadcasts which focused on the flaws in the stand taken by Daniel, Alexander's opponent, on immigration and unemployment. The broadcast is an example of _____.

A)community journalism
B)managed news coverage
C)negative political advertising
D)citizen journalism
E)positive political advertising

Question 35

Which of the following is true of news blogs?

A)The cost of maintaining news blogs is very high.
B)They pose a threat to mainstream news sources.
C)They are seldom successful in selling advertisements.
D)They are seldom political in nature.
E)It takes a lot of advertising to keep news blogs in business.

Question 36

Which of the following statements is true of the public's belief of the press?

A)The press helps them take necessary steps to choose the right candidate.
B)Press criticism of political campaigns helps them make the correct decision during elections.
C)Press involvement in politics is not enough to give them sufficient information on political candidates.
D)Press involvement is unbiased and helps make a positive impact on them while voting.
E)The press is successful in fulfilling its role as a watchdog.

Question 37

Since 1996, the Commission on Presidential Debates has limited the participants to:

A)candidates of the two major parties-the Democrats and the Republicans-and one candidate from a third party.
B)only candidates of the two major parties-the Democrats and the Republicans.
C)candidates of the two major parties in the first debate, and one candidate from a third party in the second debate.
D)two candidates of up to four parties at a time.
E)three candidates at a time.

Question 38

Which of the following statements is true of talk radio?

A)Supporters of talk shows argue that talk shows have failed to provide a populist forum for the public.
B)The growth of talk radio was made possible by the Federal Communications Commission's appeal to restore the fairness doctrine.
C)People who are uneasy about talk shows fear that talk shows empower fringe groups, perhaps magnifying their rage.
D)Americans have come to reject talk radio as an outlet for the political right.
E)Most of the top talk-radio shows are politically liberal.

Question 39

From the beginning, radio has been a favorite outlet for _____.

A)the Democratic party
B)traditional news reporters
C)the political right
D)the political left
E)radical and extreme views

Question 40

A few online activists who support Chris Vincent, a presidential candidate, published materials that do not represent his position on health benefits. This resulted in inconsistency in Chris Vincent's campaign message to his voters. In this scenario, the online activists are an example of _____.

A)spin doctors
B)netroots groups
C)Web strategists
D)Web managers
E)citizen journalists

Question 41

In a managed news coverage, _____.

A)information is collected, analyzed, and disseminated online by independent journalists, scholars, politicians, and the general citizenry
B)the campaign manager creates newsworthy events that demonstrate the candidate's strong points so that the media can capture this image of the candidate
C)a political candidate's press adviser tries to convince reporters to give a story or event concerning the candidate a particular interpretation or slant
D)a candidate uses issue advertisement to focus on flaws in their opponents' positions on various issues, such as immigration and terrorism
E)a candidate uses a negative political advertisement that attacks an opponent's character

Question 42

Verity Network has created a channel that focuses its attention on small Hispanic groups. It shows how the presidential candidates are planning to help the Hispanic communities of the country and has also started airing some Hispanic shows. In this scenario, Verity Network is involved in the act of _____.

A)priming
B)narrowcasting
C)blogging
D)lobbying
E)framing

Question 43

Today, four of the top five talk-radio shows, as measured by Arbitron ratings, are politically _____.

A)confederalist
B)liberal
C)communist
D)conservative
E)extremist

Question 44

The concept of__________is related to agenda setting.

A)narrowcasting
B)priming
C)microtargeting
D)lobbying
E)campaigning

Question 45

Which of the following is a reason why talk radio is characterized as the Wild West of the media?

A)A huge variety of journalistic conventions are observed.
B)The leading shows are broadcast from western states.
C)Talk-show hosts do not attempt to hide their political biases.
D)The audiences are larger in the West than in any other part of the country.
E)Talk-show hosts care more about the truth of their statements than entertainment value.

Question 46

To make their campaign more effective, a presidential candidate and his allies have decided to send short political videos and audios describing their agendas to public's personal computers and smartphones. They believe that this technique will help get their message across to the public clearly. In this scenario, the political candidate and his allies are using the method of _____.

A)priming
B)narrowcasting
C)framing
D)agenda setting
E)podcasting

Question 47

Which of the following statements is true of talk radio?

A)Today, five of the top six talk-radio shows, as measured by Arbitron ratings, are politically liberal.
B)Modern talk radio took off in the United States during the 1930s.
C)The growth of talk radio was made possible by the Federal Communications Commission's repeal of the fairness doctrine in 1987.
D)Franklin D. Roosevelt's "fireside chats" were the last talk-radio shows.
E)The holders of broadcast licenses present controversial issues of public importance in a manner that is honest, equitable, and balanced.

Question 48

Which of the following was one of the first forms of new media in the twentieth century?

A)Newspapers
B)Magazines
C)Motion pictures
D)Newsletters
E)Books

Question 49

A democratic presidential candidate pointed out numerous flaws in his opponent's health care legislations. He focused on how his opponent's legislations did not cover some major illnesses and how the people would not benefit from them. He ran a commercial featuring a boy who was severely ill but could not pay for his treatment as his health insurance did not cover the disease. The commercial is an example of _____.

A)participatory journalism
B)an issue advertisement
C)community journalism
D)online blogging
E)a positive political advertisement

Question 50

Following World War II (1939-1945), _____ became the dominant form of communication.

A)magazines
B)radio
C)newsletters
D)print newspapers
E)broadcast television

Question 51

A television news show covered the story of a young girl who had cancer but did not have proper medical insurance to cover the expenses of her treatment. It showed how difficult it was for her to meet her daily expenses and how she had to drop out of college due to her illness. The show influenced the viewers' attitude in a positive way which made them donate money toward the cause. In this case, the media used a technique called _____.

A)lobbying
B)microtargeting
C)narrowcasting
D)framing
E)podcasting

Question 52

One of the criticisms levied against the media is that:

A)they play too large a role in determining the issues, events, and personalities that are in the public eye.
B)they do not help to determine what people will talk and think about.
C)they give no relative importance and give all stories equal priority.
D)they play too large a role in supporting the democratic process.
E)they fail to engage in agenda setting where they determine which issues are considered important by the public and by politicians.

Question 53

Which of the following is true of radio talk-show hosts?

A)They strictly stick to speaking the truth.
B)They care more about the truth of their statements than entertainment value.
C)They attempt to exaggerate their political biases.
D)They observe all journalistic conventions.
E)They mostly reach out to liberalist audiences.

Question 54

Identify an accurate statement about issue advertisements.

A)Candidates use negative issue advertisements to focus on flaws in their opponents' positions on various issues.
B)Candidates use issue advertisements to focus on the issues that are consistent in an opponent's campaign speeches and political records.
C)Issue advertisements are much less devastating than personal attacks.
D)Issue advertisements are negative political advertisements that typically attack the character of an opposing candidate.
E)Issue advertisements are completely accurate and always report things as they are.

Question 55

Which of the following statements is true of the concept of freedom of the press?

A)It is restricted under the First Amendment.
B)It was applied to radio and television before it was applied to print media.
C)It was immediately extended to new media as they came into existence.
D)It has been applied to print media since the adoption of the Bill of Rights.
E)It was extended to the movies in 1915.

Question 56

Podcasting can be defined as:

A)a technique for fitting events into a familiar story or filtering information through preconceived ideas.
B)spinning a story or an event in a way that is favorable to a political candidate.
C)narrowing the focus of news to a local area.
D)managing news coverage to gain media exposure for a political candidate.
E)the distribution of audio or video files to personal computers or mobile devices such as smartphones.

Question 57

Professional ethics of journalists dictate a commitment to:

A)right leaning and exaggeration.
B)objectivity and truthfulness.
C)subjectivity and exaggeration.
D)liberalism and left leaning.
E)information and entertainment.

Question 58

Attack ads are one form of _____.

A)spinning
B)narrowcasting
C)negative political advertising
D)agenda setting
E)issue advertising

Question 59

Which of the following best defines aggregators?

A)They include search engine sites that develop little new content but mostly direct users elsewhere.
B)They include newspaper sites that hire journalists and create new material.
C)They are online activists who support the candidate but are not controlled by the candidate's organization.
D)They are political candidate's press advisers who try to convince reporters to give a story or event concerning the candidate a particular "spin."
E)They are hired by candidates to manage their campaigns.

Question 60

Which of the following statements is true of negative TV advertisements?

A)They always bring about a higher voter turnout in elections.
B)They cannot inform voters about important issues like positive advertisements.
C)They are more likely than positive advertisements to grab viewers' attention.
D)They are believed to dull public debate.
E)They are less likely than positive advertisements to get free media coverage.

Question 61

What impact do the explosion of news sources and the emergence of citizen journalism have on politics and on the reporting of political news?

Question 62

Describe the functions of a Web manager during political campaigning.

Question 63

How does the medium of television affect the presentation of political information?

Question 64

Why is talk radio sometimes characterized as the Wild West of the media?

Question 65

How do the media set the political agenda?