Deck 6: Following and Contributing to News

Question 1

When journalists choose what to report on from the large number of events that occur in the world, this is referred to as:

A) Gatewatching
B) Gatekeeping
C) Produsage
D) Two-step flow

Answer 1

Gatekeeping

Question 2

Kate tells her sister about a story she just watched on the news about the role of large corporations in global warming.
This is an example of:

A) Two-step flow
B) Gatewatching
C) Gatekeeping
D) None of the above

Answer 2

Two-step flow

Question 3

are characteristics of events that influence journalists' selections for what events are covered in the news.

A) News factors
B) News values
C) News elements
D) None of the above

Answer 3

News factors

Question 4

Which of the following is a common factor for news selection?

A) Geographic proximity
B) Negativity
C) Conflict
D) All of the above

Question 5

While waiting for a flight connection at the airport, Cameron casually watches a TV news channel that's shown on the screen in the airport waiting area.
What level of news use describes Cameron's news consumption best?

A) Information search
B) Incidental information exposure
C) Information avoidance
D) Information scanning

Question 6

According to the informational utility model, which of the following would impact the perceived usefulness of information in the news?

A) Efficacy
B) Likelihood
C) Magnitude
D) All of the above

Question 7

Which of the following does NOT influence the role of attitudes in promoting attention?

A) Group affiliation
B) Self-interest
C) Self-efficacy
D) Values

Question 8

Hard vs. soft news is differentiated based on which of the following dimensions?

A) Likelihood
B) Focus
C) Severity
D) All of the above

Question 9

Bennet (1988) identified four news flaws commonly found in news coverage. Which of the following is NOT one of those flaws

A) Fragmentation
B) Deindividuation
C) Dramatization
D) Normalization

Question 10

Which of the following concepts of 'flaws' of the news (per Bennett, 2012, as discussed in class) is exemplified with the news headline:
"Heated Debate Between Patient Representative Group and Federal Drug Agency"

A) Fragmentation
B) Normalization
C) Dramatization
D) Personalization

Question 11

Which of the following headlines indicates 'soft news'?

A) Tsunami death toll climbs to 76,000
B) Candidates clash on healthcare in election debate
C) 'Law & Order' star Jerry Orbach dies at 69
D) U.S. existing homes sales rose in November

Question 12

Which of the following is considered a shortfall of mass media, compared to ideal functions of news media in a democracy?

A) They focus on events and conflicts rather than issues and solutions
B) They are often profit-driven, focus on what 'sells'
C) They provide overwhelming amounts of background coverage and in-depth explanations
D) Both A and B apply
E) Both B and C apply

Question 13

As discussed in class, regarding goals of mass media in a democracy, how should the mass media ideally consider the audience?

A) As spectators who wish to maximize interest and enjoyment
B) As critical consumers who make considerate purchase decisions
C) As active participants and concerned citizens
D) All of the above

Question 14

Gatewatching is defined as:

A) Process by which all media users can now observe news outlets and highlight any information they choose
B) Phenomenon that news users are not only recipients of the news but can easily contribute to an comment on the news
C) Process by which a particular news story is allowed to pass through the 'gates' of a news medium into the news channels
D) None of the above

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a classic news factor?

A) Intentionality
B) Conflict
C) Personalization
D) Negativity

Question 16

"Voluntary exposure to news while not seeking for specific information" is the definition of which term?

A) Information search
B) Information scanning
C) Incidental information exposure
D) Information avoidance

Question 17

What influences the perceived importance of attitudes (for an individual) ?

A) Self-interest related to the issue/object that an attitude pertains to
B) Values related to the issue/object that an attitude pertains to
C) Affiliation with others that are affected by the issue that an attitude pertains to
D) All of the above

Question 18

Reinemann et al. (2012) identified three factors that help differentiating hard and soft news. Which of the following is NOT one of those three factors?

A) Moral dimension
B) Topic dimension
C) Focus dimension
D) Style dimension

Question 19

The knowledge gap hypothesis…

A) Has consistently found support in empirical studies
B) Has NOT consistently found support in empirical studies
C) Has rarely been investigated
D) Is too complicated to be tested with social scientific research

Question 20

You may find the following news title "useful" per the informational utility model:
"New Flu Virus This Semester: Dozens of [YOUR UNIVERSITY] Students Hospitalized".
According to the Informational Utility Model (Atkin, 1973) , which dimension of utility does NOT contribute to your perception of utility in this example?

A) Magnitude
B) Likelihood
C) Immediacy
D) Efficacy