Deck 7: The Media

Question 1

The United States has approximately ________ television stations and ________ daily newspapers.

A) 100; 250
B) 200; 300
C) 150; 1,000
D) 2,000; 1,400
E) 3,400; 5,500

Answer 1

D

Question 2

It is estimated that over ________ percent of Americans have a television.

A) 33
B) 50
C) 66
D) 75
E) 95

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The development of media giants with access to a variety of media holdings raises the question of whether

A) local newspapers are no longer a viable source of news.
B) the level of censorship and manipulation of news media by the federal government will increase.
C) there is enough competition among the media to produce a diverse set of views and opinions.
D) there is a large enough audience for all of the news media sources that have proliferated in the last decade.
E) government has the authority to regulate corporations that are so large.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following news sources reaches the most Americans?

A) radio
B) television
C) the Internet
D) newspapers
E) magazines

Question 5

Much of the national news that is published in local newspapers is provided by ________.

A) UPI
B) the Associated Press
C) Fox News
D) CNN
E) National Public Radio

Question 6

What has helped accelerate the trend toward less variety in national news in the past decade?

A) the rise of the Internet as a major source of news reporting
B) the growing level of government censorship and restrictions on the media
C) the corporate consolidation of news media into a small number of conglomerates
D) the increasing popularity of AM radio talk shows
E) the growing popularity of newspapers as a source of news

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a national newspaper?

A) Wall Street Journal
B) Christian Science Monitor
C) Time
D) USA Today
E) New York Times

Question 8

The penny press

A) was created in the nineteenth century.
B) facilitated widespread literacy.
C) both a and b
D) was created in the twentieth century.
E) led to the demise of newspapers.

Question 9

Niche journalism refers to

A) news reporting targeted for a demographic of readers based on content or ideological presentation.
B) journalism that is uncritical of government officials and the status quo.
C) journalism that is highly critical of government officials and the status quo.
D) any political reporting that can only be found online.
E) any political reporting that can only be found offline.

Question 10

Most local newspapers get their national news from ________.

A) local reporters
B) wire services
C) the Internet
D) government reports, press briefings, and announcements
E) interviews with politicians

Question 11

Which group has had great popularity on radio talk shows?

A) conservatives
B) liberals
C) socialists
D) communists
E) racial and ethnic minorities

Question 12

Despite its widespread availability, ________ typically provide(s) the least depth of news coverage.

A) radio
B) television
C) the Internet
D) newspapers
E) magazines

Question 13

Which of the following statements best describes the changing ownership patterns in the American media?

A) There has been a recent trend toward homogenization of national news as conglomerates have come to own a larger and larger percentage of media outlets.
B) There has been a recent trend toward homogenization of national news as the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has required print media outlets to follow the Fairness Doctrine.
C) There has been a recent trend toward diversification of national news as conglomerates have come to own a smaller and smaller percentage of media outlets.
D) There has been a recent trend toward diversification of national news as the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has required print media outlets to follow the Fairness Doctrine.
E) There have been no meaningful changes in media ownership patterns over the last 100 years of American history.

Question 14

________ is the niche leader inside the Beltway.

A) Congressional Quarterly
B) Salon
C) The Huffington Post
D) Politico
E) Real Clear Politics

Question 15

Large media conglomerates own approximately ________ percent of daily newspapers.

A) 10
B) 25
C) 40
D) 55
E) 75

Question 16

Why do radio stations repeat the news so often throughout the day?

A) In order for radio news to sink in, people need to hear stories more than once.
B) The audience is constantly changing since most people listen to the radio in their cars.
C) There is not enough news to fill an entire day's worth of programming.
D) Radio news normally provides more headlines than in-depth coverage since it comes directly from the television script.
E) The owners of radio stations are legally allowed to devote only a limited amount of time to political stories.

Question 17

Brief quotes and short characterizations of the day's events in news coverage are called ________.

A) précis
B) spin
C) sound bites
D) news nuggets
E) catchphrases

Question 18

Which of the following statements about newspapers is NOT accurate?

A) Newspapers are no longer the primary source of news for most Americans.
B) Newspaper reporters break most important news stories.
C) Political, social, and economic elites rely most heavily on newspapers.
D) The newspaper industry has been more profitable in recent years than ever before.
E) Newspapers tend to provide more detailed and complete coverage of political events than other media.

Question 19

Daily Internet users who participate in society and politics through online activities are called ________.

A) 2.0 participators
B) online activists
C) Internet junkies
D) digital citizens
E) web entrepreneurs

Question 20

Which of the following statements is true?

A) The top news source for Americans is the radio.
B) The top news source for Americans is the newspaper.
C) Online sources for news are now just behind television.
D) Blogs are more widely consumed than television.
E) More Americans subscribe to newspapers today than 20 years ago.

Question 21

Which of the following statements best describes the media's role in the Watergate affair?

A) Relentless investigations by journalists revealed various abuses of power by President Nixon and led to his resignation.
B) Journalists did not investigate the Watergate affair until after President Nixon resigned.
C) Journalists investigated the Watergate affair but uncovered no wrongdoing on the part of President Nixon.
D) The journalistic reporting of the Watergate affair was filled with errors and led to government attempts to regulate the print media's coverage.
E) Journalists never reported on the Watergate affair.

Question 22

The power of the media to draw public attention to particular issues and problems is called ________.

A) framing
B) canvassing
C) agenda setting
D) polling
E) the bandwagon effect

Question 23

When journalists focus on a candidate's relative standing in the polls instead of substantive issues they are demonstrating ________ coverage.

A) bandwagon
B) horse race
C) momentum
D) lame duck
E) dog show

Question 24

The most important selection bias in news is the ________.

A) ideology of the journalists
B) audience appeal of a story
C) newsworthiness of a story
D) economic interests of the media's owners
E) approval of government regulators

Question 25

"Filter bubbles" appear when

A) news aggregation sites include content from a wide variety of sources and give no preference to American media organizations.
B) search engines automatically screen out information that might challenge or broaden our worldview.
C) journalists choose to cover only those stories that are acceptable to advertisers.
D) reporters intentionally ignore protest movements that challenge the capitalist economic system.
E) people intentionally expose themselves to perspectives that challenge what they already believe to be true about the political world.

Question 26

The fact that journalists referred to the Obama administration's health care initiative as "reform" instead of as "health care rationing" is an example of the media's power of ________.

A) agenda setting
B) framing
C) sound bites
D) news enclaves
E) adversarial journalism

Question 27

The following are all concerns raised by the growing popularity of online news EXCEPT

A) a decline in investigative journalism.
B) a reduction in the diversity of perspectives that can potentially be heard.
C) a negative impact on political knowledge.
D) a decrease in political tolerance.
E) uneven quality in news content.

Question 28

________ is generally regarded as a conservative news broadcasting service.

A) ABC Nightly News
B) 60 Minutes
C) Fox News
D) CNN
E) PBS

Question 29

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Average levels of political knowledge in the United States have increased.
B) People who consume political news tend to avoid voting.
C) Individuals customize the political information they receive through their choices of news outlets.
D) The news environment is less polarized today than in the past.
E) Journalists are less diverse today than in the past.

Question 30

Google News and Real Clear Politics are good examples of ________.

A) digital citizenship
B) nonprofit journalism
C) the penny press
D) news aggregators
E) niche journalism

Question 31

A website devoted entirely to reporting on climate change and other environmental issues is an example of ________ journalism.

A) protest
B) adversarial
C) niche
D) nonprofit
E) public

Question 32

Besides their ideological biases, journalists also exhibit selection biases in favor of news stories they view as

A) favorable to leaders and issues they support.
B) having a great deal of dramatic or entertainment value.
C) important for the purpose of public awareness.
D) sympathetic to the government as a whole.
E) critical of leaders and issues they oppose.

Question 33

A majority of newspaper reporters identify themselves as ________.

A) liberal
B) conservative
C) anarchist
D) nonpolitical
E) socialist

Question 34

One positive consequence of the decline in traditional newspapers and Washington, D.C., bureaus is the

A) death of niche journalism.
B) revival of local news coverage.
C) end of "horse race" coverage during elections.
D) decrease in the amount of political coverage found in traditional media outlets.
E) decline in biased and incorrect information about the federal government.

Question 35

________ has released thousands of secret government documents.

A) The New York Times
B) The Washington Post
C) WikiLeaks
D) Common Cause
E) Lewis "Scooter" Libby

Question 36

The media can set the political agenda in the United States by

A) identifying an issue as a problem that must be solved.
B) endorsing a particular political candidate.
C) accepting advertising only from businesses that are identified as being ideologically "correct."
D) maintaining a strictly nonpartisan approach to news reporting.
E) refusing to follow government regulations regarding the content of news broadcasts.

Question 37

The Pentagon Papers were released as a result of

A) President Nixon's repudiation of the Johnson administration's strategy in Vietnam.
B) investigations led by Washington Post reporters in 1972.
C) a leak by a minor Defense Department staffer.
D) an accident in which some of the papers were left on a Washington, D.C., subway.
E) a Freedom of Information Act request by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Question 38

"Marriage equality" is an illustration of ________.

A) horse race journalism
B) agenda setting
C) priming
D) framing
E) filtering

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT a reason that Americans prefer online news?

A) the convenience of getting the news online
B) the up-to-the-moment currency of the information available online
C) the depth of the information available online
D) the diversity of online viewpoints
E) the accuracy and objectivity of the information found online

Question 40

About ________ percent of Americans use Twitter for politics.

A) 5-7
B) 16-18
C) 32-33
D) 50-51
E) 60-63

Question 41

The proliferation of news sources in recent years has

A) discouraged polarization because people can now access a wider array of viewpoints than before.
B) encouraged polarization because many media outlets seek to position themselves within a discrete ideological or partisan niche rather than maintain a middle-of-the-road stance.
C) discouraged polarization because it has eliminated selection bias by journalists.
D) encouraged polarization because it has led to the death of adversarial journalism.
E) had no effect whatsoever on polarization because most Americans are not influenced by media coverage.

Question 42

The Communications Decency Act was struck down by the Supreme Court because it violated the

A) First Amendment's right to freedom of speech.
B) FCC's equal time rule.
C) FCC's right of rebuttal.
D) FCC's Fairness Doctrine.
E) Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause.

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT a reason why a free media is necessary to democratic government?

A) A free media is needed to investigate wrongdoing on the part of government officials.
B) A free media is needed to publicize and explain governmental actions.
C) A free media is needed to evaluate the performance of politicians.
D) A free media is needed to shed light on matters that may otherwise be known only to a small number of government insiders with technical knowledge.
E) A free media is needed to ensure economic equality.

Question 44

If a television station sold commercial time to a Republican candidate for governor but refused to sell time to the Democratic candidate for governor, this station would be violating the ________.

A) Telecommunications Act of 1996
B) Fairness Doctrine
C) equal time rule
D) right of rebuttal
E) Communications Decency Act

Question 45

If a radio station aired a personal attack against a candidate but refused to allow the same candidate the opportunity to respond to that attack on its station, the station would be violating the ________.

A) Telecommunications Act of 1996
B) Fairness Doctrine
C) equal time rule
D) right of rebuttal
E) Communications Decency Act

Question 46

Which of the following statements about adversarial journalism is FALSE?

A) It has been accused of leading to increased political cynicism among American citizens.
B) It became an established practice during the Vietnam War.
C) It has permitted the media to gain more autonomy from the political figures they publicize.
D) It has enhanced the media's reputation as the "watchdog" of American politics.
E) Adversarial journalism disappeared in the 1970s and 1980s.

Question 47

Which of the following statements about leaks is FALSE?

A) Leaks sometimes come from lower-level officials who hope to publicize what they view as their bosses' improper activities.
B) Most leaks originate with senior government officials, prominent politicians, and political activists.
C) Thousands of leaks each year are incorporated into news stories.
D) A federal statute makes it illegal to disclose the identities of covert intelligence operatives.
E) Leaks never occurred before the George W. Bush administration.

Question 48

The Fairness Doctrine required that

A) all network news reports be balanced and fair-minded or they would be labeled editorials.
B) broadcasters who aired controversial issues provide time for opposing viewpoints.
C) all regulated newspapers establish a section of the editorial page for letters from readers.
D) all radio stations present at least five minutes of news an hour.
E) all broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office with equal opportunities to communicate their messages to the public.

Question 49

The________ regulates broadcast media.

A) Federal Bureau of Investigation
B) Federal Communications Commission
C) Public Broadcast System
D) Voice of America
E) Department of Commerce

Question 50

The Vietnam War initiated the growth of ________ journalism.

A) yellow
B) advocacy
C) adversarial
D) corporate-driven
E) government-regulated

Question 51

In 1985, the federal government stopped enforcing the ________, arguing that it was no longer necessary due to the increasing number of television and radio stations.

A) Fairness Doctrine
B) right of rebuttal
C) equal time rule
D) Children's Programming Act of 1966
E) Communications Decency Act

Question 52

Which statement about the Telecommunications Act of 1996 is FALSE?

A) The act loosened federal restrictions on media ownership.
B) The act attempted to regulate the content of material transmitted over the Internet.
C) The act allowed broadcasters, telephone companies, and cable companies to compete with one another for telecommunications services.
D) Following passage of the act, several mergers between telephone and cable companies produced a greater concentration of media ownership.
E) The act required broadcasters who aired programs on controversial issues to provide time for opposing views.

Question 53

Which of the following is regulated by the federal government?

A) newspapers
B) television
C) magazines
D) the Internet
E) satellite radio

Question 54

During the nineteenth century, newspapers were controlled by ________.

A) Wall Street
B) political parties
C) churches and other religious groups
D) state governments
E) the federal government

Question 55

Which of the following best describes the relationship between the government and the media in the United States today?

A) The government controls most media content through regulations and tightly controlled press briefings.
B) The government owns, but does not control, the major sources of media.
C) The government does not own but regulates the content and ownership of broadcast media.
D) Broadcast media are not regulated in the United States.
E) The government heavily regulates print media but imposes no regulations on radio and television broadcasts.

Question 56

Which statement about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is FALSE?

A) The FCC was established in 1949 by President Harry Truman.
B) The FCC licenses radio and television stations.
C) The FCC bans explicit sexual and excretory references on airwaves during certain hours of the day.
D) The FCC does not regulate newspapers.
E) The Telecommunications Act of 1996 loosened many FCC restrictions on media ownership.

Question 57

The press release was created

A) during the administration of James Monroe in the 1810s.
B) in the early twentieth century by a public relations firm working for a railroad.
C) by Franklin Roosevelt in 1933.
D) by Dwight Eisenhower following World War II.
E) by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

Question 58

Newspapers became financially independent

A) in the early nineteenth century.
B) in the early twentieth century.
C) with the development of commercial advertising.
D) both a and c
E) both b and c

Question 59

The Supreme Court case Red Lion Broadcasting Company v. FCC (1969) upheld ________.

A) the Fairness Doctrine
B) the right of rebuttal
C) the equal time rule
D) framing
E) the agenda-setting provision

Question 60

The ________ provides candidates for the same political office equal opportunities to communicate their messages.

A) right of rebuttal
B) equal time rule
C) Fairness Doctrine
D) diversity in media doctrine
E) agenda-setting provision

Question 61

Describe the different types of news sources. What are some of the distinct characteristics of each medium? How do the sources differ from each other in terms of how they disseminate news as well as the audiences they reach?

Question 62

Why is the Internet such a popular medium for Americans to learn about politics? What are some of the potential problems associated with the rapid proliferation of online news sources?

Question 63

Describe some ways in which journalists can influence governments and political actors. What types of influence do journalists have on the substance and style of politics? Provide examples.

Question 64

In what ways do journalists help promote popular government? What are the responsibilities of journalists? In your opinion, what is the proper role of government in helping to maintain a free and responsible press? Explain.

Question 65

Despite a plethora of freedoms, journalists must still adhere to some federal laws. How do government officials regulate the media? Describe some of the different regulations that are placed upon the media. What are the goals of different regulatory techniques? To what extent are they effective? Which forms of news are the least regulated? How have government officials attempted to regulate the Internet?