Deck 8: Media

Question 1

The way news media defines a social problem is known as a media ______.

A)package
B)window
C)frame
D)script

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The global digital divide is defined as ______.

A)journalists' tendency to focus on local and national issues over global issues
B)the primary difference in how the media in different countries portray universal social problems
C)the widely held beliefs,values,and preferences familiar to the citizens of wealthy nations
D)the gap in access to information and communications technologies between the wealthy and poor regions of the world

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Media exaggeration is best defined as ______.

A)the widely held beliefs,values,and preferences familiar to potential audiences
B)fears about the negative impact of media,which identify media as a cause of a persistent social problem
C)a situation in which broad public fear and anxiety about a social problem are disproportionate to the danger of that problem
D)the dramatizing and embellishing of social issues to attract and hold the attention of an audience

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The ______ refers to the gap in access to information and communications technologies between the wealthy and poor regions of the world.

A)global digital divide
B)culturally resonant frame
C)sponsorship inequality problem
D)cultural information gap

Question 5

The amount of media coverage of ______ remained relatively stable during the 1990s and 2000s,while news coverage of ______ grew dramatically.

A)anorexia and bulimia;obesity
B)obesity;anorexia and bulimia
C)health and fitness;diet and nutrition
D)diet and nutrition;health and fitness

Question 6

The dramatizing and embellishing of social issues to attract and hold the attention of an audience is known as ______.

A)media exaggeration
B)an honorable panic
C)a media scare
D)a false entrepreneur

Question 7

A media frame is defined as the ______.

A)issue the media focuses on the most in a given period
B)way the news media defines a social problem
C)frequency with which the media focuses on a social problem in a given period of time
D)advocacy and promotional work of publicizing and advancing a specific interpretation of an issue

Question 8

A sponsor activity is defined as the ______.

A)issue the media focuses on the most in a given period
B)way the news media defines a social problem
C)frequency with which the media focuses on a social problem in a given period of time
D)advocacy and promotional work of publicizing and advancing a specific interpretation of an issue

Question 9

Which of the following is characteristically invoked in a culturally resonant theme?

A)widely held beliefs
B)sponsors' perspectives
C)divisive rhetoric
D)claims makers' interpretations

Question 10

A ______ describes a situation in which public fear and anxiety about a social problem are disproportionate to the danger of that problem.

A)digital divide
B)media scare
C)moral panic
D)culturally divisive theme

Question 11

Research finds media exaggeration may contribute to moral panics in all of the following ways EXCEPT ______.

A)journalists pay more attention to events that are uncommon or statistically unusual
B)journalists overstate the extent/size of a social problem
C)reporters inaccurately use terms like epidemic or crisis
D)journalists quote multiple sources in their reporting of an issue

Question 12

A culturally resonant theme ______.

A)encompasses widely held beliefs,values,and preferences that are familiar to potential audiences
B)is the result of how the media portrays social problems
C)focuses on advancing a new interpretation of an issue
D)focuses attention on important issues

Question 13

According to sociologist Karen Sternheimer,all of the following are common media phobias EXCEPT that the media is ______.

A)ruining childhood
B)causing violence
C)endorsing teen sex
D)increasing divorce rates

Question 14

A moral panic is best defined as ______.

A)the widely held beliefs,values,and preferences familiar to potential audiences
B)fears about the negative impact of media on children
C)a situation where public fear and anxiety about a social problem are disproportionate to the danger of that problem
D)the dramatizing and embellishing of social issues to attract and hold the attention of an audience

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of a sponsorship activity?

A)a politician making a speech about an issue he considers problematic
B)a father discussing gun safety rules with his child
C)a jury refusing to sentence a convicted murderer to the death penalty
D)two neighbors discussing a car accident that occurred on their street

Question 16

When discussing obesity,the U.S.media most frequently ______.

A)blames individuals' eating habits and inactivity
B)focuses on the relationship between genes and body weight
C)discusses how widespread cultural trends affect obesity rates
D)focuses on the relationship between obesity and age

Question 17

Which of the following is the best example of a moral entrepreneur?

A)a mother who wants the administration of her local school district to create an anti-bullying policy
B)a restaurant that sells healthy and environmentally friendly meals
C)a corporation founded on ethical principles
D)a religious group that organizes community events

Question 18

A moral entrepreneur ______.

A)is an advocate who works to focus attention on an issue he/she believes is important
B)determines how the media portrays social problems
C)invokes widely held beliefs,values,and preferences
D)is solely responsible for the advocacy and promotional work of publicizing and advancing a specific interpretation of an issue

Question 19

How does the media support moral entrepreneurs?

A)by balancing their reporting equally across social problems
B)by providing a platform for publicizing claims makers' interpretations of social problems
C)by ensuring well-informed public debate on the most critical issues
D)by prioritizing the most severe and prevalent social problems

Question 20

Which of the following is considered an example of a sponsorship activity?

A)a nonprofit publicizing a pamphlet framing an issue in terms of civil rights
B)a community's commonly held beliefs
C)a teenager refusing to give in to peer pressure
D)a public debate between opposing political candidates

Question 21

The ability to direct people's attention toward certain issues is the foundation of ______.

A)constructionist approach
B)public arenas model
C)agenda setting theory
D)conflict theory

Question 22

The amount of crime reporting in the media is not consistent with the actual rate of local crime.What causes this?

A)criminals aggressively seeking more publicity
B)journalists rely on crime stories to make day-to-day news production more predictable
C)local politicians demand more crime coverage from the media
D)there is a great deal more crime occurring today than in the past

Question 23

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says about ______ of drivers between 18 and 24 report texting while driving.

A)10%
B)25%
C)70%
D)65%

Question 24

Due to ______,popular social media such as Facebook are becoming increasingly significant claims-making arenas.

A)culturally resonant themes
B)media frames
C)instances of moral panic
D)user-generated media content

Question 25

The process whereby media industries propose to police themselves to stave off the imposition of government regulation is ______.

A)self-regulation
B)internal affairs
C)media infringement
D)copyright infringement

Question 26

The phenomenon in which news outlets promote fear and contribute to the expectation that we are in danger,contradicting the actual data on crime rates,is known as ______.

A)the media violence misattribution
B)media phobia
C)mean world syndrome
D)the violent society myth

Question 27

Conventions of journalistic storytelling that situate a social problem within a broader context is ______.

A)social media
B)social frame
C)media frame
D)creative license

Question 28

During the 1990s,the volume of crime stories on television news ______,though real violent crime ______.

A)declined;increased
B)increased;declined
C)did not change;declined
D)increased;did not change

Question 29

In the United States,______ is the primary determinant of the digital divide.

A)class
B)race
C)age
D)sex
E)political affiliation

Question 30

Multiple studies found high levels of exposure to on-screen smoking in popular movies are associated with ______.

A)more positive beliefs about tobacco and higher rates of smoking
B)neutral beliefs about tobacco and higher rates of smoking
C)more negative beliefs about tobacco and lower rates of smoking
D)more negative beliefs about tobacco but higher rates of smoking

Question 31

Cyberbullying usually follows a pattern of repetitive actions that often consists of all of the following behaviors EXCEPT ______.

A)sending hostile or insulting text messages
B)posting inappropriate photos to embarrass someone
C)harassment on social networks
D)ignoring other students

Question 32

About ______of elementary school-age and adolescent girls are dissatisfied with their body weight.

A)10%
B)25%
C)54%
D)75%
E)90%

Question 33

A fashion magazine that emphasizes the virtues of a thin body and implies being slender is associated with beauty and success is promoting the ______.

A)mean world syndrome
B)media image problem
C)body dimorphic phenomenon
D)cult of thinness

Question 34

A tobacco company paying a movie studio to mention its cigarettes in an upcoming film is an example of ______.

A)mean world syndrome
B)media phobia
C)the media consumption hypothesis
D)product placement

Question 35

______is/are the key to understanding the consistently high level of crime coverage in the U.S.news media.

A)Actual crime rates
B)Journalists' professional routines
C)Journalists' inherent bias
D)Public desire for journalistic sensationalism

Question 36

The ______would be interested in how the media system fails to serve its function as a public alarm system when companies that are heavy polluters are also major sources of advertising dollars for national news outlets.

A)media frame
B)functionalist perspective
C)constructionist perspective
D)conflict perspective

Question 37

Most national cross-sectional studies indicate that children who spend more time with media are ______ to be overweight than children who do not.

A)equally likely
B)much less likely
C)marginally less likely
D)more likely

Question 38

All of the following statements about the "cult of thinness" are true EXCEPT it ______.

A)idealizes a slim body type unachievable for the vast majority of people
B)leads to decreased rates of obesity
C)often equates being thin with morality
D)often portrays fat as repulsive

Question 39

Which sociologist conducted the most in-depth investigation of the movies-delinquency relationship?

A)Fredric Thrasher
B)Karen Sternheimer
C)Herbert Blumer
D)Abigail C.Saguy

Question 40

According to sociologist Karen Sternheimer,which of the following is a common media phobia?

A)The media is causing unemployment.
B)The media is endorsing plastic surgery.
C)The media is increasing divorce rates.
D)The media is causing violence.

Question 41

In moral panics,public fear and anxiety about a social problem are disproportionate to the danger.

Question 42

Media reporting on obesity most frequently focuses on the relationship between genetics and body weight.

Question 43

Discuss the research on the relationship between television violence and violent behavior.In general,what does this research find? Then describe two factors that make it difficult to generalize research done on this topic in laboratory settings to what happens in the real world.

Question 44

Research on the media portrayal of domestic violence finds that news stories primarily focus on the victims.

Question 45

A media frame is defined as the advocacy and promotional work of publicizing and advancing a specific interpretation of an issue.

Question 46

Describe the general relationship between crime rates and news coverage of crime.Then name and describe three important factors that contribute to this relationship.

Question 47

What is a moral entrepreneur? Describe the general relationship between moral entrepreneurs,the claims making process,and the media.Then use a specific example to illustrate your answer.

Question 48

Over the past few decades,the number of crime stories in the major news media has been independent of the crime rate.

Question 49

Most crime reporting rarely includes information from authorities.

Question 50

Young people aged 8-12 watch more than 4 hours of television each day,on average.

Question 51

In the 1930s,one of the earliest social science research efforts to study the relations between media and social problems was the Payne Fund Studies.Briefly explain the purpose of the study,and how it affected media and social problems.

Question 52

A high level of exposure to on-screen smoking in movies is associated with more positive beliefs about tobacco and higher rates of smoking.

Question 53

The functionalist approach defines media as a kind of alarm system.

Question 54

News organizations frequently track their competitors in order to make sure they do not miss important or interesting stories their rivals are covering.

Question 55

With regard to activists intervening and highlighting social issues in the news,discuss the general relationship between media activism and social problems.