Deck 7: The Media

Question 1

The number of radio stations in the United States has grown from ________ in 1990 to more than ________ today.

A) 100; 250
B) 200; 300
C) 300; 1,000
D) 400; 2,000

Answer 1

D

Question 2

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) The number of radio stations has grown considerably over the last 25 years.
D) More Americans subscribe to newspapers today than 20 years ago.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following news sources reaches the most Americans?

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

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What is "niche journalism"?

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

Question 5

During the last decade, the number of newspaper journalists working in the United States has ________.

A) grown by more than 40 percent.
B) decreased by 40 percent.
C) decreased by 100 percent.
D) remained constant.

Question 6

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

Question 7

Advertising revenue at print newspapers is ________ what it was in 2005.

A) roughly equal to
B) one-tenth
C) half
D) more than double

Question 8

In 1998, only ________ percent of Americans had Internet access. Today, more than ________ percent of Americans use the Internet.

A) 1; 95
B) 10; 95
C) 10; 80
D) 25; 80

Question 9

Most local newspapers get their national news from ________.

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

Question 10

Large media conglomerates own approximately ________ percent of daily newspapers.

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

Question 11

The cheap, tabloid-style newspapers produced in the nineteenth century were collectively referred to as the ________.

A) broadsheets
B) penny press
C) nickel newsies
D) dime dailies

Question 12

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

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

Question 13

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

A) United Press International (UPI)
B) the Associated Press
C) the New York Times
D) National Public Radio

Question 14

The "metered model" used by many newspaper websites

A) allows access only to users who have yearly subscriptions.
B) requires that users click on at least one advertisement for each article they read.
C) allows a certain number of free visits before requiring users to pay.
D) charges users to pay for each and every article they read.

Question 15

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

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

Question 16

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

Question 17

In the American media, there has been a recent trend toward

A) homogenization of national news, as conglomerates have come to own a larger percentage of media outlets.
B) homogenization of national news because the Telecommunications Act of 1996 required print media outlets to follow the Fairness Doctrine.
C) diversification of national news, as conglomerates have come to own a smaller percentage of media outlets.
D) diversification of national news because the Telecommunications Act of 1996 required print media outlets to follow the Fairness Doctrine.

Question 18

Which group is the least likely to have high-speed Internet access at home?

A) whites
B) Asians
C) non-English-speaking Hispanics
D) African Americans

Question 19

Which of the following statements about newspapers is accurate?

A) Newspapers are the primary source of news for most Americans.
B) Political, social, and economic elites rely very little on newspapers.
C) As a result of serious financial losses, newspapers have had to make dramatic cutbacks in recent years.
D) Newspapers tend to provide less complete coverage of political events than other media.

Question 20

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

A) local newspapers are still 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) government has the authority to regulate corporations that are so large.

Question 21

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

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

Question 22

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

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

Question 23

Priming refers to

A) the bias that news organizations show toward covering dramatic and entertaining stories.
B) the process of preparing the public to bring specific criteria to mind when evaluating a politician or issue.
C) the tendency that people have to seek out news sources that confirm their prior beliefs about politics.
D) the fact that many important news stories go uncovered by the mainstream media.

Question 24

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

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

Question 25

Low-level officials who hope to publicize what they view as their bosses' or the government's improper activities are usually called ________.

A) bell ringers
B) whistle-blowers
C) adversarial journalists
D) watchdogs

Question 26

Facebook has more than ________ users worldwide.

A) 100 million
B) 500 million
C) 1 billion
D) 3 billion

Question 27

"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 a person's worldview.
C) journalists choose to cover only those stories that are acceptable to advertisers.
D) people intentionally expose themselves to perspectives that challenge what they already believe to be true about the political world.

Question 28

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) a Freedom of Information Act request by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Question 29

The fact that only 63 percent of high school graduates have broadband Internet access at home, while almost 90 percent of college graduates do is an example of

A) the filter bubble.
B) collegiate privilege.
C) the digital divide.
D) the education dividend.

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT one of the potential disadvantages of shifting away from traditional media and toward digital media?

A) a decline in investigative journalism
B) uneven quality in news content
C) less "horse race" coverage during elections
D) a decline in knowledge and tolerance

Question 31

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) sympathetic to the government as a whole.
D) critical of leaders and issues they oppose.

Question 32

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.

Question 33

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

A) the accuracy and objectivity compared to traditional media outlets
B) the depth of the information available online
C) the up-to-the-moment currency of the information available online
D) the convenience of getting news online

Question 34

A majority of newspaper reporters identify themselves as ________.

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

Question 35

The media's reporting of the Watergate affair led to

A) a fundamental change in the nation's libel laws.
B) President Richard Nixon's defeat in the 1972 election.
C) President Richard Nixon's resignation.
D) President Richard Nixon's reelection.

Question 36

According to political scientist Amber Boydstun, the media has a(n) ________ for breaking stories and a(n) ________ for covering them in greater depth.

A) "alarm mode"; "patrol mode"
B) "patrol mode"; "alarm mode"
C) "horse race mode"; "watchdog mode"
D) "watchdog mode"; "horse race mode"

Question 37

The greatest challenge for journalism organizations today is

A) obtaining access to high-level political leaders.
B) protecting themselves from libel and slander lawsuits.
C) generating enough revenue to finance traditional investigative journalism.
D) fact-checking the stories written by their journalists and columnists.

Question 38

The most important selection bias in news is the ________.

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

Question 39

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 ________.

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

Question 40

About ________ percent of Americans use Twitter.

A) 3
B) 13
C) 23
D) 53

Question 41

In the Pentagon Papers case, the Supreme Court ruled that

A) President Nixon did not commit an impeachable offense.
B) President Nixon would be impeached.
C) the government could not block the release of the papers.
D) the government could block the release of any documents that were illegally leaked to the press.

Question 42

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 in violation of the ________.

A) Telecommunications Act of 1996
B) Fairness Doctrine
C) right of rebuttal
D) Communications Decency Act

Question 43

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) Federal Communications Commission's Equal Time Rule.
C) Federal Communications Commission's right of rebuttal.
D) Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause.

Question 44

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

A) Equal Time Rule
B) Fairness Doctrine
C) Diversity in Media Doctrine
D) agenda-setting provision

Question 45

In Red Lion Broadcasting Company v. FCC (1969), the Supreme Court upheld the ________.

A) Fairness Doctrine
B) right of rebuttal
C) Equal Time Rule
D) Framing Doctrine

Question 46

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 broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office with equal opportunities to communicate their messages to the public.

Question 47

In the United States today, the government

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

Question 48

The Vietnam War initiated the growth of ________ journalism.

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

Question 49

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 in violation of the ________.

A) Telecommunications Act of 1996
B) Fairness Doctrine
C) Equal Time Rule
D) Communications Decency Act

Question 50

In recent years, ________ has released thousands of secret government documents.

A) the New York Times
B) the Washington Post
C) WikiLeaks
D) Lewis "Scooter" Libby

Question 51

When did newspapers become financially independent?

A) in the early nineteenth century
B) at the turn of the twentieth century
C) in the 1960s
D) in the 1990s

Question 52

Which of the following requires a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license in order to legally broadcast in the United States?

A) satellite radio channels
B) cable television stations
C) Internet websites
D) over-the-air television stations

Question 53

Which media source is regulated by the federal government?

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

Question 54

Which agency regulates broadcast media?

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

Question 55

Edward Snowden is most known for

A) creating and maintaining the WikiLeaks site.
B) leaking the Pentagon Papers to the press.
C) leaking the material that revealed widespread global surveillance programs by the U.S. government and major telecommunication companies.
D) leaking information about the Iraq War to the press while serving as Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff.

Question 56

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 Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

Question 57

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is owned by

A) the government, but allowed to report whatever it wants.
B) a private corporation, but not allowed to report anything without first receiving government approval.
C) the government and not allowed to report anything without first receiving government approval.
D) a private corporation and allowed to report whatever it wants.

Question 58

During the nineteenth century, newspapers were controlled by ________.

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

Question 59

The Communications Decency Act

A) made it illegal to make "indecent" sexual material on the Internet accessible to those under age 18.
B) made it illegal to broadcast explicit sexual and excretory references between 6 A.M. and 10 P.M. on the radio and on television.
C) imposed a tax on all websites containing obscene material.
D) required that individuals be given the opportunity to respond to personal attacks broadcast on radio and television.

Question 60

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) Communications Decency Act

Question 61

Which statement about the Telecommunications Act of 1996 is true?

A) The act tightened federal restrictions on media ownership.
B) The act did not attempt to regulate the content of material transmitted over the Internet.
C) Following passage of the act, several mergers between telephone and cable companies produced a greater concentration of media ownership.
D) The act required broadcasters who aired programs on controversial issues to provide time for opposing views.

Question 62

Although the First Amendment protects freedom of the press, the federal government has passed many laws regarding media communications. Discuss the differences in how the federal government regulates different kinds of media. In your answer, be sure to discuss the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the Communications Decency Act, and at least three regulations that grew out of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) licensing power.

Question 63

The content and character of news programming can have far-reaching political consequences. Discuss three kinds of media effects and give a detailed example of each. Is there any bias in the kind of issues media chooses to report? Explain.

Question 64

Evaluate the three types of traditional (i.e., nondigital) news sources in the United States. What are some of the distinct characteristics of each medium? How do the sources differ from each other in terms of the ways in which they disseminate news as well as the audiences they reach?

Question 65

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

A) was established in 1949 by President Harry Truman.
B) licenses radio but not television stations.
C) bans explicit sexual and excretory references on airwaves during certain hours of the day.
D) does not regulate newspapers.

Question 66

With the rapid proliferation of online sources in the twenty-first century, the Internet has revolutionized the way Americans get their news. Discuss the requirements of digital citizenship and how these requirements produce the so-called digital divide. In addition, weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet as a tool for Americans to learn about politics.

Question 67

The First Amendment assigns a special role for the media by providing for freedom of speech and a free press. What are the responsibilities of the media in a democratic society? What are some of the challenges the American media faces in fulfilling its democratic responsibilities? How have government actions helped or hurt the media's ability to fulfill its democratic responsibilities in the last 50 years?