Week 6  (2/25/09)
MEDIA I. Transformation to a Mediated and Symbolic Political System

magritte
Magritte  (This is not a pipe. It is the image of a pipe).

Review:  new political/cultural context for millenials 
   -merging of political/cultural changes the way public opinion is expressed
    -post-modern culture tends to give info that is accelerated, fragmented, no historical context
   -change from political decision-making based on interests/group affiliation to symbolism  for public
 --music & cultural forms tend to have ability to persuade the public

what happens when the cultural message is not factually accurate? Are people manipulated or persuaded?

4. Does the public make decisions on basis of reasoned logic, or manipulation of emotions?

 E. results in  bifurcated system of public judgment (mass/elite)
     1. "insiders"--lobbyists, political activists, campaign contributors
       a. choose candidates on basis of self-interest, strategic interests
       b. specific policy agendas determine choice
       c. good understanding of institutional processes
       d. information comes from personal contact w/ policymakers

    2. "outsiders"-most of the public
      a. choose candidates/issue positions-  image, symbolism, values represented
      b. culture-entertainment,  symbol-based,  domain of values
      c. rely upon media coverage for knowledge (info-tainment)
      d. sporadic attention span

  Media I.

-If the "medium is the message",  how is public opinion influenced by transmission of  information through visual symbols &  sound bites vs. text-based arguments?

-What does responsible journalism mean in this type of political/cultural environment? How do we balance the media's obligation to give information in the public interest and still get the ratings necessary to make a profit?

A. the role of the media in a democracy is central
   1. representative democracy not possible w/o informed, aware, and responsive public
   2. news media  represent  public interest in dealing with politics
      a. tradition of post-Watergate investigative journalism
      b.  only institution able to question positions, look at past records/actions
      c.  "insider" access, to ask the "hard" questions
          1. "watchdog" role
          2. represents public memory (pull up old tapes, statements made by political figures)
     d. public memory is too short for citizens to remember

B. Lippman/ Dewey debate about how best to inform/educate public as media expanding
   1. Lippman (1922) 
      a. media role-- network of intelligence-gatherers for public
        1. sift and winnow  information to give  balanced  evidence
        2. create "omnicompetent citizen"
           a. wide base of knowledge and technical expertise
           b. able to judge evidence, deliberate "public interest"
   
       3. w/o it, citizen like "deaf spectator in back row of sporting event"
          a. no understanding of  rules of engagement
          b. incapable of seeing the "big picture"- understanding public interest
          c. ppl would pay attention to items that confirm private prejudices, ignore rest

    4. media role is to present all the important "facts"
         a. informed few (pundits) can put them in context
         b. citizens are "spectators" to politics, members of audience
            1. elite theory of democracy- "politics as 'spectacle'"
            2. enormous power given to commentators (experts)

2. Dewey   (1927)
   a. to preserve competent public, media  should establish "culture of conversation"
      1. ability to critically think, discuss, understand different perspectives
      2. nurture the skill to make intelligent choices between alternative policies
  
   b. democratic skills should be based on deliberation,  not spectacle
      1. media should model deliberation, public reasoning, standards of argumentation, logic
      2. all citizens presumed capable of engaging in public discourse, deliberation
          a. participatory model of democracy. "politics as 'talk'"
          b. deliberative democracy model- true informed, public opinion & commitment

3. Alterman contends current media does neither
   a. even more crucial now  for media to play responsible role - 'take up the slack'
      1. policies more technical & obscure
      2. decisions have global ramifications
      3. public less engaged
      4. shortened attention span of public

 Why not? What prevents the news media from playing its  necessary role in representative democracy?

A. transformation of dominant medium from print-based to image-based news

   1.major source of information is currently television  (visuals)
      a. newspaper subscriptions dropping
      b. internet still developing potential

  2. Marshall McLuhan- the promise & potential of television,
     a."the medium is the message"
       1. nature of information changes when transmitted through new medium
       2.  message  is now fragmented, visual, evocative, non-linear
    b. assumed that expanded coverage of events would create "global village"
       1. potential for public conversation, similar mindset since watching same things
       2. fulfilled during 1960's, 1970's- ex. Walter Cronkite
       3. less so in current era

B. camera lens represents reality  - Public Eye

         1. agenda-setting role -what will the public be paying attention to? What will they not know about?
              a. shaped by rules of  attracting  viewers to get ratings
              b. focus on sensationalism- sex, violence, conflict, tragedy
                  1. " if it bleeds, it leads"
              2. competing for public attention with other distractions
              c. too complicated or complex, not covered

      2. narrative frames kept simple
         a. "good vs evil", not "shades of gray"
            1. clearly recognizable "storylines"
            2. "good guys vs. bad guys", "David vs. Goliath"
            3. "Oprah-ization" of  presentation
              a. private pain vs.  public actions
              b. focus is on visual, dramatic, personal, symbolic                  

C. not time enough to communicate frames of interpretation or historical/political contexts
  1. difficult to sort through all information and know what is important & why
  2. gossip, celebrity info doesn't need context
    a. Condi vs britney article
    b. elite/mass distinction, insider/outsider news

  c. if not covered,  it doesn't exist in minds of public
         1. if foreign region covered, must  be in crisis
         2. possible to follow on-going stories, but must make special efforts to do so (swimming against tide)
         3. passive acceptance is watching what broadcasters decide will get best ratings

 3. shorter attention span, accelerated information delivery
    a. news cycle has sped up from 24 hrs.--2 hrs.
       1. difficult to do reasoned, in-depth analyses
       2.  stiff competition to get story "first"
          a.  challenges standards of verification required by journalistic ethics
          b. complicated by competition from blogs, internet sources- e.g. The Drudge Reportdr
     b. less time devoted to news coverage on nightly news, less staff
      1. PEW report, 1990-2004:
           a. TV news staff cut by 1/3rd
           b. profits up 207%, ad revenues up 60%
           c. newspapers have 2,200 fewer full-time newsroom employees than in 1990
    2. govt coverage dropped from 30% to 10% in newscasts
         a. Associate Press stories lead,  less coverage of local politics
         b. 1% of resources go to local politics, nationwide

  c. pattern is excess of coverage when new,  saturation, exhaustion of all angles
       1. reflection & reinforcement of elements post-modern culture
       2.  reflects & contributes to short attention span of public
       3. then, drama dies, media moves on to new "news"
           a. little follow-up
           b. issues often left "hanging" -public attention is fickle, fleeting
              

WHY?**. news coverage is driven by competition for viewers
 
   a. "What will people watch?" ratings are paramount 
   b. human interest, outrageousness, scandal sells   (natural gossips)
     1. shift  coverage from  institutional processes to personalized stories   mccain
        a. less coverage of interpretive frameworks
        b. more attention to human drama than policy  obama
    2. more difficult for public to get context from which to make sense of political events
       a. can't truly understand the trade-offs of policy decisions
       b. no deliberative process presented to public
      c. public opinion never "matures"/ easily swayed

Why? 
    1. can't reconcile market base w/ responsibility to public to inform
        a. public prefers drama/scandal to serious news
        b. cannot force public to "eat spinach"   js-crossfire

POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS of MEDIATED ENVIRONMENT:

  1. other stories/themes/narratives not covered - even if in public interest
      a. if too complicated to fit into simplistic frame
      b. considered too boring for public  

  2. news will become more exaggerated, over-hyped, to attract viewers- downward trend continues 
     a. civic journalism attempts to counter this, but difficult
        1. true effort to connect citizens with impact of public policy   fl 
        2. ratings go down when reporting becomes too "serious", "boring" 
    b. public does not get what it needs to keep up with civic obligations w/o serious effort
       1. "Amusing Ourselves to Death"  nn
       2. appeals to lowest common denominator of entertainment   id
news   blls
   b. political figures/social movements will capitalize on this trend, more symbolism
          1. political discourse conducted through rhetoric of symbols, images 
          2. politics more like theatre, judged on performance
            a. reinforce/manipulate public opinion
            b. campaigns conducted on images/symbols

      3. images more difficult to critique/refute than logical arguments
         a. appear "true", more credible than text-based argument
         b. less "grounding" in argument, more emotional reaction
         c. importance of image for persuasion, communication
            1. image overrides text
            2. even if  text contradicts image, ppl believe image
         d. also more prone to "creative" reinvention

  3.  new danger with merging of reality/simulation, fiction/non-fiction
    a.  power of images/stories to manipulate public has always existed
      1. ex. Orson Welles, "War of the Worlds"  video
     
   b. simulation potential enhanced now  w/  growing technical capabilities, special effects   onion

4. merging of reality/unreality in culture increasing
   a. fictionalized "non-fiction"

   b. fake news reports

Potential solutions:
  a. publicly subsidize newscasts (like BBC)  d

Pros:
     1. would remove profit pressure, need to get ratings
     2. assumption that if provided, public will come to appreciate it
     3. quality journalism could come back as practice
Cons:
   1. require tax money
   2. ending need for profit might insulate it from public accountability- (no market forces)
   3. if public doesn't want this type of news, can't be forced to watch it
   4. elite/mass, insider/outsider divide will still occur

b. more creative efforts to tell important stories to public, enhanced commitment to journalism

Pros:
   1. no real changes from public, media get primary blame
   2. if pushed, might get more creative news, adapted to new political/cultural environment
   3. renewed commitment to serve public interest
   4. restoration of "fairness doctrine" would ensure common reference base
Cons:
  1. no real changes, media gets scapegoated
  2. media is reflection of public desires, not responsible (completely) for creating them
  3. journalists work within private/'for profit' industry- overruled, at times

c. internet as primary source of news allows for better coverage for all
pros:
  1. niched audience can seeks what it wants
  2. accessibility of documents, non-linearity, allows anyone to look at anything w/o constraints of tv 'real time'
Cons:
  1. still no journalistic standards imposed on internet sources  (Curtis article)
    a. some good, some bad- difficult to differentiate
    b. ex. wikipedia controversy
  2. niched public remains niched- no common source of info to debate
  3. public seeks out what confirms 'worldview', not what challenges it