notes for exam q

  • uses the public sphere to enforce political opinions (right wing politics) and to integrate them into the public consciousness
  • manipulation – (chomsky, manufacturing consent)
  • Structures of ownership
    The role of advertising
    Links with ‘The Establishment’
    Diversionary tactics – ‘flack’
    Uniting against a ‘common enemy’

AGENDA SETTING

FRAMING

MYTH MAKING

CONDITIONS OF CONSUMPTION

  • the media acts as ‘watchdog’ to enforce right and wrongs

Mass media and democracy

  • civic media sector consists of channel communication linked to organised groups and social networks
  • best way to manage the public media sector is to entrust it with a public service organisation
  • one problem is that the government can undermine the independence of public broadcasting institutions and restrict the public debate through their channels
  • second problem is that public service broadcasting organisations tend to be unduly influenced by the political class
  • third problem that can beset public broadcasting is unresponsiveness to popular demand
  • everyone including politicians to academics now agree that public communications systems are part of the’cultural industries’
  • regulation – free market or state control. Either the organisations have little to none restrictions meaning they can lie and exploit media, however if the government inputs too many rules the media becomes government controlled

mass media and democracy

  • The media can be legitimately held accountable for what they do/do not do
  • Articulated?
  • Civic media sector – consists of channels of communication linked to groups and social networks
  • Social market sector – sustains provision by groups with very limited financial resources
  • Conventional market sector – relates to the public as consumers
  • Over-entrenchment?
  • Buttressed?
  • Civil service model – ‘public trustees’ appointed to broadcasting authorities, broadcasters are provided with lots of freedom in reality, to interpret public service guidelines (Curren and Seaton 1996, Tunstall 1993, McNair 1993)
  • Regulation – free market? or state control?