Study Guide – Unit 4: The Media

Date Due	Assignments
Tues., Oct. 6	1. Read p. 245 – 259 2. Questions 1 - 7
Weds., Oct. 7	1. Read p. 259 – 272 2. Questions 8 – 11
Thurs., Oct. 8	1. Read “Feeding Frenzy” by Larry Sabato in the Readings Book p. 574-581; Take notes (Either on a separate paper or in the margins: highlighting is not sufficient) summarizing the main points and some pertinent examples. 2. Read through “The White House Staff: The Advance Office” in the Readings Book, p. 581-592. For this article, it is not so important that you remember each detail; just that you get a general picture of what the advance office has to do. This is an article that you can skim.
Fri., Oct. 9	Work on HW for next week.
Mon., Oct. 12	1. Read the excerpts from James Hamilton “The Market and the Media.” 2. Make a list of the aspects of the media that have changed in recent years. What are the results of those changes? 3. Make a list of all the ways that you can think of that you’ve read about this year of how the media affects politics.
Tues., Oct. 13	Look at the poll results and write down eight conclusions you can make based on that data concerning the state of the media and people’s relations to various media sources. Think about how these results may impact politics. Make sure to refer specifically to the poll result on which you base your conclusions.
Mon., Oct. 19	Outline an answer to the practice AP question
Tues., Oct. 20	Test

1.	In general, how does American media differ from that of England and France?
2.	Define the terms “yellow journalism” and “muckrakers.”
3.	How have the characteristics of the electronic media and the Internet affected the actions of public officials and candidates for national office?
4.	What does the book conclude about the degree of competition in the media?
5.	What is the impact of the “national press?” Define the roles of the national media as gateskeeper, scorekeeper, and watchdog. Think of examples for each.
6.	Summarize the rules regulating the media and the government including the following: prior restraint, libel, confidentiality of sources, FCC regulations, Telecommunications Act (1996), Equal time rule, Right-of-reply rule, political editorializing rule, fairness doctrine. Make sure you understand all these rules.
7.	Summarize what the book says about the effects of the media on politics.
8.	How does press coverage of the president and of Congress differ?
9.	What does the book say concerning press bias?
10.	Why does American government have so many leaks?
11.	Why do people have an increasing lack of confidence in the media? Summarize all the reasons that the book gives.

Terms to Know

1.	Muckraker	12.	Equal Time rule	23.	Adversarial Press
2.	Associated Press	13.	Right-of-reply rule	24.	“Off/On the record”
3.	yellow journalism	14.	Political editorializing rule	25.	“On (deep) background”
4.	“Big Three” Networks	15.	Fairness Doctrine	26.	Feeding Frenzy
5.	sound bites	16.	Selective attention	27.	Pack Journalism
6.	Libel	17.	Editorial endorsement	28.	New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)
7.	Defamation	18.	C-Span	29.	Federal Communications Commission
8.	Prior Restraint	19.	Routine Stories	30.	Telecommunications Act
9.	The Pentagon Papers	20.	Feature Stories	31.	Shield law
10.	trial balloon	21.	Insider Stories	32.	“Above” or “Below the fold” stories
11.	loaded language	22.	News Leaks	33.	Freedom of Information Act (1974)