Start by taking a survey similar to those conducted by polling companies and news organizations regarding what issues are most important to you. you can find the survey here.
Next take a look at how your responses and the responses of your classmates compare to national polls here (If you'd like, you you can test your knowledge of recent news based on news quizzes from The New York Times.
Now peruse some of the leading local and national news agencies to browse what they are or are not covering.
Local: The Chicago Tribune, ABC Chicago, WGN, NBC Chicago
National: The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBCNews, ABCNews, CBS News, Politico
Finally please post a comment describing your reactions and reactions to your classmates comments. You can use any or all of the following prompts as a starting point if you wish.
- How does the American media shape the political culture of American citizens today?
- Are the issues that seem to be the most important to you (or to the rest of America) being covered by the media?
- What conclusions can we draw from the way that the issues that dominate the polls and media coverage are similar or different?
The Media absolutely shapes the political culture in America because it is the source that informs us of what is going on but also ends up telling us what to think. our thoughts and ideas about truth in our country is heavily influenced by how the media portrays things. For example; In class last week, we talked about how people don't really understand what it means to be impeached. there are many people in the country that believe Trump is having his presidency revoked simply because of the kind of news outlet they got this information from and the way the news was delivered. Another very important example of media misinforming or portraying false ideas of reality are in "fake news" outlets. It is unfortunate, but there are only a few reputable and reliable news outlets that are delivering unbiased news to the people but not everyone knows the importance of doing more research to find out the truth of what is really going on. our Political culture and climate are directly affected by what we believe is true as citizens. and if we are getting some real news and some fake news without realizing, we are therefore, unable to have an accurate or unified idea of what the political reality is in this country. From taking the news quizzes and looking the survey polls; I found that even my interpretation of political culture and the heirarchy of what's important to American citizens is very different from what I expected it to be.
ReplyDeleteAs we discussed in class today, the four jobs of the media, agenda setting, priming, framework, and oversite, shape the public's views of politics. This has never been more true than in this day and age. As election season approaches, I see the media again falling into the traps of presenting the characteristics of the candidates instead of the policies themselves. That is all the audience wants, so that is what the media gives. The issues that are important to me and to many Americans, such as health care, education, and gun reform, are being covered, but in ways that can be turned partisan based on the news source. Trump discusses "fake news" and accuses news channels of being part of the "witch hunt" against him, but during the 2016 election, it is estimated that he got billions of dollars worth of free advertising just because the news media could not get him out of their stories. They focused on anything he did: the good, the bad, and especially the ugly. Media coverage truly does control politics. If the media simply decided not to give any coverage to a particular candidate, it is very likely that candidate would not have a chance in the presidential election. Likewise, when the news media focuses all its stories on one pressing issue or person, it is all the public thinks about. As we said in class today, there are several huge events that happened in the last week that none of us know about, all because the media did not report it. If an alert does not come up on our phones or we miss a story scrolling through facebook or twitter, it is lost to us.
ReplyDeleteClaire, I agree with you that the media has control and power over which candidates get covered and this can shape election results. While I do find this frustrating, there is also only so much time and resources that a news outlet has to cover these candidates and makes me wonder if there truly is a solution to this problem.
DeleteMedia has a very strong influence over our political culture. The news media has complete control over the content they provide, which also means they control what we see. It’s easy for issues to get ignored simply because the news doesn’t cover them. This leaves a lot of people with a skewed idea of how things really are. It’s a similar concept with social media, except there’s a lot more information out there, and it makes it difficult to discern between what is real and what is not. Lots of people can be easily misinformed by social media, but it can also be a tool to better inform people. Personally, I stumble across a lot of things I probably wouldn’t have if I just watched the news. Broadcast news from my point of view is way too concerned with what Trump is doing or saying on the daily. While I do think it’s important, it always overshadows whatever else is going on. Print news sources often do a good job of covering everything, and that’s probably where I get most of my information from. With broadcast news, I wish we could get more of what’s going on across the world, or maybe more policy and less pundits voicing their opinions. It’ll be interesting to see how coverage changes as election season approaches. I hope news media takes the time to cover other candidates, and talk about their actual policy proposals. Hopefully we don’t fall into the same 2016 trap.
ReplyDeleteThe media shapes the political culture of America because it is the forum for discussion, the machine that turns events and ideas into news. For example, in the 80s, while the gay community was being terrorized by the AIDS crisis, the media and the government chose not to acknowledge or study the disease so it wasn’t discussed and thus, proliferated. The issues most important to me are gun violence and environmental degradation/global warming. Both issues have achieved a presence in everyday media, but the way they are covered is problematic. “Horse-race” reporting — or staccato, high point, surface news coverage — is the usual characterization of both discourses. The media covers gun violence by focusing on mass shootings, which, though increasing in frequency, are the minority of gun deaths in America. “Climate change” is covered the same way: hurricanes, forest fires, major ice calving, without explain the cause (human actions) and effect (degradation). When media doesn’t holistically look at these issues, seeking to explain them, not just report on the happenings, we lose the important comprehension necessary to address these burgeoning crises.
ReplyDeleteThe issues currently dominating the polls are related to elections and the impeachment of the President. These are easy issues because they require relatively little understanding of the processes themselves, or really any background research. Of course I wish people did more research on who they were voting for, or on what impeachment means, or what impeachable offenses are— but they don’t. All they have are their opinions, void of facts, which are more and more based on how they feel. That is what these polls are good at observing, not *why* they feel the way they do.
Alissa, as you indicated, I think it’s extremely important to analyze the outlet and format that news is coming from. I think an objective way to contextualize this would be that if you’re reading the Wall Street Journal or Economist, you should expect more business and financial reporting or that lens applied to national stories. That being said, I’m of the opinion that both broadcast and print media are overly concerned with appearing “balanced” and thus attracting the most views (and consequently ad revenue). I think privatized news is unfortunately the main contributor the “horse-race” style coverage. I was incredibly disheartened to see that in most of the polling on issue priority, climate change was mostly excluded from the options or when it was considered, it was grossly oversimplified as the environment. Slow, incremental, or complex stories simply do not provide the same reader engagement as flashy or divisive headlines, and yet it is the complex stories that fulfill the duties of oversight and agenda- setting.
DeleteGiven how influential the news is, you’d think that it would be a higher priority to be sure that coverage is accurate, detailed, and holds those in power accountable. I am absolutely baffled by the evolution of journalism in America. What started as the desire for an informed electorate and responsible governance has devolved into a race for advertising dollars. A free press was seen as so intrinsic to representative democracy that it was placed on the same level as freedom of speech and assembly.
I believe that the media is one of the most influential factors in shaping American political culture. Due to the fact that political news in obtained from the media, it has the power to shape opinions if there is implicit bias or misinformation. As a result, millions of Americans come to conclusions about political, economic, and social policies within being properly informed. Personally, the most important issues to me are climate change, immigration reform, and gun control. I strongly believe that it is the duty of the government to implement policies that may help remedy the rise in global temperature, develop looser immigration policies that foster diversity, and restrict access for just any individual to have access to automatic weapons. Although these issues are being covered by the media, they are no where near the topic of the list. Issues such as the economy and national security trump these other extremely important issues. We can conclude that the media tends to cover issues that do not expose the deep rooted societal issues. Many Americans are only worried about the economy and how that will affect themselves. It is vital that the media start covered the issues of systemic structures in our society to start dismantling them.
ReplyDeleteNiloo, I think you make a super compelling point here in your analysis of what Americans find "newsworthy." Like you said, many tend to be most interested in issues that will personally affect them in the near future. People can be selfish in selective in their news consumption, which is fine, as long as they are aware of this. I honestly cannot think of many big news stories recently that address deep rooted societal issues like you said. Is addressing/breaking down systemic injustice technically newsworthy? It's a really interesting and important question to ask.
DeleteI think the question of how my priorities align with what the news is covering is sort of a chicken or the egg question. How can I even discover what is important to me without some sort of media informing this opinion? Conversely, if something is important to me already, I’m certainly more likely to seek out media that is relevant to that interest. In a media era defined by choice- and perhaps, I would argue, over-saturation- one may be hard-pressed to not find any media that caters to their interests or perspective. I’m also intrigued as to whether it’s truly valuable to follow or engage with perspectives that one has already declared as “other” or “opposite” compared to their own. If you have already made such a distinction, what value does consuming that media have other than certainly making you angry, or perhaps preparing you for a hypothetical argument with someone of that perspective?
ReplyDeleteI think that the media has always had a strong effect on the American public, but the media that we have traditionally consumed is starting to take new forms, so naturally our relationship with what is covered is a bit different. As we talked a lot about in class today, we are able to "cultivate" our news feed by using more interactive features such as Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, etc. Now that we are able to interact with our media, American culture has started to morph into what people want it to be, meaning that people can choose what media they interact with and how it affects them in the context of their lives. I think that years ago when there were more limited options of news media, it was easier to pinpoint a specific definition of political culture, but now that there are endless options with endless information, this is more difficult and complex.
ReplyDeleteI wasn’t able to access my survey results for some reason, but I did select “extremely important” for almost every topic. The page with poll results was very interesting, however. Though I see how it could be important to know what Americans care most about or want most, I do wish that questions would not be framed in a way that forces people to choose. I think every single issue in that survey should be of paramount importance to both our government and the American people as a whole. As many of my classmates have already mentioned, it is clear that the media has a deep and profound effect on the American public. No matter the method (social media, TV, radio, papers, etc.), media informs us and influences not only what we know, but how we feel about it. I do believe that generally, the things I see being reported on by national news outlets are pretty lined up with what is important to me. Twenty or thirty years ago, I don’t know if that would have been the case, but I think we are now living in a time when even the most major of news outlets are talking about systemic issues (racism, sexism, islamophobia, homophobia, etc.) and regardless of how well they talk about it, the fact that they’re on the table at all is progress to me. Similarly, I think that local news is still doing a good job of covering what matters most to the people it is trying to represent and provide for. Local news is special because it can address national issues in a way that makes sense to the people of that place, and it also has the power to make local issues accessible to be seen by the whole nation.
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ReplyDeleteThe media has an enormous impact on shaping the political culture of American citizens especially in this day and age. The media is the main source of information to society because of the simplicity and accessibility of it. Growing up as a gen z technology has been embedded in our daily lives. The majority of the things we do can be done from our phones. This gives us direct access to the media, from when I wake up to when I sleep my phone is constantly receiving notifications from media outlets on what is going on within society. Which is good and bad thing because it gives citizens the idea of what is going on, but it causes us to become dependent on these headlines and can cause ignorance on the topic. This can inflict bias within people because we tend to become reliable on these “notifications” and not the research and fallacies within the stories. Which leads into my next point which is the importance of issues amongst societies. I do not think all of the issues that are important to me and the rest of America are covered. For many reasons one being bias within the media the “gatekeeper” is an entity within the media who decides what has enough significance to be covered. This could very much be an individual of upper class who does not have to worry about things such as healthcare, tax reform, education or any other economic issues that the majority struggle with. Overall I think as citizens it is our duty to further our knowledge and understanding on political and social issues covered in the media
There were definitely discrepancies between what I chose as critical topics in news on the survey and what was actually covered on a local and national level. However, I do believe that for the most part, national and local news outlets do a good job of giving a wholistic approach to what is going on within the country and around the world. It is important to note that just because a specific issue is not being covered right at this moment, does not mean that is being omitted either. However, it may take some additional research in order to dig up stories that are being covered on a smaller scale. The media shapes the American political landscape in various ways. News media is where we likely get most of our information on political events and can shape how we view certain political figures and their actions. Social media makes political current events more accessible to those who don’t watch the news, but often has a confirmation-bias or self-fulfilling effect, meaning that we are only exposed to things that we agree with. The media has the power to shape an agenda which affects what we are and are not exposed to, which plays a huge role In the political culture of America today.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts for this blog post are very similar to Alyssa’s. I also had gun control and climate change as two of the issues that are most important to me. I agree with her that, overall, the media doesn't fully and accurately portray these issues to the American public, and that when these topics are covered, the news usually only shows them in reference to a disaster. Obviously, this is an issue. I think it’s an issue no matter what area of policy you’re talking about. The news has a limited capacity to spread information, so, of course, they have to be selective in what is talked about and to what extent. Consequently, the issues that receive the most media attention are the ones that dominate the polls. That’s the beauty of agenda-setting.
ReplyDeleteI think that almost everyone on here has acknowledged this reality and sees that it can be a problem. What I think matters even more is what we do with this situation. I think that when we watch/read/hear the news and we feel that they haven’t accurately informed us on a topic, we should educate ourselves and do more research on these topics. When we engage in these discussions, we should highlight these faults and encourage others that care about these issues to do the same. Thanks to gate-keeping, we can’t do a lot about what the media decides to talk about, but we can put it upon ourselves to do more of our own research on important topics and encourage others to do the same.
American media 100% shape the political culture in America because it's one of the main sources that has control on us and tell us about what is going on. The news media control what we see and what not to be published for the public. People tend not to care as much because the media words usually go around about what is going on. However, the words might not be fully correct of the issue. As we discussed in class, false news doesn’t mean the whole topic is wrong but some of the wording of the news might be “misinformation” or missing some facts to the topic. The news media mostly gather the bad news about a person whether it a candidate, president or just someone. I feel like they like to put someone down even if he/she is good person, they will find a way to show the audience some bad news. I'm not saying that every news is like that but in my intentions, that's hows I view news stations. Media is very bad a reporting good things about people and i feel that its goal to just spread bad word about that person. Yes, some people are negative and bad and need to be put on blast, however, to a certain extent of what the media should be allowed to say.
ReplyDeleteAmerican media shapes the political culture of citizens because it is everything they consume (entertainment, news etc) minus the thoughts and opinions of their peers (which is often influenced by media). The American media shapes political culture by presenting a binary system of Democrat and Republican and the networks and outlets that align with each. This has shaped the political culture to exclude socialist or communist viewpoints as well as anarchist or extreme libertarian viewpoints. Democrats have been called socialist or leftist by Republicans, which leads to America as a whole thinking that the Democratic party is farther left than it actually is. Not to be a cliché loser but the Democratic party also represents the interests of the ruling class just like the Republican party, just less brazenly. If you look at the donor rolls of prominent Democratic presidential candidates like Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Pete Butegieg, they all receive major donations from large corporations and extremely wealthy individuals. The American news media (which is owned and operated by the ruling class) exists in a capitalist society that is driven by ratings and sales, so while there is of course editorial discretion (editors, who are by and large the ruling class themselves), they exist solely to make a return on their owners’ investment, whether that means covering a candidate who will drive ratings, or by promoting a political agenda that appeals to a large subset of the population.
ReplyDeleteThe number one thing anybody should be talking about right now is climate change. Obviously we have all been talking about it for almost three decades now, but little in the way of policy (or jail time for oil and energy executives who were aware of the impact their product was having on the environment in the 1980s) has been made.
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DeleteThe American media shapes the political culture of American citizens today in many ways. One way is the actual information we perceive to be true comes from the media we hear and read from. The American media informs us about everything political, and when that information is misleading or inaccurate, the opinions we shape from the information we receive can be affected. When taking the survey and quiz, I found that a lot of the media was dominated by a news story that did not focus on policy. Although the media does a fair job covering critical political issues; to me, I believe they could do a better job of being more detailed and explicit on actual policy and reform. The conclusions we can draw polls and media coverage is their focus on appeal and interest to the viewer. I think the media is more focused on capturing the viewer than actually educating or informing the viewer on issues going on at a local, state and federal level.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said. I think it’s also upsetting that we must first doubt the news before trusting it when seeing it on American media. This has shaped the American political culture to not be reliable because the media tends to be biased based on what the writer believes in and it shouldn’t be like that. American media will tend to cover media on what people want to hear and do not take the extra mile to cover other stories that no one is talking about. For example, when I took that survey, it just asked me questions on which topic I find more important and which one less important and I think that shouldn’t matter. Every topic should be given the same amount of attention as everything else. As for the stories that are being covered in the media, I agree as well that it tends to be more “attention grabbing” stories than ones that really matter. News now creates tension rather than educating citizens and getting solutions from it. This concludes that the majority of media outlets tend to share similar news since that is what will get them more viewers or readers.
DeleteI personally feel that as a whole the media does a decent job of communicating most important stories, but sometimes I think that there are times in which news outlets could do a better job at giving the American public information. For example, when I was scrolling through the New York Times to see what types of stories were getting attention on the Politics section, the impeachment inquiry on Trump had many stories (which I think is extremely important) but then in regards to presidential candidates stories that were displayed I wish that I was able to see more stories about presidential candidates’ policy proposals and how each proposal would affect the country. I believe that the amount of technology we have can be a double-edged sword because we are able to have access to an immense amount of information, but at the same time it can take extra effort to find information because it isn’t always directly given to us at first glance. One issue that I think is not talked about as in-depth and detailed as I would like it to and is important to many Americans is healthcare. Moreover, to find out more about a policy proposal such as Medicare For All, I had to go to the news outlet’s website search bar and look for the one or two stories on it or by going to the candidate’s campaign website. After reading the Manheim article, it also made me reflect on the role that corporations due to their power and influence can play in framing our news and how much control corporations have in shaping how information is displayed to benefit them.
ReplyDeleteThe media shapes the current American political culture in the sense that it shapes the narrative of what’s currently being discussed in the political scene. For many people, the course of daily life is extremely fast-paced and many people only have time to skim the first paragraphs or lead of an article. As a journalism student, we’re taught that the most important information must be put first in order to accommodate this behavior. Many Americans don’t have the time or energy to do their own research or fact-check things themselves, so the media is often taken at face value for what should be set on the current political agenda.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, I feel like this could explain why the media, both local and national, are seldom reporting on the issues I found most important. For me, healthcare, education and climate change are the most important issues, and when I initially glanced at the top news outlets in Chicago and nationwide, most of the news seemed to be dominated with the impeachment inquiry/Ukraine debacle (with the exception of the Chicago teachers strike on local outlets).
With this being said, I’ve noticed there’s been little talk about policy issues regarding 2020 and almost always the political conversations have been about latest developments in the Ukraine affair (which by no means am I downplaying the significance of). I’ve also noticed this when the media pounced on Bernie Sanders when he underwent his stent surgery, but in the past they seldom covered him from a policy/electability perspective. I think this reflects the idea that the media has incomparable power in how American politics is interpreted and framed.
The American media shapes American political culture because it dictates the discussion. American media decides what issues to bring to the public and what will be discussed. Media can also choose what not to report, essentially deciding what will and will not be talked about by the American people. With the extreme polarization of media outlets today, the American political culture has polarized along with it. Some polarized media outlets release misinformation or do not release all information, creating a polarized American public that is either misinformed or partially uninformed. Big topics of the polls like gun control and climate change are not currently being discussed as much as they should be. I agree with Alissa that gun control is only discussed after mass shootings and climate change after natural disasters, when they are obviously the point of national attention. I think that American media shaped the political culture of the country a great deal, and I think media can do a better job of covering issues concerning the American people.
ReplyDeleteI agree that seeing the media as the leader of public discussion is an important way of understanding its role in our political culture. It's definitely fascinating to see how some issues do not have an ongoing discussion but rather an influx of coverage during times of tragedy/disaster and then fade away from the media's spotlight shortly after.
DeleteI think that one of the biggest roles the media plays in shaping the political culture is agenda-setting and gate-keeping. I find from my own survey results and summary of others’ that it seems that what the news, especially major national news media, covers becomes a priority to American citizens. For example, although my own interests would make abortion one of the most important issues, I ranked it lower because I haven’t heard many stories calling for action on it lately. The media in the United States has a unique ability not only to prioritize certain issues and but to also incite people to act. Psychology explains that people often process information off of “availability heuristics” which is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a given person's mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method or decision. The media has a major role in establishing available heuristics for the public and I believe this is why they are so key in guiding the public.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I think this is a very interesting point! I agree that there is a disconnect between what I truly prioritize and what the news media will report on. One thing I found fascinating was when looking at the national polling results (specifically the Gallup Poll. Dec. 3-12, 2018.) some of the topics that I care most about have the highest percentage for “Not that important”. Thus, I wonder how the amount of conflict there is over a topic affects how much it is reported on.
Delete- Maggie Mullen
How does the American media shape the political culture of American citizens today?
ReplyDeleteThe American media shapes political culture in the form of the most entertaining and attention grabbing content. Spectacle and Gruesome stories sell well, and the stories that pull in the most people these days, especially on television, are the ones that tend to matter most. As we discussed in class, all makers of media are behind a curtain that gate-keeps all the information that they are able to collect and hear about. It is up to the news stations to choose what content they put on their running stories. For social media, I would argue that it's a little bit different. For twitter, the top trends to be people focusing on certain events, whether they be a concert, a shooting, or a new release of a video game or movie trailer. The people tend to decide what the majority of people see under trends on twitter. It's interesting how that drives engagement on their platform and how when people say, oh, I saw specific news on my timeline today, you have to wonder if that was chosen by higher ups, or specifically chosen by the people to constantly tweet about.
I agree completely on how the media manages to capture the average citizen's attention of a certain political aspect which in turn makes it mainstream.
DeleteThis point makes me think of the "newsworthy news" criteria that we learned in Professor Epstein's Mass Media class: Newsworthy news: Is it timely? Is it unusual? Is it interesting? Is it significant? Is it about people? Is it personally relevant?
DeleteAs we talked about in class, all types of media shape American political culture in their own way. I think that, as we enter a day and age were news is easily accessible, news outlets will report stories that they think will attract the most eyes, not necessarily what is most influential. The gatekeeper function has changed because there is more of a democratization of information and news. This means that, more than ever, news outlets are at the will of the people and what the people want to see. The news media might not report on certain stories that are very influential because it might not draw as many readers in. Today, we exist in a high choice environment and, as Markus Prior says, this lead to the emergence of more news media outlets. In turn, this causes the news media outlets to compete very heavily for readers. Due to the high choice environment and the democratization of information, I do feel as though the issues that are most important to me are being covered by the media. I specifically choose to read news sources that report regularly on issues that I care about and when a story breaks that new media known the public is interested in, almost all news sources will attempt to put information out in order to draw in readers. I think that it is interesting that the issues that dominate the news are not necessarily the issues that people prioritize according to the polls that we completed. As “the media” tends to become a conglomerate term I feel as though news platforms have altered the way that they report. News media has become more similar to social media, just as social media has begun to report news. The blurring of lines between entertainment media and news media can cause news sources to report increasingly on dramatic political conflicts. Sometimes when I am watching or reading the news it is like I am reading MTV. I think that the merging of entertainment media and news media requires readers to be more critical of what they read.
ReplyDelete- Maggie Mullen
How does the American media shape the political culture of American citizens today?
ReplyDeleteThe American media shapes the political culture of citizens today greatly. The media helps inform and in some cases drive certain political agendas which in turn drives it into the mainstream society. When certain issues arise ranging from climate change to gun control, we get a variety of perspectives from each issues which in turn divides the American people. That soon becomes embedded in their identity which transforms into a political culture. The media fuels it and we nourish it. The issues that I am concerned about such as immigration are being covered especially during the present hostile environment immigrants are introduced in. As a DACA recipient, I see first hand the environment we immigrants endure. I find it comforting when I see The New York Times or celebrities on Twitter defend immigrants especially DACA kids because I adds a form of inclusion into the American society. When a more conservative media sources compares DACA children to gang members, I am insulted, but in order to have an issue address both sides must be constructed. We can see bias news outlets and bias polls. For example, we see bias polls and news outlets such as a lack of news coverage or intentional fake coverage about Bernie Sanders when in reality they only cover a portion of his speech. In Trevor Noah for example, he showed a clip of Bernie telling a child "you are dumb" and ends it causing an audience laughter, but what Bernie actually said was "you are dumb if you are not willing to go to school". However, I believe that news media is somewhat less bias than polls since any campaign could skew information intentionally to demonstrate dominance.
I think American media shapes the political culture of American citizens a great deal, especially for people who are not a part of a family that is very politically engaged. I say this because the home and family of a person is most often the first, and therefore very influential, political socialization source. A lot of children grow up to have the same political beliefs as their parents because that is what they were raised to follow and what they are used to. However, if one’s parents are not as involved in politics, it is more difficult for them to become engaged in politics. I personally come from a household where politics was never mentioned, so much of my political knowledge comes from media. I am sure a lot of people had similar experiences to mine- it started off with seeing news at home or school and eventually turned into social media outlets. The lack of political participation in America has been mentioned in almost all of my political science classes- it is clear that most citizens do not care. Even the ones that do are most likely too lazy to do their own research, and it is simply more convenient to look at a source that chooses the most important topics and issues for you.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Lenin that social media plays in enormous role in the way that the people are able to view such topics. For example, three days ago I was able to see channel NBC news and there was a constancy throughout the shows. The majority of the stories were emphasizing issues from Chicago such as a burglary in Lincoln Park and the Chicago marathon for this Sunday. We must note that each channel choices to purposely frame such a topic for their own agenda. This is quite common and we see that President Trump also uses social media for his own political agenda. He tweets in twitter to provoke a discussion among the people either at work or at school. However, President Trump has the power to dictate what the people are talking about. To say that social media does not affect our thoughts would be the greatest lie. I personally emit that I rely on my social media and make my opinion depending in how the information was represented. Sometimes, I do not have enough time to fully investigate the matter with a credible source. Many people encounter the same challenge as I do. However, I do believe that it is the obligation of the people to fully ensure that such information is correct. As critical thinkers, we can not just take any statement as facts. Furthermore, when I see the news channel Univision. There is a different perspective that pertains to the Hispanic community. The majority of the topic discussed the present and future presence of the Hispanic population in the USA. The news is presented through the lenses of a Hispanic person. This, of course, is not reliable because the people are obtaining their same thought. This means that opposing ideas are not even presented let alone discuss. Without a doubt, social media plays a role in the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteI believe that American media shapes the political culture of our citizens every single day — I would even go so far as to say that it has become one of the most significant factors of our political culture today. We live in a time where politics are at the tips of our fingers on our cell phones, laptops, televisions and even ads on the side of the road. Various forms of media have always played a prominent role in politics, but it is gaining more attention and significance as each day passes and more technology is invented. Media has become a method for individuals to express their opinions and gain their news briefs in an easily accessible and effortless manner. On social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, I often see motivating posts about raising awareness for mental health. I see more about mental health and disabilities over social media than I do hear from our politicians and candidates running for office. This issue is far overlooked and hardly talked about. Even in the survey, there was more emphasis on taxes, economy, etc. rather than the people of our country. If the people are not stable, this nation has no business becoming anywhere near stable.
ReplyDeleteJane Pallos
DeleteI believe the media is shaping the political culture of citizens today more than any other force. The media for better or for worse brings up nearly all talking points, and steers political conversation to an extreme degree. Trying to watch nearly anything on tv, or browse the internet at all, you are bombarded with political messages be them obvious or not so obvious. It’s relatively far out from the 2020 presidential election and I can’t even watch Monday Night Football without having presidential nominees attack their opponents. The media doesn’t cover the issue I find most important which is that of national defense. It makes me sad that many American’s don’t realize we are country still at war in multiple countries. We have been at war since 9/11/2001 but since it’s been going on nearly twenty years and troop deployment numbers are low it’s something that is not discussed greatly, and I feel like that is doing our troops and those in harms way a great disservice. Lately I feel like the media is focused a lot on attacking opposing views and building strawmen to fit its biased narrative on both sides, particularly cable news media. I think the media is playing a large role in the political polarization we see today, and that is not a good thing for our democracy.
ReplyDeleteThe American media has a tremendous impact on the political culture of American citizens. The media is the filter between news and the consumer. So they decide what people see, at what frequency and how much of each story the people see. Currently, there are many major stories happening across the country that should be front and center news but across many of these national platforms, it seems that the 2020 race and impeachment seem to be the priority. This is not to discredit the impeachment story or the 2020 race but both of those processes are going to continue for the foreseeable future while many other and equally important stories may be more time sensitive. Most of the issues that are important to me see much less coverage than I believe they should. For example, Unemployment being at a 50 year low period should be a major economic story but it seems like it is back page news in the this era. I believe the reason that the news is so focused on Impeachment, Trump, and the 2020 Race is because it has become a reality show and people want to know what is going to happen next. In the Trump era, people expect a show, something dramatic, and the news media has to adapt to make sure the people get what they want.
ReplyDelete- Ankit
I believe the American media has shaped the political culture of American citizens hugely. Even our current President uses social media outlets to make statements or address certain issues before he goes on TV to do so. Local and National news agencies cover just about every important topic one should be aware of. It just simply depends on what story the mass audience decides to blow up or pay the most attention to. It is the choice of the American citizens to listen or follow whoever they believe; or whoever shares they’re political views. Whether it is misinformation or disinformation, as we talked about in class, people will believe it either way. So one can say that the American media, at times, negatively shapes the political culture of American citizens based off the invalid news agencies that people decide to get their “facts” from. Going off with what Kate said, years ago social media applications were not used as a political platform, therefore people were missing that source of news. However, nowadays, certain American citizens strictly get their news off these apps, creating even more options on where people go to get their daily news, whether it’s correct or incorrect.
ReplyDeleteThe status quo is showing us that the media's role in politics is extremely substantial. A lot of what's talked about and covered is attitude, rather than policy. Media outlets will cover important topics for a day or two then move on to whatever their viewers want to hear or find more interesting. Unfortunately, that seems to be the bashing of politicians and discrepancies between them. There's also the notion that its never been easier to find coverage that you primarily want to hear based on your own political views. Viewers can fully customize the news they get and stick to it, refusing to acknowledge any other arguments or sides. Personally, I don't think this is solely the fault of the people or media outlets. Politicians are moving their platforms to social media in ways they never have before. Presidents are tweeting whatever comes to their mind, candidates are discussing their potential policies while also going at with other people in the office. With this happening online for the public to see, it's hard for news outlets to not cover it.
ReplyDeleteThe American media definitely have an influence on the American people’ political culture. Most people learn about the political, social and economic problems happening in the country because of media. Media is also a strong tool to make citizens be committed to a political party. However, it has limitations because I do not believe that for the majority the population, their political stand was as a result of media rather than a result of their environment and upbringing. Though media is influential, the average person is selective of what kind information they want that receive, that is committed Democrats and Republicans select media that favors their political stand. I believe most issues I believe to be the most important are being addressed. For example, the issue of climate change is being recognized despite the president choosing to ignore such an issue.
ReplyDeleteThe news essentially shapes a majority of our political culture. Outlets such as CNN and FOX continue to deeply polarize our nation by framing certain key issues that will dictate not only how the president gets elected, but how we think on two extreme levels as a society (this is a form regarding elite polarization since the mainstream media bounces off the deep divisions of the two political parties in Capitol Hill and thereby also causing a divide between the American people). In effect, the mitigation of key problems in the countries arises. For instance, the opioid epidemic is at an all time high but most Americans may not have been informed (I've also seen very minimal references on large media outlets and CSPAN). The hot button topics include immigration, healthcare, and abortion to name a few. This purposeful structuring entails the direction of thought imposed on the public and by using oversensationizlied word choice, Americans begin to think in an emotionally exaggerated manner which moves away from pragamtic approaches towards policy making. On a local note, the Chicago news outlets tend to attract intense stories following crime, education, and infrastructure which is crucial to personal awareness in regards to your living environment. Nevertheless, national media engines such as CNN and FOX still have enormous power and sometimes I idealistically wish to call on the creation of a moderate news media but realistically, this would not work because the public is already deeply divided that not many viewers would bother tuning in and viewers = $$$$. To truly heal the holes of polarization, one must undoubtedly reflect on their ability to think about political issues because if elitist continue to utilize alienating rhetoric, the spectrum of ideologies will fluctuate even further to the end of the poles
ReplyDelete-Olivia Piotrowski
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