This chapter focuses on the role of the media in politics. It contends that the news media serves as a different kind of intermediary than either parties or groups and that problems arise when the press is expected to perform the same functions as these institutions.
The main ideas presented in this chapter are the following:
- The American press was initially tied to the nation's political party system (the partisan press) but gradually developed an independent position (the objective press). In the process, the news shifted from a political orientation, which emphasizes political values and ideas, to a journalistic orientation, which stresses newsworthy information and evaluations.
- Although the United States has thousands of separate news organizations, they present a common version of the news which reflects journalists' shared view of what the news is. Freedom of the press in the U.S. does not result in a robust marketplace of ideas.
- In fulfilling its responsibility to provide public information, the news media effectively perform three significant roles--those of signaler (the press brings relevant events and problems into public view), common carrier (the press serves as a channel through which political leaders can address the public), and watchdog (the press scrutinizes official behavior for evidence of deceitful, careless, or corrupt acts). These roles are within the news media's capacity because they fit with the values, incentives, and accountability of the press.
- The press cannot do the job of political institutions, even though it increasingly tries to do so.
After reading this chapter, students should be able to:
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