For Class on 10/9: Regulating the Media

This week we start to take a look at the various ways in which the government, or particular politicians or organizations try to influence or shape the media. This discussion will start with regulations. Some people view government regulations, in general, as an infringement into our lives and the lives of private companies. Others see regulations as the government actively safeguarding the people and helping society.

When we think about media regulation in particular, some think that popular media (and potentially the news media) should be regulated in order to keep it decent, safe, and fair. Another side of the debate focuses on the freedom of the press, a founding principle of American democracy, and often argues that regulation of other forms of media amount to censorship and unnecessary government infringement. The primary agency in charge of regulating the media is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and you can check out their website and all that they do here.

I am interested in a wide ranging conversation on the topic of government regulation of the media, directed both at news media and broader entertainment media. In order to get the conversation started I'll pose the basic questions below:

1. How would increasing or decreasing the regulations on news media help or hurt democracy or democratic discourse in America?
2. Should the government regulate popular entertainment media? If no, why not? If yes,  what standards should they use.

Please feel free to take this discussing in any direction and respond to your classmates.

For Class on 10/2: Important Political Issues

For the blog this week we are going to take a step back from the class reading and look at the major issues that have dominated recent political headlines. The President and Congress have many issues that they are dealing with along with the never-ending look toward the next elections. I am interested to find out what you think is important to address and, by extension, how you think the media is covering these issues and how the government is dealing with them.

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

Then you can test your knowledge of recent news based on news quiz from The New York Times or Newscurrents.

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.

1. Choose one of the items you listed as extremely important (or less important) and explain why.
2. Are the issues that seem to be the most important to you (or to the rest of America) being covered well by the media?
3. How did you feel about taking the the news quizzes, what was covered, how you did, and how those topics are or are not covered by the news?
4. What conclusions can we draw from the way that the issues that dominate the polls and media coverage are similar or different?

Due 9/24 (NO CLASS MEETING 9/25): Are Newspapers Dying

This week we are continuing to look at the state of journalism in American today, its influence and its future. The problem is that the future of newspaper reporting and journalism as we know it is on the endangered species list. Newspaper ad revenue is dwindling quickly as people stop subscribing to the paper and start reading the mostly free news online. The reality is that the newspaper industry and journalism in a broader sense is probably not dying, but it is evolving, and those involved in the change must get on board or get out of the way. What this means for the power of the media in our lives and the role that it plays within our political context remains to be seen. For this week's blog take a look at the stats on the "dying" newspaper industry here and an interesting inside look from the managing editor of TIME magazine here. Also, if you want, you can take a look at an interesting New Yorker article on the subject here, then start a discussion based on the prompts below.

1. What does the changing nature of journalism mean for the American public?
2. Is the transition to more digital, interactive, and citizen generated news content a positive or negative development for politics and/or political news reporting?
3. If you feel like saving the world, you can also feel free to weigh in on what newspapers and traditional media can do to survive and make it off the endangered species list.

For Class on 9/19: My Political Media Profile

As they say in Sound of Music, "Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start." Before we can dive into all the ways that the media is affecting citizens and the political process or how much politicians and political organizations are trying to influence the media, we need to start with ourselves. What kinds of political information are we consuming? What sources do we use more or less? What do we trust? How does all of this affect our political ideology and our ideas about particular political issues? There is a lot there. 

We know from many interesting studies like this one from Pew Research that people typically get news from a variety of sources using a variety of formats. We will explore what all of this means throughout the course. But first we need to analyze our individual media exposure. Please think about yourself during a "typical" week and try to honestly describe your political media profile using some or all of the following prompts to guide you:

1. How much time during an average day or week do you think you consume news?
2. What sources (NYTimes, Buzzfeed, NBC News, FoxNews...) and formats (TV, internet, radio, newspaper, magazine...) do you use the most? Are you a newspaper or blog reader, do you watch local or national or cable news, what channels, what radio stations?
3. What role does the internet/social media play in the news you consume?
4. How do you find news sources?
5. What sources do you trust? Why?

Please note that this is not designed as as opportunity to brag about how much political news we watch or lie about how little we consume. It is simply a time to be honest so we can have a sense of what is out there.

Remember: Your responses should be approximately one long or two short paragraphs and no more (around 150 words). No research is necessary but think carefully about what you want to write and respond to the ideas presented on the blog, not the people. The goal is to use these prompts to start a dialogue that can evolve through the week. You should post your comment(s) by 8pm on Wednesday. Everyone should skim the discussion before class on Thursday.

Welcome!

Welcome to your Mass Media and American politics poliblog experience! Each week you will be required to read the post for that week (which may include a news article, question, comment, multimedia clip, controversial issue, etc.) and respond with your comments. Each of your comments should be no more than 1/2 page (approx. 1 long paragraph or two short paragraphs) and must be posted by 8:00 Wednesday night. You do not need to do any outside research in order to respond, just reflect on the topic of that week, the other comments posted on the blog and make an argument presenting your views. The goal is to create an online dialogue that we can then bring into class. You must post at least one comment on 8 different weeks (NOTE: you do not need to write a comment  every week). But you MUST read the post and all comments either Wednesday night or Thursday before class each week. Enjoy!