What have i learned this semester?

This semester i have learned a lot about mass media. I learned about the origins of the media, how media became to reach the masses and the downfall that media can also bring. Heading into this course i was unsure of what was going to be the objective. But now i see that the objective was to teach us as teenagers the effects that media can have on us and how important media is in our lives today. Within the first week we did the media log, and that alone showed me much about my own life. I see now that as technology evolves our reliance on the media grows. However we have to learn to balance our use of technology and media between our interpersonal skills. We should not lose sight of our natural skills of communication and the use of nature. I also learned the origins of the media with the printing press. Its amazing how one simple invention has lead to world wide connection and communication.

How does mass media shape the publics agenda of issues?

Throughout this course, the idea that media shapes the values and effects people has been drilled into us constantly. As we learned in earlier chapters there are gatekeepers and all different types of censors on what kind of news can be told and what cannot be told.

Agenda setting, the idea that media tells people what to think about is the major force in mass media. The media today easily shapes the publics agenda of issues. If there is news on the war over seas or another scandalous issue with the president, the media will most likely choose to tell the public about the scandalous issue about the president. The media wants to tell the people the news they believe is the most important or the most though provoking. When the public watches they news they don’t have a choice in what they are told. What they hear is what they hear.

The effect that this has on the public is grand. The public get used to hearing similar news over and over again, so they start to only worry about certain things more than others. Then when the news tells them about another type of issue they take it a lot harder because it is so different from what they are used to hearing.

Something that I worry about now is how the long term effects of media will impact us later. Will we still be strongly influenced by the media? Will we ever realize the effects of the media and stop? What can we do to change this?

How does mass media shape the public’s agenda of issues?

Media is a main form of communication especially for public issues. Because of this, newspapers, news stations, radio and other forms on media, have the chance to choose what stories are brought to the audience’s attention. Agenda setting is when media tells people what to think, not what to think about. This is used during status conferral, when the media attention enhances attention given to people, subjects, and issues. The media choose which topics to emphasize. By amplifying certain topics, the audience sees them as more important or urgent and they remember more about it after seeing it. They do not tell them to think these things, but through status conferral, they set the public’s agenda.

The CNN effect is the ability of television, through emotion-raising video, to elevate distant issues on domestic public agenda. This can cause the viewers to think more critically or some situations. It is proven that the media can provoke emotion in the audience. The news and newspapers are such prominent forms of communication about public issues. They are sometimes the only resources we have to base our opinions on. This makes it easy to create framing, the selecting of a perceived reality for emphasis in a mass media message, thereby shaping how the audience sees the reality. Because we get most of our information from the news and the paper, they control how we see certain issues.

How does Mass Media shape the public’s agenda?

It has been established as a fact that today’s society relies heavily on the media, whether it is to get daily news, to gain information on a hot topic or to be entertained. The public first goes to the media to learn about what’s going on. This gives an enormous amount of power to the media because they decide what to put on the front page of a newspaper. They decide what news story to cover over the weekend and which one to begin with on Monday morning. They choose the person to interview or investigate upon and expose. Mass media does shape the public’s agenda in a fearfully influential way. We are mere followers of what they show us. People seldom form their own views nowadays because opinionated knowledge is constantly handed to them. Will we loose our ability to think and critically analyze due to this growing problem? The question remains unanswered but we should become aware that the media has a big say in the public’s agenda and that at some point it might become an issue.

What is the significance of the first amendment with speech and press?

The first amendment prohibits government interference in free expression, religion and individual and public protests against government policies. The freedom expression provision is the First Amendment ban against government abridgement of freedom of speech and freedom of press. Freedom of expression was limited in the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. However, the government cannot suppress a publication in advance. Government restrictions can be justified in a time of war. An action has to pass the Incitement Standard, a four-part test, to determine whether an advocacy speech is constitutionally protected.

In the press, this gives the press the freedom to work as a watchdog against the government. This makes investigative journalism possible. This is beneficial to the people because unlike authoritarians, the government cannot censor certain articles that portray them negatively. In speech, this gives people the right to state their own opinions without having repercussions. Yet, public endangerment is not permitted. You cannot yell “fire” in a crowd of people. You can speak your opinion about heath care at an event.

What is the significance of the First Amendment with speech and press?

The First Amendment is extremely important with speech and press because the first amendment literally guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of press. This allows for the press to be able to say just about whatever they want without fear of prosecution. This means that the press can cover any topic they want including the topic of the government. The press can freely report on the government to the people of the government it is representing. The press and media's most important audience is the common people. Also the idea of freedom of speech gave room for the development of new ideas and thoughts. This freedom of speech and press allows the media to educate people on what is happening in the world and they don't have to hold back and they can tell the whole truth. The media is known as the fourth branch of government and the first amendment s where all that branch's power comes from. The Media does not have any power to make laws or change laws or anything like that but it does have the power to influence the people of the country and in the people is where the real power is.

What is the significance of the first amendment with speech and press?

The foremost and most obvious significance of the first amendment with speech and press is the right to free expression. The first amendment strongly stresses free expression and since that is such a powerful bond with the media, the amendment and the press are significantly linked to one another. The first amendment protects the media and allows for a “market place of ideas” as John Milton said.

It definitely is beneficial to some extent because there is an endless pool or opinions and views out there. Nevertheless, it can cause many problems because people might feel that they are protected no matter what they do or say even if it meant saying something wrong that can jeopardize someone else’s life.

How does mass media reflect a political system globally?

The mass media reflects a political system globally because media and democracy are so intertwined. They rely on each other and mirror one another. The more freedom the media and press has the more liberal a country is. In a kingdom or dictatorship for example, the media would definitely have more restrictions. This is how media reflects political systems. Even within the US, different states have different political stances and thus the media exposed in each state varies from conservative or liberal thinking.

Authoritarian governments control their media and censorship is very high in those countries. China, for instance, experiences extreme control and regulation from the government. The media has virtually no freedom and the people don’t know anything about the outside world. Here, the media reflects a strict and severe government that does not allow liberal thought.

How does mass media reflect a political system globally?

Media freedom determines the rights of citizens within a country’s political system. Libertarianism emphasizes the ability of the people to reason their own way to right conclusions and therefore believes humans are capable of their own governance. This would be democracy. There is an emphasis on liberty and individual rights. This includes the first amendment, the free expression section of the U.S. Constitution. Democracy and freedom are prominent in Western and East-central Europe. These places experience more freedom as citizens and in the media. There is free and open exchange of information and ideas.

Contrastingly, there is authoritarianism. These have leaders are in control. These are countries that are ruled by dictators like Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In authoritarianism there is strong control of and censorship media. Authorities have to preview material before dissemination. Authoritarians think that people should be praised if they support the government. Those who are unfaithful or criticize the government should be banished. These citizens are controlled more that libertarianism citizens. They do now have the freedoms in media or government that we as American citizens have. They are sheltered from events happening in the media that the government views as negative. For example, the Chinese government limited Internet communication, especially from outside the country. They say it is to eliminate false news, superstition, or obscenity. It is also used to control media messages and shelter the audience.

How does the mass media shape the public's agenda of issues?

As media scholars Maxwell McCombs and Don Shaw once said, the media dont tell people what to think but rather what to think about. The media shapes the publics agenda of issues because the media is essentially choosing the issues. Newspapers and newsstations can not possibly cover every piece of news because of lack of time and space. The media must decide what stories are news and what stories are not. they also decide what stories make the front page, and what stories have the most coverage. By doing this the media shapes the publics agenda of issues. News stories that are most publisized and recieve the most attention by the media, are the stories that are at the top of the public's agenda of issues. The media also decides who the audience percievs an issue. The way they tell a story can influence how the public reacts to that story. Usually, as the saying goes, if it bleeds it leads, and so stories that are more dramatic and shocking are at the top of the publics agenda of issues. Political issues can be heavily shaped by the media as well. The more a political issue is seen in the mass media, the more attention it gets, and the higher that issue climbs on the publics agenda of issues. Every

What is the significance of the fourth estate?

The fourth estate is the press as a player in medieval power structures in addition to the clerical, noble, and common estates. The term is applied to all journalistic activity today. Its job is to monitor the other branches as an external check on behalf of the people. It has adapted the watchdog role. That is the concept of the press as a skeptical and critical monitor of the government. An example of this is investigative journalism and The Hummel Report. Their job is to uncover things about the government or on goings that are not covered by major news stations. This is beneficial to the people because we have few ways of uncovering these things ourselves and criticizing the government. Things like Watergate would not be revealed if it weren’t for journalists who ask as watchdogs.

What are some mass media effects and their impact on society?

Mass media effects several aspects of society, especially because it has been a prominent thing in our lives for so long. Firstly, media effects our lifestyle, specifically socialization which is learning to fit into society. The socialization process expands to include the influence of friends, neighbors, schools and at some point mass media. Children no longer need to read to be involved in mass media so they are involved at younger ages than before. They spend more time watching television than anything else by the time they reach 18. They take more from television than they do from their parents now. Television teaches them values and they mimic what they see. Another thing that media effects is attitude. Media can portray messages to large volumes of people. Exposure of certain subjects in the media portrayed positively or negatively can cause the audience to change their opinion suddenly or over time. In our culture, media impacts our behavior. We received our core values from books written in the past, mostly religious books like the bible. Values are also transmitted through communities. Music, fashion, and pop culture are communicated and spread though mass media communications.

Which audience analysis measurement principles and techniques are most effective and why?

Probability sampling is an effective analysis measurement principle. Probability sampling is when everyone in the population being surveyed has an equal chance to be sampled. It is a technique that includes the public opinion polling which relies on statistical extrapolation that can be very accurate. Probability sampling uses sample size, sample selection, margin of error, and confidence level to create accurate surveying. It is found that 384 people should be surveyed to provide 95% confidence that results have less than a 5% margin of error.

An effective technique is polling. Polling includes interviews, diaries, meters, people meters, and portable meters. These are the primary techniques that can be used in combination. For polling media forms meters, people meters, and portable meters are used to track television and radio channels that are being watched. These are more reliable than diaries and interviews because they can constantly track channels inside and outside of the home.

What Have I Learned in this Class?

Throughout the semester I have come across various facts about the media and technology that I would otherwise not know about. One of the most interesting things that I have learned has to be about my media pioneer, Joseph Nipece. It was interesting to learn that even though he is the father of photography and created the first photograph the technology that he used to create that photograph is not the same as the technology that is used today or developed shortly after his death. I also found it interesting to learn more about how important the print media actually is to society. I became more aware of the losing interest that the public has in the print industry as a whole and what an impact digital technology actually has over people. It has also come to learn that the mass media acts a watchdog for the general public. I was aware of the influence the media had over the public, but never understood the importance it held. This class has helped me realize that I would like to have a career in the media, I have not decided how to be involved in the media yet, but I do want to be involved in the media in some aspect.

How does mass media shape the public’s agenda of issues?

                 The mass media shapes the public’s agenda of issues because it essentially tells the public what to think about, what is news, as well as what is acceptable and unacceptable.  Society has become largely dependent on the media as a source of information and entertainment.  People are increasingly looking to the media to give them advice on what to shop for, purchase, wear, drive, eat, etc.  Different news channels tend to discuss the same stories – this creates a narrow place for a wide variety of news.  The media can also influence our decisions:  A magazine can tell girls which clothes are “in style” and which hair color suits their facial structure and a television show can display boys playing football, while girls sit on the sidelines cheering the boys on.  The media has become a source of communication; the invention of Facebook has led to a massive “Digital Revolution” and people thrive on the fact that everyone is using the internet.  The media encourages the public to use the internet and often entertainment artists and celebrities refer themselves to their websites or social networking profiles.

                The public is constantly involved in the mass media.  Consciously or unconsciously, the information the media dictates affects our beliefs, opinions, emotions, and desires.  For example, the media often depicts a skinny woman as “ideal” – this creates discussion among many different groups of people.  Whether we follow the media or not, everyone knows about this particular issue and has an opinion on it.  The media is a role model for many people, especially teenagers, whom seek advice from the things they see.  Because companies are aware of this, they public various stories promoting one’s self and the greatness of independence.  The media controls what information the public discovers and citizens seem to trust the American’s use of the media because they try to be honest and respectful in every piece of information they release to the world.

How does mass media shape the public's agenda of issues?

Mass media shapes the public’s agenda of issues in many ways. Mass media is very influential in society because it is all around us. Most of the public believes everything the media says because it is delivered to us in some many forms multiple times. The media also has control over what they tell us, so they can chose to lie or tell the truth. Not really lie, but beat about the truth. They control is the public is fully aware of what is really going on, or not at all. They control the issues we hear about or not. That is why the public is very dependent on the media every day. The media is the primary source of information. They are a role model. Because they are so depended on, the media gets in trouble if they make mistakes or lie. They have a code of ethics to follow. The media also sets the standards in society. The showcase how people should look, act, eat. The media has a very strong effect on the public because of it’s strong influence. But they do look out for the common good of the people.

What is the significance of the First Amendment with speech and press?

            The significance of the First Amendment with speech and press is that it allows for freedom of beliefs, opinions, and ideas within the press; the First Amendment includes the rights to free speech and press.  The American media has taken full advantage of this freedom and have repeatedly published information that would be unacceptable in other countries.  For example, the American media has discussed both the positive and negative aspects of potential political candidates.  Around election time, there are various scandals that involve the future politicians of our country.  Potential candidates cannot fight against these scandals because they are completely legal; the American government has allowed our country to publish anything we feel is necessary to cover.  There have been some instances where the First Amendment has been excused; for example, after 9/11, people had to avoid using any harmful and threatening terms while in airports.  The First Amendment has taught the majority of citizens in the United States what terms and actions are appropriate to use and which ones they should avoid expressing.

                The First Amendment protects the media and allows for a marketplace of ideas.  Different companies expose the public to different scenarios and views on various stories; this enables the public to witness a variety of stories as well as choose their own opinions on these events.  Because the First Amendment does not limit any aspects of freedom, the media feels comfortable enough to take advantage of their freedom and the press enjoys posting entertaining stories about events or people that can be true as well as false.  Also, people constantly engage in open talk and with the internet, it has becoming increasingly common for citizens to post their emotions and beliefs online.  The basis for America was built on “liberty and justice for all”, and with the First Amendment, citizens have the right to express anything they desire because the Constitution protects them.

How does mass media shape the public’s agenda of issues?

The mass media shapes issues of the public because our society today relies so greatly on the media. With that in mind, the media influences our everyday lives, values, beliefs, etc. The media shapes the public’s issues because the media, such as the news or newspapers, conveys such issues to audiences. This gives people a sense of opinion and direction on where they stand with certain topics or controversies. Thus, the media shapes issues in our society. We live in a society that depends on information and communication, the mass media, to keep moving in the right direction. This information and communication affects our everyday lifestyle in positive and negative ways. It doesn’t matter which way you look at it, the mass media definitely shapes the public’s agenda of issues. We are always involved in the media, whether we are conscious of it or not. There is not a day a person can go without being dependent on the mass media and that is why is has such an impact or influence on the issues of the public.