1 Media Power and Government Control 1
Political Importance of Mass Media 2
Functions of the Mass Media 4
Studying Mass Media Effects 11
Government Control of Mass Media: Assumptions and Methods 19
Summary 27
Notes 28
Readings 31
2 Ownership, Regulation, and Guidance of Media 33
Public, Semipublic, and Private Control and Ownership 34
Patterns of Private Ownership 39
Curbs on Private Control of the Media 47
Control by Media Personnel 57
Summary 64
Notes 65
Readings 68
3 Newsmaking and News Reporting 69
Models of the Newsmaking Process 70
The Gatekeepers 71
News Production Constraints 84
Effects of Gatekeeping 87
Appraising the Newsmaking Process 96
Summary 98
Notes 99
Readings 102
4 Press Freedom and the Law 103
Access to the Media 104
Access to Information 114
Individual Rights vs. the Public’s Right to Know 121
Summary 130
Notes 131
Readings 133
5 Media Impact on Individual Attitudes and Behavior 135
Differential Effects of Print and Broadcast News 136
The Role of Media in Political Socialization 137
Differences in Media Use and Socialization 143
Choosing Media Stories 146
Learning Processes 151
Learning Effects: Knowledge and Attitudes 154
Learning Effects: Behavior 163
Summary 169
Notes 170
Readings 176
6 Elections in the Television Age 177
The State of Research 177
The Consequences of Media Politics 179
Media Content 188
Media Effects 208
Summary 214
Notes 215
Readings 219
7 The Struggle for Control: News from the White House, Congress, and the Courts 221
The Adversary Relationship 221
The Media and the Executive Branch 222
The Media and the Congress 238
The Media and the Courts 248
Summary 252
Notes 254
Readings 257
8 The Media as Policymakers 259
Manipulative Journalism in Perspective 260
Muckraking Models 261
Beyond Muckraking: Power Plays and Surrenders 267
Agenda-building 268
Documentaries and Docudramas 275
Methods: Fair and Foul 277
Summary 279
Notes 281
Readings 283
9 Crisis Coverage 285
The Nature of Crisis Conditions 285
Four Crisis Situations 286
Media Response and Role 289
Summary 302
Notes 303
Readings 305
10 Foreign Affairs Coverage 307
The Foreign News Slice in the News Pie 308
Making Foreign News 309
Appraising the Foreign Newsmaking Process 328
Impact on Public Opinion 330
Exporting News 331
Summary 334
Notes 335
Readings 339
11 Trends in Media Policy 341
Current Dissatisfactions with the Media 341
The Impact of New Technologies 348
The Shape of the Future 357
Summary 362
Notes 363
Readings 365
Index 367