Race 

  a means of creating hierarchies in American society so that groups are differentiated so they could be excluded or disadvantaged

  taking in of the negative messages of overt and covert racism, superiority and inferiority and white privilege; and applying it to your own race

 American Indians: Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act, Reservation system, treaty of 1868, assimilation of the Lakota/Sioux; African Americans: slave trade, institution of slavery, Jim Crow; Latinos/Hispanics: US-Mexican War, Spanish American War, Jones Act; Asian Americans: Page Law of 1875, Chinese Exclusion Law of 1882, land owning restrictions on Japanese, Japanese internment camps; Multiracial: 1908 miscegenation laws

 cognitive shortcuts

 Racial stereotypes: presumptions based on someone’s race or color; used to make decisions about people, places, and things that can possess certain racial attributes

race is socially constructed; based on small amount of information; easily manipulated

though the show was not about race, it contained and reinforced racial messages that are part of the dominant American Ideology; good example of how entertainment media convey dominant ideology about race, four of the sixteen competitors were racial minorities

is one of inequality with whites at the top of the hierarchy; racial minorities are underrepresented in government, education, and corporations; however, they are overrepresented among the poor and in prison populations

how the stories in the media (movies, magazines, newspapers, etc) are told to help justify the system in which some groups (racial minorities) are subordinate to others; “provides an explanation for why things are the way they are”

states that once legal impediments to equality were lifted, racial minorities could “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” like other immigrants had, and that failure was only due to that individuals’ own inadequacies. In short, if someone part of a minority has had success, then there is no reason for anyone part of that minority to fail

racial discrimination built into the fiber of an institution; a law that is passed that is meant to discriminate; Ex) Jim Crow

information about your own race; how you perceive your own race – a political way of thinking about your racial identity

a system of beliefs that reinforce and reproduce assumptions about individuals belonging to a particular racial group (i.e. thoughts, stereotypes, and beliefs about race)

the stigmatizing of difference in order to justify economic, political, cultural, or psychological advantage or the abuse of power; a system of structural inequalities and historical processes, both credited and recreated through routine practices; racism is an action

acts of blatant racial discrimination

a form of covert racism; benefitting from racism, sometimes without realizing it

a fluid concept; prior to 19^th century: English, Scottish, German descent; after 19^th century: Irish included; 20^th century: ancestry anywhere on European continent; 21^st century: void, cultureless

technological tools used to transmit the messages of mass communication, directed toward a general audience and engage in overtly political communication; Ex) radio, TV, internet, newspaper

same as mass media, however, directed toward a small selective audience, typically unrepresentative of citizens in general; Ex) Programming on the world financial markets

alternative depictions of the roles that the mass media play in society; these models are invoked by reporters, the public, and politicians to assail or defend the media’s behavior; Reporters of objective fact model, neutral adversary model, public advocate model, profit-seeker model, propagandist model

the mass media act as a mirror of what is happening in the world and present a perfect reflection of that world

the primary role of the press is to discover the “truth” and act as a check on government; media is engaged in politics as surveillance

journalists have a social responsibility to used the newsgathering process to engage newsmakers and newsreaders in debate over issues of political importance; active role of citizens; serves as the watchdog against government

the mass media have no responsibilities other than to make profits for their owners; audience members are treated like consumer and targets of market like competitions; news is usually determined by which headlines will make a profit

the chief purpose of the media is to support and advance the interests of those in positions of power

surveillance, interpretation, socialization

·      Surveillance – the function of the media in viewing distant events and relaying them to help make a complex and changing world more predictable

·      Interpretation – the media interpret events, put them into context, and speculate about their consequence

·      Socialization – the process by which individuals acquire the values and norms of the broader social system; teaching basic values and orientations that prepare individuals to function in society

mass public influences government officials primarily through the conducts of elections; elected officials by virtue of their position can influence their constituents by convincing them of the appropriate candidate choices

newspapers purchased and read by political and economic elites rather than the mass public

the media-government relationship during the American Revolution, when newspapers were the organs of competing political factions

 controlled media, partially controlled media, uncontrolled media

·      Controlled Media – where the newsmaker has full control over information that is being conveyed

·      Partially Controlled – newsmaker only has partial control over what is being broadcast

·      Uncontrolled Media  - when you get coverage as a newsmaker, but have no control over what is being conveyed about you

surveillance, agenda-setting, platforms for advocacy, diverse views, accountability mechanism, incentivize for citizens, principled resistance to control of media, sense of respect

legal, normative, structural, economic

·      Legal – passing of laws

·      Normative – social norms, what’s appropriate to be published

·      Structural – control via news structures that decide how they operate and comply

·      Economic – monetary exchange

after the revolution, newspapers that focused primarily on the publication of business and commerce news

newspapers that sold for a penny, a much lower price than that charged by the elite press

investigative journalism; ultimate goal is to incite public reaction to the news story; Ex) Dateline, 60 Minutes

era in which campaigning has become permanent as it has become part of the government process, with political consultants and media strategists having important roles in the offices of elected officials

the development of media targeting more specialized or fragmented audiences

media acts as a business

requires stations to make broadcast time “equally” available to all “similarly qualified” candidates for political office

requires stations to devote a “reasonable” amount of attention to public issues and include contrasting views

an act that incorporated a wide range of provisions regarding telephone services, cable television, and the internet; a key provision eliminated numerous restrictions on ownership of TV, radio and cable stations

an institution that connects citizens with their elected representatives by conveying information and providing a means of communication; traditional linkage institutions include political parties and interest groups

a presidents appeal to the public to gain leverage in bargaining relationships with Congress

coverage on congress focuses on the few members who are in formal leadership positions or who are seeking the presidency

the claim that dramatic television coverage forcers government to respond to issues or events in foreign affairs

hypodermic needle model, minimal effects model, contingent effects model

assumes that media messages will reach every individual member of the mass society, that each person will perceive them in the same general manner, and that they will provoke a more or less uniform response

model of media effects that suggests that media messages will have little effect on most individuals most of the time

 the mass media are likely to influence only particular types of individuals with particular types of messages in particular contexts

law passed in 1798 that made it a crime for citizens to criticize the US government; no one has ever been convicted because it directly conflicts with the first amendment; punished anyone who published false or malicious writing against anyone; by 1808, if you were fined you were given your money back or pardoned

news stories that focus on the details of concrete events

state laws banning the publication of certain types of stories or images; Ex) for national security, body of Osama Bin Ladin

in the U.S., programming that is a mixture of public and private ownership and programming

established public broadcasting in the U.S.

information that a government official provides to a reporter with the agreement that the official’s name will not be used

events that occur only because they were created to secure (positive) media coverage

when government officials reward some reporters with greater information or contact, usually as a reward or bribe for past or future favorable coverage

idea given to reporters for use in news stories in an effort to assess the reaction of political elites and sometimes the mass public

Sullivan argued that the ad defamed his character; court ruled that the media must be show to act with malice

appeals to narrower audiences and has goals that supersede profits; includes independent films, minority newspapers and websites offering oppositional messages that challenge the dominant discourse; aim to encourage debate, to monitor the mainstream press, and to increase the visibility of certain groups

used to indicate the places where groups without access to the mainstream press create alternative communication networks

presenting or conceptualizing an issues, event, or idea as associated with other beliefs or values; guides individuals’ processing of information

the ability of the media to affect which issues or traits individuals use to evaluate political figures

the process by which individuals or institutions come to acknowledge the importance of an issue or problem

the means by which information is delivered; Ex) TV, radio, newspapers, internet

whether information is conveyed through hearing (audio) or seeing (visual)

the content delivered by a news medium

the assumption that people learn more from newspapers because they are a better news outlet than television

the theory that the nature of TV news coverage, as well as the stunning effectiveness of the visuals that accompany it, help explain the growing political cynicism observed in the 1970s

an aggregate-level phenomenon; individuals in a society trust others and are willing to invest in others, and such positive attitudinal and behavioral characteristics are essential to a successful democracy

demographic effects: how your race, age, socioeconomic etc affect people differently; vulnerability effects: how much you care about a particular issue based on vulnerability to that issue; existing opinion: people are more likely to believe that which reinforces their prior opinions

affective effects, behavioral effects, cognitive effects

changes in individuals’ affective or emotional state as a result of exposure to the mass media

changes in individuals’ behavior as a result of exposure to the mass media

changes in knowledge, beliefs or information as a result of exposure to mass media

society conceptualized as an undifferentiated mass, comprised of atomistic individuals who had little in common with others, interacted with others in only insignificant ways, and were directly acted upon by political and social authority figures

individuals who are most interested in politics and most likely to be exposed to media messages and engage in politics, and are also most likely to convey media info to the less involved, less interested mass public

individuals’ tendencies to expose themselves to messages that are consistent with their prior beliefs

the tendency of individuals to retain information that is consistent with their prior beliefs

individuals’ tendencies to interpret messages in a manner consistent with their beliefs

the operation of the mass communication process with information going from the media to opinion leaders and from their opinion leaders to the mass public

psychological theory that poses individuals’ cognitions as strings of information, where the most recent information is most accessible and therefore is used in processing new information

psychological theory that argues that individuals seek to understand information as they process it

news presentation of political issues that are seemingly unrelated, discrete events

news stories that emphasize commonly shared values such as human rights or personal responsibility 

how and when political issues are formally addressed by government institutions; the process by which media coverage of an issue increases the probability that government policymakers will do something about it

news stories that emphasize economic aspects of issues or events

how the media choose stories to include in news coverage

the process by which the public comes to view some topics or issues as more important and politically relevant than others; often thought to be determined by the amount of attention devoted to a topic by the media

personal characteristics that strengthen or weaken the effects of the media on individuals

the effect of individuals’ judgments about how the nation is doing economically on their evaluation of incumbents

news presentation of political issues that are placed in a particular social or political context

knowledge acquired physically in persona t some type of political event, etc.

loop between sender, message, channel, receiver; message obscured by noise, different messages, information sent by changes; sender: a source of information; message: information; channel: how it’s the message is being sent, needs credibility; receive: the person receiving the message, respond with feedback

complete absence of minorities in the media

racial minorities are included in film in a way that constrains or misrepresents them

justify inequality, deny inequality, distorting history and justifying it, distorting history to forgive it, Hispanics are doomed if they don’t assimilate, members of all groups as individuals, organized groups and coalitions have protested media depictions of minorities, protests have been met with limited success

large, unattractive, desexualized, lives to serve others

exist as comic relief, are lazy, not smart, non-violent

it is the responsibility of not only news makers but also entertainment media to represent minorities better

the rating system is completely voluntary but movie theaters won’t show movies without rating; restored a more favorable public image for the motion picture business

exclusionary phases, threatening phase, confrontation phase, stereotypical selection phase, multicultural phase

plantation genre, contemporary revisionist images of slavery, blaxploitation films, Hollywood conservative backlash films, the resurgent boom of black films

there were very few characters and themes; the characters and themes were simple and stereotyped, problems with depictions of Native Americans-lumped together as one, racial injustic framed as individual rather than collective identity

purpose to investigate cause of 1967 race riots in US; discovered white/black separate but unequal; recommendations: increase the number of blacks with editorial and executive responsibilities, the media must publish newspapers that produce programs that recognize the existence and activities of blacks, advertisers must incorporate more blacks, equality and balance must be a facet of the news; couldn’t enforce because of 1^st amendment but could give incentives

the measureable characteristics of the audience such as age, income, sex and marital status

designed to reflect the perceived values and norms of majority

integration does not adversely affect sales or image of the product, white consumers did not respond negatively to advertising, commercials were more integrated than television shows

the process of trying to make a particular product appeal to a narrowly defined group

commit to identify and take advantage of growth opportunities in multicultural markets; promote inclusiveness and fairness throughout the marketing and advertising process

any paid form of non-personal communication about an organization, product, service, or idea by an identified sponsor

skin tone, target marketing of harmful products

media targeted toward particular racial/ethnic groups by: messages, featured actors, regional focus, language

first record label owned by an African American; founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in 1959; Motown sound defined by the used of orchestration, string sections, charted horn sections, carefully arranged harmonies, gospel; one of the first genres to include political and sociological themes in its music; Behind the scenes: artist development to ensure crossover appeal; production process – quality control, nothing released from the Motown label that hadn’t been triple checked for broadest appeal

only Asian song to make top 40 in the last 40 years (1963); there are no Asian-influenced musical genres that have become mainstream

started with Rick Martin; crossover success of Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Enrique Iglesias

BET: started in 1980, originally covered racial issues and black history that were not routinely a part of mainstream channel, black version of VH1; TV One: owned by Radio One, DirecTV, and Comcast, had more news than BET, programming primarily for adults

very political motivation in the beginning but as the rights of blacks increased, the black press decreased in size and its goals moved towards gaining advertising and middle class readership

one of the largest Spanish language television ownership, founded in 1954 by Angel Ramus in Puerto Rico, currently owned by NBC

the largest Spanish language network and fifth overall network, first Spanish language TV in the US

Spanish language dailies has more than tripled since 1990; usually rooted within communities and targets specific ethnic groups; has increased due to immigration, ad revenues of Spanish language dailies have grown more than sevenfold since 1990

1^st Latino Newspaper, founded in New Orleans in 1808, existed for 2 years, printed in English and Spanish, pro-Spain

1^st Asian Pacific newspaper, founded in San Francisco in 1854 by protestant missionaries, bilingual (Cantonese and English)

first newspaper produced by and for blacks; arose out of two black freemen’s frustration at the mainstream newspapers vilification of blacks and refusal to publish their letters to the editor; aimed to report the accomplishments of Blacks, to encourage Blacks to strengthen their characters, and to seek by reason of persuasion the abolition of slavery

gave a lot of attention to lynching of blacks; was one of the most widely read and influential newspapers in the African American community in the early twentieth century; became a champion of African American equality, highlighting racial injustice and calling for equal rights; had predominantly African American readership

Chinese language daily newspaper founded in 1976, Taiwanese owned, more than 250,000 readers

daily newspapers published in Los Angeles, largest Korean language newspaper in the US, has more than 43,000 readers; an integral part of Asian American communities that protect ethnic culture and interest in a community which previously lacked well organized social institution

only Asian American network in US, multimedia company based in NYC, primarily targets people of East Asian and South East Asian descent, English accessible to promote Pan-Asian viewership

originated in Japan in 1972; parallel to the custom of informal amateur singing of popular songs in social settings found in many Asian cultures; seen as a reclamation of mass mediated music

J-Horror Movies: Japanese horror movies, US adaptation-The Ring, The Grudge; games shows: US adaptations-Wipeout

created to help Native Americans protect their lives and property from social forces, stories tend to be community centered, controlled by tribal governments

founding in 1828 in Georgia, first Native American newspaper, Mission was to unify Cherokee people to protect land and spread Christianity, bilingual, existed for 6 years

mission statements include: the preservation of native language and culture is of paramount importance, education and information programs, especially those that promote literacy, entertainment programs should target the interest of natives; nearly half of stations’ licenses are held by tribal governments