agenda setting | The power of the media through news coverage to focus the public’s attention and concern on particular events, problems, issues, personalities, and so on.
|
|
|
|
common-carrier function | The media’s function as an open channel through which political leaders can communicate with the public.
|
|
|
|
framing | The process by which the media play up certain aspects of a situation while downplaying other aspects, thereby providing a particular interpretation of the situation.
|
|
|
|
news | The news media’s version of reality, usually with an emphasis on timely, dramatic, and compelling events and developments.
|
|
|
|
objective journalism | A model of news reporting that is based on the communication of “facts” rather than opinions and that is “fair” in that it presents all sides of partisan debate.
|
|
|
|
partisan function | Efforts by media actors to influence public response to a particular party, leader, issue, or viewpoint.
|
|
|
|
partisan press | Newspapers and other communication media that openly support a political party and whose news in significant part follows the party line.
|
|
|
|
press (news media) | Those print and broadcast organizations that are in the news-reporting business.
|
|
|
|
priming | The process by which a communicated message, because of its content, activates certain opinions but not others.
|
|
|
|
signaling (signaler) function | The accepted responsibility of the media to alert the public to important developments as soon as possible after they happen or are discovered.
|
|
|
|
watchdog function | The accepted responsibility of the media to protect the public from incompetent or corrupt officials by standing ready to expose any official who violates accepted legal, ethical, or performance standards.
|