Chapter 15

                                            The Media and Politics

 

 

Joseph Pulitzer - NY World

 

Vs

 

William Randolph Hearst

NY Journal

 

To Frederic Remington in Cuba

 

"You furnish the pictures and              I'll furnish the war"

 

 

First Amendment Protection

 

New York Times Co. v US (1971)

Hugo Black -

"The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people"

 

 

 

Newspapers competition

with cable, TV News, internet

 

Are their standard's lower?

 

 

TV Democracy - the history

 

*        TV and the 1/2 hour sitcom

 

*        Cable News Network

1990s coverage of war, events

 

*        Magazine style talk shows

 

 

 

 

The Electronic Media

(including the internet)

 

 

TV, Radio - A super way to communicate to the American people during an election.

 

* The government, through content regulation does attempt to regulate the electronic media

 

Turner Broadcasting v FCC (1994)

cable protected- First Amendment

 

                                                        however

 

Broadcasters must provide

"equal time"

to political candidates

 

 

"fairness doctrine"

both sides of an issue presented

Red Lion

Broadcasting v    FCC(1968)

 

                                                     "equal time"

 

 

*        Court is more concerned with the rights of the listeners

 

 

 

FCC v Pacifica (1978)

George Carlin and 7 no-no words

 

 

 

FCC v

Action for Children's TV (1992)

 

 

1996            TV - V Chip

*        Internet Regulation a NO GO

 

                                                             **

 

The Press and Prior Restraint

 

(Regulating what can be printed)

 

*        The Pentagon Papers in 1971

 

 

*        The H-Bomb Secret -

The Progressive

 

 

                                                       However

 

 

Court has permitted

 

*        protecting confidentiality

Branzburg v Hayes(1972)     

citizenship more important

 

US v Caldwell (1972)

testifying before grand jury

 

 

*        the jailing of Myron Farber

NY Times v New Jersey(1978)

a question of NJ shield laws

Farber spent 40 days in jail

 

*        allowed searches in newspaper office for pictures

*        suits against press for libel

NY Times v Sullivan (1964)

Court ruled that public officials cannot recover damages for published criticism

 

Hustler Mag v Falwell(1988)                                                                   

 

 

 

 

*        government to protect the integrity of the CIA

Snepp v US (1980)

 

Court ruled on Decent Interval

former CIA officer had to give  government his royalties

 

Westmoreland and Vietnam

                                                             

                                                             **

 

 

Why did Thomas Jefferson say that if it was possible

 

"to decide whether we should have government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate the moment to prefer the latter"?

 

 

 

The Free Press and a Fair Trial

Is the possible?

 

-The OJ Simpson Trial

Problems   

publicity and public opinion

 

Is it really fair?

 

"gag orders" - unconstitutional?

Nebraska Press v Stuart (1976)

Gruesome murder case and a

pre-trial hearing

Local judge issued gag order

 

-Newspapers petitioned SC

 

*SC unanimously ruled against it

 

 

 

Press-Enterprise Co. v

Superior Court (1986)

 

Even pre-trial hearings must be open to the free press

 

Terrorism and the Press

 

*        Fear of Copycat Crimes because of the publicity

 

 

Unabomber - NY Times, Wash Post

publishing his manifesto

 

 

**

William Safire, Safire's New                        Political Dictionary

 

"They won't just be press agents trying to impart a favorable spin to a routine release. They'll be the Spin Doctors, senior advisors to the candidates."

 

"spin doctors" - attempted c

 

ontrol of political reaction

 

News Leaks

Thomas B. Ross describes them,

the leak is "its lifeline to unauthorized truth."

 

"backgrounders" - leaks bits and pieces of secret information

eg. Starr Report

 

 

On Background

          Information provided to a journalist that will not be attributed to a named source.

 

 

*Woodward and Bernstein 

investigative reporting on the Watergate break-in    

"Deep Throat"

                                               (Deep Background)

                                                   Press Release

   A document offering an official comment or position

 

Press briefing                                       

          A relatively restricted session between a press secretary or aide and the press

 

Press Conference

          An unrestricted session between an elected official and the press

 

Off the record

          Information provided to a journalist that will not be released to the public

 

On the record

          Information provided to a journalist that can be released and attributed by name to the source

 

 

 

 

Investigative reporting and the TV News Show

NBC's Dateline -

on exploding GM pickup trucks

 

News people actually rigged truck to explode on camera for their special report

 

                                                             **

 

 

 

Freedom of Information Act

signed in 1966,strengthened 1974

modified - Reagan, Clinton

Executive orders to declassify and lengthen release time of sensitive information

 

                                                             **

 

 

Is the Press Bias? Ruthless?

Opinionated?         Unfair?

 

 

The Press on Presidents

usually tough

 

The Presidential Press Secretary must be very adept when dealing with the press.

 

Eisenhower - at first denied that U2 planes deliberately flew over the Soviet Union

 

 

Kennedy - falsely said he did not intervene in Cuba

 

Johnson - Gulf of Tonkin

 

Nixon - lied about Watergate

Carter – Iran/Hostage Crisis

                                                             

Reagan – Iran/Contra

 

Bush sr. – No new taxes!!

 

Clinton – personal life

 

G. W. Bush – Speaking ability

 

Although…..                                              

 

*        Presidents can put a  favorable spin to the news

 

“Tear down that wall”

“Evil Empire”

“Communism is finally defeated”        

 

 

                                                            **

@

 

The Media Effect

The influence on news sources on public opinion

 

*an election (2000)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can the media create an image about the news reporter?

 

 

Walter Cronkite

David Brinkley

Mike Wallace

Sam Donaldson

Tom Brokaw

 

*        Tim Russert

 

Barbara Walters

Peter Jennings

 

 

 

 

"public journalism"

media uses its influence to encourage voters to become involved in politics

 

 

 

 

 

The Press and the Military

 

Secretary of State, James Baker

On the relationship between the military and the news media

"The Gulf War was quite a victory....outflanked, out maneuvered by the US Military. ….But I think, given time, the press will bounce back."

 

*General H. Norman Schwartzkopf