Macro level Theory
Views media communications as mow powerful than personal communications
News media create a scarcity of perspective
Ubiquity
Cumulation—same stories and sources
Consonance—shared values and training of news people
News Production Research
What do we learn about media bias through news production research?
Even within the normative process and even when they’re trying to create slanted content, the way the news is created can disfigure the way news is communicated and ultimately offer more bias than unbiased perspectives.
Some news’ coverage of the Hurricane Katrina featured affected blacks who broke into convenient stores for food as looters; whites who committed the same acts were just trying to survive.
Media Intrusion Theory (Modern version of Elite Pluralism)
Media have intruded into and taken over politics to the degree that politics have become ruined.
Media intrusion presumes:
-Political system is most effective when responsible and informed political elite mediates public and leaders
-Leaders work their way into position of power through local/regional/national organizations
-Most members of the elite are not elected officials, but they are community leaders.
Some media outlets preferred to focus on the 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s looks than her politics, specifically her views on the working class’ struggles: Oh, well, some decisions that have been made poorly should not be rewarded, of course.
