Role of Press in a DemocracyRole of Press in a Democracy Democracy can’t function without

informed, critical citizens The press is the main informer of the public A free nation requires a free press The job of the newspaper is to comfort the

afflicted and afflict the comfortable.• Finley Peter Dunne

The Press as Watch DogThe Press as Watch Dog

Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. –Thomas Jefferson to Edward Carrington, 1787

The information of the people at large can alone make them the safe as they are the sole depositary of our political and religious freedom. --Thomas Jefferson to William Duane, 1810

The Press as Attack DogThe Press as Attack Dog

Vicious press coverage is nothing new. Contemporary treatment of candidates, even

in the blogosphere, is pretty mild. Jefferson lamented that a man who reads

nothing at all is better informed that a man who reads only newspapers.

The Press as Lap DogThe Press as Lap Dog

An Informed ElectorateAn Informed Electorate If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in

a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. --Thomas Jefferson to Charles Yancey, 1816.

Media Consolidation and Its ImpactMedia Consolidation and Its Impact A business model for news The dangers of concentration (CJR) The Big Five, an American keiretsu Fear of offending those in power

– MSNBC and firing Phil Donahue

– PEW study on killing stories (2000)

Media Consolidation and Its ImpactMedia Consolidation and Its Impact PEW study of reporters, editors,

executives– 1/3 say stories that "hurt the financial interests” of

owners/advertisers go unreported.– 41% have avoided or softened stories.

FAIR study of investigative reporters:– 70% say advertisers had "tried to influence the

content”.– 60% say advertisers tried to kill stories.

The More you Watch the Less The More you Watch the Less you Knowyou Know

PIPA/KN Survey 2004

False Beliefs Fox CBS NBC ABC CNN NPR/PBS Print

WMD 33 23 20 19 20 11 17

Al Qaeda 67 56 49 45 48 16 40

Int’l Support 35 28 20 27 24 5 17

None 20 29 45 39 45 77 53

1 or more 80 71 55 61 55 23 47

The More you Watch the Less you The More you Watch the Less you Know(2010 Pew Study)Know(2010 Pew Study)

True Beliefs Fox CNN NPR O’Reilly PBS Daily Show/Colbert

National Average

Name Sunnis 32 38 49 43 46 50 32

Identify Libby 29 36 43 44 45 44 29

Identify Putin 38 41 51 53 54 52 36

U.S. War Dead

58 60 66 64 67 59 55

Overall 35 41 51 51 53 54 35

Democracy Now! ClipDemocracy Now! Clip

Fairleigh Dickinson studyFairleigh Dickinson study

The 2008 Election and Blame for The 2008 Election and Blame for the Sub-Prime Crisisthe Sub-Prime Crisis

Fannie, Freddie, and the CRA did it!– Larry Kudlow, George Will, Charles Krauthammer,

Neil Cavuto, Lou Dobbs, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Neal Boortz, Bill O’Reilly

Narrative—the government forced banks into poor lending practices to aid the disadvantaged.

At best misleading, at worst a lie.

The 2008 Election and Blame for The 2008 Election and Blame for the Sub-Prime Crisisthe Sub-Prime Crisis

What the narrative ignores– The CRA applies only to FDIC institutions

– 84% of all sub-prime loans come from private non-CRA institutions (Argent, American Home Mortgage, Countrywide, CitiMortgage,Wells Fargo Home Mortgage)

– Fannie and Freddie don’t lend, they securitize

– Fannie and Freddie’s shares of the home loan market dropped from 2002- 2007

News as EntertainmentNews as Entertainment

Fluff and style replace substance News as story telling—media narratives Catering to viewer preferences Debate as theater The myth of balance

The Myth of BalanceThe Myth of Balance

Every issue has two equal sides Fairness involves giving equal time to both

sides We report, you decide

The Patron Saint of News Junkies