Week 19: Media and the Lewinsky Scandal
Goals:
1. Demonstrate understanding of how the media engages in agenda-setting and framing
2. Analyze the effect of “economics of the media” on how issues are addressed in the public forum in the U.S.
3. Convey the impact of White House News Management and Adversarial Journalism on the political culture in the United States
Key Questions:
· What motivated the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal of 2008?
· How do the media affect the issues which the public addresses?
Big idea:
Agenda-setting and framing are two major ways that the media influence politics.
Key Facts:
- The news media set the agenda for public discussion in the US
- The media and political public relations organizations sometimes compete with one another to frame a particular issue in the public eye
Review:
- To what degree is agenda-setting by the media a conscious decision, and to what extend do scandals “take on a life of their own?”
- What is an example of agenda setting today?
- Do major issues disappear when the news stops caring about them?
- What are some examples of big issues that have taken a backseat to smaller, trivial matters in recent months?
- Look at the example of President Obama’s citizenship. How has the media “framed” this issue?
- What about the death of Osama bin Laden?
- Why would a news channel try and focus on an issue via talk shows (commentary) rather than actual journalism?
- What is the role of “spin” in journalism?
- Does the media generally support the president, or is it adversarial?
- What is the role of the press in politics?
- Does our current president have a “celebrity personality?” How so?
- How did political opponents of President Clinton use the media? How successful are they?
- What is adversarial journalism? Does news that can attract a wide audience give the media an interest in emphasizing political scandals?
- Is the media biased? What is the media’s primary concern?
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