Power to Exclude

WWI

Access to Information

Power of Sources

Creating News

Avoid media framing

WW2, News Control

Intimacy, emotion

Leadership

Direct link to people

• Not mediated
• No framing, context
• No accuracy check

Fireside Chats

"Radio Priest"

World War II.

1. Tension:

FOP? or Censorship?

2. Control

• Access to military operations/protection
• Accreditation (registration, article review, nature of review)
• Military censorship (Pearl Harbor, casualties, Kamikazes, balloons)
• News management by officers
• Difficulty in covering the war (dependence on military, sheer scope, personal danger)
• Self censorship (Steinbeck, Patton case)

1. Personnel:

"white media"

2. Visibility

"Symbolic annihilation"

3. Nature of images

4. Commercial media v. ethnic/community media

Differing construction of events (Cayton’s Weekly: Helena, Ark.)

• Resistance
• Community
• Success

Fly on the Wall: questions you should be able to answer about the book.

1. Define the idea of a reporter as a "fly on the wall."

2. Make this argument: a reporter cannot be a fly on the wall. Document, drawing specific examples from the book.

3. What is the news story that John Cotton uncovers (and that ultimately is published?

4. Who are the people who serve as the key sources for the news story? What is their agenda? Why are they providing the information?

5. What’s the nature of the relationship

(a) between reporter and politician and

(b) between reporter and source.

How do they treat each other? How do reporters get people to talk to them? What is the nature of their interaction? Note use of "off the record," attribution, favors, etc. How independent is the press?

6. Korolenko argues that the idea of just printing "the facts" and letting the people decide is not satisfactory. Why? Why is Korolenko upset about Cotton’s story?

In another exchange, Cotton and Hall talk about similar issues. What are the key points in their discussion?

What is Cotton’s answer to both Korolenko and Hall?

7. Janey Janoski’s views on news differ from those of Cotton. How? Explain. What are her concerns?

8. This book illustrates the idea of news management. News management refers to the ability of someone (in this case, politicians) to get the news to reflect their agenda within the general guidelines of objective journalism. Explain. What is the news management that is going on here? (Hint: this question relates to #4 above).

9. At the very end of the book, Korolenko engages in his own effort at news management. What does he do? How could this influence the definition of news in the weeks and months ahead?

10. How does competition among reporters, media, influence news?

11. What are the demands of news production? -- time of day, deadlines, differences between print and broadcast media?

Fly on the Wall

1. Story line.

2. What is a fly on the wall?

3. Is John Cotton successful at being a fly on the wall?

4. Can a reporter be a fly on the wall?

5. What are Cotton’s relationships w/ politicians?

Roark?

Korolenko?

6. Relationships w/ other reporters?

7. What is Cotton’s sense of personal obligation to people in the news?

e.g., state employees?

8. Would Cotton have printed the Patton story?

9. Cotton is unhappy with his editor. Why?

10. Who will benefit from Cotton’s story?

Who will not benefit?

11. What role do sources play in shaping the news?

McDaniels: Big story

dies

John Cotton: takes over

Starts investigating

Whitey Robbins dies

Fake Bomb (#1)

Trip out west (#2)

Cotton back

Puts story together

Reevis Smith using concrete from state job for another job.

Flowers, Singer

Cotton lured to Capitol.

Almost killed (3rd time)

Story to Janey

Cotton visits Korolenko

K kills Sen. Clark

Television

1. E.B. White

Unbearable disturbance or saving radiance from the sky.

2. Cold War context

political caution

3. Potential? Radio moves into TV.

4. Early programming: Variety, comedy, sports, news (15 minutes)

5. Advertiser control

Script instructions in "Man Against Crime"

Camel cigarettes = sponsor

Censorship

Formats

6. Golden Age of Television, 1953-1955.

Anthologies

High quality writers, actors.

"Drama of the Mundane."

Advertising Pressure

Elmer Rice, Pulitzer Prize winner

Reginald Rose, Thunder on Sycamore Street (Cicero Illinois)

Rod Serling, Noon on Doomsday (Emmett Till case)

7. Quiz Shows

Ideal for Cold War era.

$64,000 Question

Revlon and Living Lipstick

Ideal for advertisers

Low costs, ratings, name recognition, control.

Imitators

Successes

Charles Van Doren on 21.

Quiz Show Scandals

Charges of Fraud: Dotto, 21.

8. Network Programming, 1958-

Scatter plan for ads

Demographics: Nielsen

Demise of Gunsmoke, Red Skelton

Other formulas: Action, Aubrey Dictum ("Jiggly"), Counter-Programming

9. Introduction of film into TV

New Producers (e.g., Desilu)

Syndication/re-runs

10. News and public affairs

Responsibility?

Documentaries.

Evening News

Critiques by Murrow, Minow.