Public Opinion And Policy Implications Of Television

Television remains a very important standard regarding how the community view the criminal justice system. Most residents have very little contact with the criminal justice system, usually limited to contacts with police. Only an estimated 21 % of citizens have contact with police officers in a year, and 40 % of those contacts are merely traffic stops (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2002). Most people get their information and perceptions about crime and the criminal justice system through various media outlets. Those who rely on the media, however, do not always receive an accurate view of reality. Media depictions, whether accurate or not, have very important public opinion and policy implications. One prime example of how the media can have powerful influences on public opinion was the focus on school violence in the past decade. The school shootings in the 1990s caused a panic among many parents who had children in school at that time. As portrayed by the media, school violence and shootings were on the rise, and something had to be done. As a result of the public outcry, Congress held hearings on the problem, and school budgets were strained in order to get such enhancements as metal detectors and school cameras. The media attention given to school shootings seemed to result in a widespread panic, where actual statistics and logical assessments of the threat were replaced by emotionally charged reactions to these isolated incidents (Burns Crawford, 1999). In actuality,Show MoreRelatedAgenda Setting Theory And Social Media1317 Words   |  6 PagesMedia The agenda-setting theory states that the media influences what people choose to think about. The theory emerged from communication studies and focuses on mass media and setting the public agenda. In the seminal article, McCombs and Shaw (1972) found a high correlation between media agenda and the public agenda through content analysis of a local election. The theorists wanted to discover what types of people are most susceptible to the media agenda through quantitative research. People acquireRead MoreEssay Final Exam Questions740 Words   |  3 Pagessubstantially different? 5) In a 1969 address, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew discussed the â€Å"importance of the television news medium to the American people.† He noted that â€Å"it must be recognized that the networks have made important contributions to the national knowledge- for news, documentaries, and specials. They have often used their power constructively and creatively to awaken the public consciousness to criti cal problems†¦The networks have a directness and an immediacy that’s the gift of theirRead MoreCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 1626 Words   |  7 PagesPolicy Problem The recent Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications (CRTC) (2013c) Broadcasting Regulatory Policy on the Distribution of Canadian Category C national news speciality services marks a new regulatory approach to distributing competitive news and sports programming in Canada. This policy is a response to Canadians concerns over consumer choice due to program bundling and an inability to select news and sports programs on a stand-alone basis (CRTC, 2013c; CRTC, 2014). BasedRead MoreMedia And Its Impact On Society Essay1625 Words   |  7 PagesMedia can be defined as â€Å"the means of communication as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet, that reach or influence people widely† and is fully ingrained into our society. In fact, according to Nielsen’s Total Audience Report, during the 1st Quarter of 2016, American adults consumed media at a daily average of 10 hours and 39 minutes. Media not only entertains us and serves as an important ag ent of communication, but also plays a crucial role in the socialization of culturalRead MoreNews Media And Voting Preferences Essay1391 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The news media plays an important role in society. It sets the stage for political news, manages sources, and controls the information. It functions as a window to the outside world, and possesses the ability to shape public knowledge, attitudes, and voting behavior. The relationship between news media and voting preferences has become a hot topic in recent years worldwide. This paper will focus on the social and social-psychological aspects of media influence on the voting preferencesRead MoreFraming and Agenda Setting Bias in News Media Essay1540 Words   |  7 Pageshalf a century ago. The Fairness Doctrine, which was eliminated in 1987, was a policy that required the holders of broadcast licenses to both present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was, in the Federal Communications Commissions view, honest, equitable and balanced. The Doctrine obligated broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public policy and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. Why are channels thatRead MoreCurrent Issues With Fcc Broadcast Indecency Regulations Essay1636 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"[w]hen families are watching a Sunday night football game, they shouldn’t have to brace themselves for a televised strip tease.† However, the Commission waited nearly a decade before finally announcing its first maximum fine of $325,000 against WDBJ Television, Inc., in Roanoke, Virginia. WDBJ broadcasted a news report about a former adult film star who joined a local volunteer rescue squad, including a video clip depicting the woman’s head and shoulders obtained from a video distributor’s website.Read MoreMedia and Politics: Agenda Setting and Framing Essay examples863 Words   |  4 PagesHow has media influenced public perception of political figures, issues, and institutions? Through agenda setting and framing, media has the power to set the agenda for political discussion by providing public attention to political figures, issues, and institutions. In addition, the media can frame political agendas by influencing public perception and interpretation. (Ginsberg, Lowi Weir, 1999) Agenda Setting and Framing Political Figures and Candidates In campaigning, media coverage playsRead More Media And Politics: Agenda Setting And Framing Essay871 Words   |  4 Pages How has media influenced public perception of political figures, issues, and institutions? Through agenda setting and framing, media has the power to set the agenda for political discussion by providing public attention to political figures, issues, and institutions. In addition, the media can frame political agendas by influencing public perception and interpretation. (Ginsberg, Lowi amp; Weir, 1999) Agenda Setting and Framing Political Figures and Candidates In campaigning, media coverage playsRead MoreAgenda Setting Theory And Social Media s Influence2238 Words   |  9 Pagesmonths on the front page of The Washington Post because McCombs and Shaw believe that the â€Å"mass media have the ability to transfer the salience of items on their news agenda to the public agenda.† They aren’t suggesting that broadcast and print personnel make a deliberate attempt to influence listener, viewer or reader opinion on the issues. Agenda setting is one of the fundamental mass media functions. Through exercising this function, mass media are forced to simultaneously satisfy certain material