Media Effects and Communication Laws
What is the Payne Fund Study?
A series of 13 psychology studies that tested the effects of media
What is the difference between public and private research?
Public- academic or governmental research that tries to clarify, explain, or predict
Private- used by private owners or campaigns to uncover real-life problems
Explain the Bobo Doll Experiment
The social learning experiments that showed that children learn from what they gain from media
Explain Gerbner’s cultivation theory
Cultivation theory suggests that exposure to media over time can cultivate behavior, like violence
Hypodermic needle
Explains media effects by arguing that the media figuratively shoot their powerful effects into unsuspecting or weak audiences
Minimal effects
Researchers argue that people generally engage in selective exposure and selective retention with regard to the media
Uses-and-gratification
Usually employing in-depth interviews and survey questionnaires, this theory argues that people use the media to satisfy various emotional desires or intellectual needs
What is agenda setting?
The ability of the media to influence public opinion about which issues the government should address
What is social learning?
States that people learn through observing others
What is the cultivation effect?
The line between television and reality is blurred by ‘reality’ programs
What is Longitudinal studies?
Term used for research studies conducted over a long period of time and often rely on large government and academic survey databases
Spiral of Silence
The process by which a majority opinion becomes exaggerated because minorities do not feel comfortable speaking out in opposition
Third person effect
The assumption by most people that others are more prone to being influenced by persuasive messages, such as those in media campaigns, than they themselves are
What is the First Amendment and what does it protect?
Freedom of the press was not included at first. The Sedition Act was the first major attempt to constrain it and made the notion of a free press
What are the 4 models of expression?
Authoritarian, Libertarian, Communist, and Social Responsibility models for journalism and speech
Sedition Act
1918 law that made it illegal to criticize the government
Espionage Act
1917 act that gave the government new ways to combat spying
Prior restraint
Government censorship of information before it is published or broadcast
Copyright infringement
Illegally copying or distributing copyrighted material
Libel/slander
You cannot make false statements in public that might damage a person’s reputation unless you can prove it
Actual malice
Either knowledge of a defamatory statement’s falsity or a reckless disregard for the truth
Truth
Candor, fealty, frankness, indisputable, indubitable, legitimate, probity, sincere, veracious, verity
Privilege
A special favor, right, or advantage given to a person or group
Fair comment
Defense against a charge of libel based on opinion or criticism
Obscenity
Expression that isn’t protected as speech if certain legal tests are met
Invasion of privacy issues
Issues like wiretapping and tape recording
Gag order
An order issued by a judge restricting the publication of news about a trial or a pretrial hearing to protect the accused’s right to a fair trial
Shield laws
State laws that protect journalists from having to reveal their sources
Section 315
Mandates that during elections, broadcast stations must provide equal opportunities and response time for qualified political candidates
Fairness Doctrine
An FCC requirement that broadcasters who air programs on controversial issues provide time for opposing views
Motion Picture Production Code
Dictated how producers and directors should handle methods of crime, repellent subjects, and sex hygiene
Broadcast Indecency
Stems from a complaint to the FCC and relates to appropriate broadcast; the government may punish broadcasters for indecency or profanity after the fact