Media Quickly Becoming Youdia

(From CBS2School)

Elections alone do not make a democracy.

Healthy democracies do feature free and fair elections, but democratic systems must also operate with a degree of transparency. Thus, citizens must be allowed to examine how government works to in order to hold government officials truly accountable.

The Framers of our Constitution understood this and knew the free press would be vital to help citizens stay educated. It’s no surprise that this protection was guaranteed in the very first amendment to the Constitution just as it’s no surprise that the media is deemed to be important enough to be called our 4th branch of government.

VIDEO: How does the media impact the issues?

In serving the essential purpose of educating the public about governmental affairs, our media plays three critical functions: gatekeeper, scorekeeper and watchdog.

As a gatekeeper, the press must decide what to print out of the thousands of notable events that occur every day on this planet.

No matter whether it’s CBS 2, The New York Times or any internet blog—every media outlet must first determine which stories should be labeled as news.

As a scorekeeper, the media is constantly determining the winners of our ongoing political game. This can be as simple as reporting on the status of candidates in a party nomination contest or as complex as determining which political factions the public favors during policy disputes.

As a watchdog, the media reports on the moments when government and its officials do not live up to public expectations. American media law is very supportive of this function as the “Freedom of Information Act” mandates citizens have the right to access a tremendous amount of governmental information that would otherwise remain secret.

Our legal system also punishes the press for libel only if a report is both false and intentionally malicious. This high standard works to protect watchdog reporting because American libel law does not punish reporters who make simple mistakes in their coverage. Add these three features up and any student of government can see that the freedom of the press—and all of its modern forms—is still a vibrant and integral part of life in a healthy American democracy.

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Which of the following best characterizes the influence of the news media on public opinion in the United States?
A. They alter the public's views on issues.
B. They affect which issues the public thinks are important.
C. They determine how citizens will vote.
D. They are most able to influence the college educated.
E. They are most able to influence those living in big cities
___________________

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