Media Influence and Public Opinion in American News
This paper examines the influence of American media on public opinion, arguing that the relationship between news outlets and their audiences is bidirectional rather than one-directional. Beginning with the historical consolidation of media power—illustrated by Walter Cronkite's sway over Lyndon B. Johnson's reelection prospects—the paper traces the transformation of the media landscape through the rise of cable news and internet-based "new media." It analyzes how partisan primetime programming on Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN has increasingly blurred the line between hard news and entertainment. Using gun control coverage as a central case study, the paper argues that ideological bias and ratings-driven incentives lead to incomplete, sometimes factually incorrect public discourse, ultimately undermining the media's responsibility to inform citizens in a meaningful and balanced way.
- Introduction: Media's Role in Shaping Public Discourse: Thesis: media actively shapes public opinion
- The Evolving Media Landscape: From Cronkite to Cable and New Media: Historical shift from scarce to fragmented media sources
- Partisan Programming and the Entertainment Turn: Cable news prioritizes ideology and ratings over news
- The Bidirectional Relationship Between Media and Audience: Media and public mutually shape each other's behavior
- Gun Control Coverage as a Case Study in Media Bias: Biased gun debate coverage spreads misinformation
- Conclusion: Media Influence, Responsibility, and the Path Forward: Media wields power irresponsibly; reform unlikely soon
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What makes this paper effective
- Uses concrete historical examples—such as Cronkite's influence on LBJ's reelection decision—to ground abstract claims about media power in verifiable events.
- Acknowledges complexity by arguing that media influence is bidirectional, avoiding an oversimplified "media controls the public" thesis.
- Grounds the theoretical argument in a specific policy case study (gun control coverage), which demonstrates how abstract claims about bias manifest in real reporting failures.
- Cites a range of sources, from the American Press Institute to PolitiFact, lending empirical support to otherwise editorial observations.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of concession and qualification: the author repeatedly acknowledges the opposing perspective (e.g., that some hard news is still reported, or that both sides misuse firearms data) before returning to the central claim. This strengthens credibility and models nuanced argumentative writing rather than one-sided assertion.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a thesis about media power, then builds historical context through the Cronkite era and the cable/internet transitions. A middle section inventories partisan players on both left and right before pivoting to the bidirectional influence argument. The gun control section serves as an extended evidence-based case study. The conclusion calls for reform while acknowledging economic and ideological obstacles. The structure moves from broad claim → historical evidence → current examples → case study → normative conclusion.
Introduction: Media's Role in Shaping Public Discourse
Many people assert that the media plays a passive role in reporting the news and that there is no causal link between what is depicted or reported in the media and what is subsequently witnessed in press and other media spheres. However, this assertion is far from accurate. This is not to say that every person is influenced and shaped in large part by what the media says. At the same time, to suggest that the public is not guided or urged in a given direction by what the media does or does not do would also be untrue. While the media is often referred to with insults and pejoratives, it possesses and wields a major role in American society, and that power is sometimes misused to a considerable degree.
References
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Clark, L. (2006). Walter Cronkite — About Walter Cronkite — American Masters — PBS. American Masters. Retrieved 27 August 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/walter-cronkite-about-walter-cronkite/561/
Clark, M. (2016). 10 stories the National Enquirer actually got right. Politicschatter. Retrieved 27 August 2016, from http://politicschatter.com/politics-talk/slideshow/stories-national-enquirer-actually-got-right/
Colwell, T. (2016). New study finds media bias in gay marriage coverage. Townhall. Retrieved 27 August 2016, from http://townhall.com/tipsheet/taylorcolwell/2013/06/17/new-study-finds-media-bias-in-gay-marriage-coverage-n1621835
Davies, R. (2016). The news as a social process for improving society. MIT Center for Civic Media. Retrieved 27 August 2016, from
Glass, A. (2013). Drudge says Newsweek sitting on Lewinsky story, Jan. 17, 1998. POLITICO. Retrieved 27 August 2016, from http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/this-day-in-politics-086305
Moorthy, N. (2016). Alan Grayson's wrong talking point about gun used by Mateen. PolitiFact. Retrieved 27 August 2016, from http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2016/jun/14/alan-grayson/orlando-democrat-alan-grayson-700-rounds-minute/
Pew. (2014). Political polarization in the American public. Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Retrieved 27 August 2016, from http://www.people-press.org/2014/06/12/political-polarization-in-the-american-public/
Zimmerman, N. (2016). 'MTV exec' answers age-old question: Why doesn't MTV play music videos anymore? Gawker.com. Retrieved 27 August 2016, from
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