GVPT 170 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Federal Communications Commission, Fairness Doctrine, Citizen Journalism

• School: University of Maryland
• Department: Government and Politics
• Course: GVPT 170
• Professor: All

Document Summary

Low barriers to publication, but less accountability. Traditionally, goal of media is to be objective. Historical role of the media as watchdog in government and politics. The first amendment: freedom of the press. Government & the media: regulation and deregulation. Fcc regulates ownership & puts emphasis on media serving public interest. Telecommunications act of 1996: relaxed limits on media ownership, including cross- Independent agency created in 1934 that regulates broadcast media media ownership. Generally, media in the us have a lot of freedom. But, reporters can be compelled by the government to reveal their sources if information provided is relevant to legal matter. Ex: 2005 case involving ny times reporter and refusing to reveal her source for story that revealed cia operative"s identity. Common belief that there is a liberal bias in the media. It depends on the characteristics of the information and the audience