AP Gov: Chapter 20

Question 1

Free Press

Answer 1

An uninhabited institution that places an additional check on government to maintain honesty, this, & transparency.

Question 2

News Bureaus

Answer 2

A branch office for a news organization located outside its main headquarters, designed to gather news in specific, high-interest areas like Washington, D.C., or state capitals.

Question 3

Radio

Answer 3

A form of electronic mass media that transmits audio content via electromagnetic waves to a wide audience, serving as a key tool for political communication, news dissemination, and shaping public opinion.

Question 4

Investigate Reporting

Answer 4

Original journalism that unearths scams, scandals, and corruption within government or large institutions.

Question 5

Broadcast Network

Answer 5

Broadcasting from 1 central to smaller stations.

Question 6

Affiliates

Answer 6

Local television or radio stations that carry the programming of a national network (e.g., local ABC or NBC stations).

Question 7

Big Three Networks

Answer 7

ABC, CBS, NBC

Represent the era of mass media gate keeping before cable, providing shared national news to a broad audience.

Question 8

Cable News Network (CNN)

Answer 8

A key, mass media outlet that acts as a linkage institution, shaping public opinion and influencing political discourse.

Question 9

Horse-Race Journalism

Answer 9

To election coverage that focuses on polling data, public perception, and “who is winning” rather than candidate policy, platforms, or substantive issues.

Question 10

Scorekeeper

Answer 10

Describes the national media’s tendency to track political reputations, candidacies, and poll results, focusing on who is winning or losing rather than on policy issues.

Question 11

Gatekeeper

Answer 11

The media’s role in filtering, selecting, and controlling which information and stories become public news and which do not.

Question 12

Watchdog

Answer 12

An individual, organization, or media outlet that closely monitors government officials, institutions, and corporations to ensure transparency, ethical conduct, and accountability.

Question 13

Adversarial Press

Answer 13

In the US, where reporters continually question government officials, their motives, & their effectiveness.

Question 14

Political Reporting

Answer 14

The media’s coverage of government activities, campaigns, and policy, acting as a critical linkage institution.

Question 15

Sound Bites

Answer 15

Short excerpts edited from a longer remark that are especially vivid in presenting an issue.

Question 16

C-SPAN

Answer 16

The cable satellite public affairs network.

A privately funded, non profit, public service.

Question 17

Political Analysis

Answer 17

The systematic study of American political institutions, behavior, and policy-making processes using data, text, and theoretical frameworks.

Question 18

Editorials

Answer 18

Those opinionated articles that reveal the publications view.

Question 19

Op-ends

Answer 19

An article, usually published in a newspaper or magazine (opposite the editorial page), that expresses the personal opinion of a named author who is often unaffiliated with the publication’s editorial board.

Question 20

Commentary

Answer 20

The subjective interpretation, analysis, or opinion expressed by media commentators and journalists regarding political events, policies, and figures.

Question 21

Narrowcasting

Answer 21

Media programming on cable television or the internet aimed at a specific, niche audience, rather than a broad, general public.

Question 22

Fairness Doctrine

Answer 22

A formal federal policy that requires radio & television broadcasts to present alternative viewpoints.

Question 23

Talk Radio

Question 24

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Question 25

Mainstream Media

Question 26

Confirmation Bias

Question 27

Consumer-Driven Media & Technology