Fox News And American Politics: How One Channel Shapes American Politics And Society

Description

In recent years, scholars have argued that the ability of people to choose which channel they want to watch means that television news is just preaching to the choir, and doesn’t change any minds. However, this book shows that the media still has an enormous direct impact on American society and politics. While past research has emphasized the indirect effects of media content on attitudes – through priming or framing, for instance – Dan Cassino argues that past data on both the public opinion and the media side wasn’t detailed enough to uncover it. Using a combination of original national surveys, large scale content analysis of news coverage along with data sets as disparate as FBI gun background checks and campaign contribution records, Cassino discusses why it’s important to treat different media sources separately, estimating levels of ideological bias for television media sources as well as the differences in the topics that the various media sources cover. Taking this into account proves that exposure to some media sources can serve to actually make Americans less knowledgeable about current affairs, and more likely to buy into conspiracy theories. Even in an era of declining viewership, the media – especially Fox News – are shaping our society and our politics. This book documents how this is happening, and shows the consequences for Americans. The quality of journalism is more than an academic question: when coverage focuses on questionable topics, or political bias, there are consequences. Front Cover Fox News and American Politics Title Page Copyright Page Contents Acknowledgments Chapter 1: The Most Powerful Name in News The Rise of Ideological Media Bias in the Media Data What’s Not Being Tested Challenges of Understanding the Effects of the Media Fox News The Structure of the Book Chapter 2: The Media and Presidential Approval The Importance of Presidential Approval Effects of Media Coverage of the President Statements in the Media and Presidential Approval Media Effects Change Based on the Political Environment Effects of Media Coverage by Political Group Media Effects Differ by Income Group Topic Coverage and Obama Approval Are These Just Framing Effects? Fox News and Bush Approval Media Coverage and Presidential Approval Chapter 3: Fox News and the 2012 Republican Primary Primary Elections The 2012 Republican Primary What’s in the Coverage? The Impact of Coverage on the Primary Election Campaign Contributions Conclusions Chapter 4: The 2012 General Election Data on the General Election Media Coverage of the 2012 General Election Direct Effects of the Media in the 2012 General Election What Media Matters? Incumbent Bias Campaign Events Conclusions Chapter 5: Fox News and Political Knowledge Political Knowledge in America Media Sources and Political Knowledge Other News Sources Responses to These Findings Other Predictors of Political Knowledge Partisanship and Political Knowledge The Attentional Explanation Motivated Reasoning Criticisms of These Findings Non-Ideological News Sources Conclusions Chapter 6: Conspiracy Theories and Other False Beliefs Conspiracy Theories in American Politics Belief in Political Conspiracy Theories Political Knowledge and Conspiracy Theories Birtherism Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq Current Beliefs about WMD Non-Political Conspiracy Theories Media, Political Knowledge and Conspiracy Theories Chapter 7: The Media and Society Firearm Background Checks Media Content and Gun Purchases “The War on Christmas” Common Core Conclusions Chapter 8: Conclusion What’s New about These Findings? How the Findings Fit into the Existing Literature Framing or Direct Effects? Media Responsibility Chapter 9: Methodology Notes Note 1.1 Note 1.2 Note 2.1 Note 2.2 Note 2.3 Note 2.4 Note 2.5 Note 2.6 Note 2.7 Note 2.8 Note 2.9 Note 2.10 Note 2.11 Note 2.12 Note 3.1 Note 3.2 Note 3.3 Note 3.4 Note 3.5 Note 3.6 Note 3.7 Note 3.8 Note 3.9 Note 4.1 Note 4.2 Note 4.3 Note 4.4 Note 5.1 Note 5.2 Note 5.3 Note 5.4 Note 6.1 Note 6.2 Note 6.3 Note 6.4 Note 6.5 Note 6.6 Note 7.1 Note 7.2 Note 7.3 Note 7.4 Note 7.5 References Index