American Government › Section H · The media › Topic H.4
The impact of the media
The media rarely tell people what to believe outright, but they strongly influence which issues seem important, how problems are understood and how leaders are judged. Knowing these effects, and the biases built into news, helps citizens read coverage critically.
In this topic
- Do the media change minds?
- Three generations of effects research
- Agenda setting
- Framing
- Priming
- Worked example: one story, three effects
- Bias: partisan and structural
- Covering campaigns and government
- Coverage and society
- Worked example: weighing a charge of bias
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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