Roles of Media

Gatekeeper http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/01/opinion/goyer-search-for-flight/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 Source: CNN Author: Robert Goyer Date of Publication: Tue April 1, 2014 Gate Keeper refers to when the national press influences what subjects or topics become National political issues and for how long. This article talk about the missing flight, flight 370 and discusses how "it may never be found." The story on this flight can be found on almost every national media cite and is of high public interest. It was also the headline on the CNN website and has been a popular subject for around 2 weeks. Quote: "Without a break in the case that would lead investigators quickly in the direction of the Boeing 777-200 that disappeared March 8, it is likely that we will never find the wreckage, even if debris does turn up in the coming weeks, months or years." This quote highlights how this will be a continuing search which means we can expect future articles about it. There is also a video that goes with the article which talks about how without finding this plane we cannot make future safety changes; this proves that the article is a national political issue. Scorekeeper http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/03/30/the-inside-politics-forecast-gop-donors-look-to-walker-rubio/ Source: CNN Author:CNN Chief National Correspondent John King Date of Publication: March 30th, 2014 Scorekeeper is when the national press tracks political candidates, government officials and their reputations. It covers elections as though they are "horse races" rather than choices among policy alternatives. This article represents the National Government as a scorekeeper because it talks about how Chris Christie is not a good candidate and won't get enough votes and about how worried people are about him running. Quote: "Chris Christie had many fans and potential backers on hand, but reports from those at the meeting also indicated significant worries about the toll of Bridgegate." This quote is an example of the National Government as a scorekeeper because it talks about his reputation and kind of down talks the candidate making it seem like there is only one option and that's not him. Watchdog http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/25129279/deputies-april-fools-text-about-school-shooting?hpt=ju_bn1 Author:Casey Vaughn and Joseph Pereira Publication Date: April 1, 2014 Source: CNN Watchdog reports scandals, I could not find any interesting political scandals on CNN and this particular story kind of interested me. A woman texted her daughter saying there was a shooting so her daughter called 911 only to find that it was an April Fools joke. Quote: "FOX Carolina reached out to Timmons' daughter who said she had no comment and the incident was being misconstrued by local media outlets." This quote in itself is talking about the media as a watchdog, she says that it is being misconstrued by media outlets so they are blowing up this "scandal." Is the Media's power equivalent to a fourth branch of government? I feel as if yes, the Media's power is equivalent to a fourth branch of government. On the teaching history website it discusses how the term "fourth branch of government" is a rhetorical term and refers to how much power the media has over people and how the power of the media is not under the people's control, just liken representatives. I feel as if this couldn't be more true; the people have no power over what is being reported and most do not understand the bias. Also the media has HUGE influence over our decisions, whether it be day-to-day decisions like "what to not eat" in the health section or decisions like who to vote for. The media really does have about as much of influence on people as any branch of government does