CROSS-X KERPEN POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION INDEX SH 1AR OVERVIEW. CRISIS CYCLE. 6 DISAD IS FICTION 78 DISAD JACKS DEBATE 9 NEWS ISOLATE: 10 PERSONALIZATION ui EPISODIC BAD 12 PRESIDENT FOCUS is NEWSPAPER LINK. 14 NE! ITIST PROPAGANDA. 15-17 PLOT FORMULAS 18 FRAGMENTATION, 19 ENDLESS FANTASY 20 THIS IS A BASIC BUT POWERFUL CRITIQUE OF THE NEWS MEDIA. IN GENERAL AND THE POLITICS DISAD IN PARTICULAR. THE DISAD PIECES TOGETHER NEWS FRAGMENTS TO CREATE AN ENDLESS CRISIS CYCLE THAT DESTROYS REAL POLICY DEBATE AND BECOMES A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY.CROSS-X KERPEN POLITICS K ‘NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION 1 SHELL 1/3 (Q) NEWS THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION A. THE DISAD IS A FANTASY ASSEMBLED LIKE A JIGSAW PUZZLE TO FIT A TIRED PLOT FORMULAS. BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. $8] a Kone Paifent cist n ef conaingd damatc capsule, goa rot ‘each oer i ipearanaee The mses hasnt is Mar ou of fous and mis 5 When foes & provided, its on Soe Te otal fom the hers. And eo the woud Te eee thc news defies the old ar rear than the som of ps Innes ely the mle Fr tan ie sum oft pate, Colvamist Russel Baker once parodied fhe rypia newsca i the fog em pansy in tm hher gon’s expulsion from school for shooting a teacher who lad referred the dispute over the B-1 bomber.” |CROSS-X KERPEN POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION 2 SHELL 2/3 B. RELYING ON DRAMATIZED NEWS SHORT-CIRCUITS REAL POLICY ANALYSIS AND CAUSES A TRAGIC SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY. BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 romper the news were merely an-enteraiimc the dy absurd hosed by fenly med pesali apie and dangerous wars throughout the less developed world, the cemment secrecy, dizzying spirals of debe and budget deficits, the growing anti jgovernment sentiment among the public, the resuking, impoverishment of publle Spaces and services, the widening gap between rich and poor, andthe reteat of ‘mide America into suburban shopping mall enclaves. The list of the work's problems is a long one, Yet who knows where the twoubles come From of for that mater 6 So Shen they Teappear, meres iy. Trom the news for awhile? {Che vinusal absence of explanation or analysis in the hews leaves the origins of events unexplored. lems seem to be pushed onto BE SSa ges ye eklas aT of the enowny, the government, or ood tld muman nature. When i eames to other subject, like cine or ten he ‘media drops the veil of mystery to explain how good people (ike us) fe (ike criminals and enOFRT WT just seem 10 want 10 destroy these good-guvs vers 1 are 109 simple to be ie ee ee a ae areas Fation’s crime problem, and you will hear that we need to hie more police, bail more prisons, impose tougher sentences, and contro the sale of guns. These solu tions are, of course, what mainstream politicians in Washington and state capitals propose and debate year in and year out—which explains why they dominate besh the news and popult thinking, The only touble is that abough they may be psy chologcally reassuring, they are not solving the crime problem. The prison popula tion of the United Seates has doubled inthe last decade, while clave continued 1 sere oul sn ae tobias el ay a ce eee ae Rea a more disturbing. Despite (or peshaps{ because of $e inescael te palteal eid ean ermalCROSS-X KERPEN POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION 2 SHELL 3/3 C. THE DISAD IS A NO MORE THAN A FABRICATION TO ADVANCE SOCIAL CONTROL. BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 [LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. 189] Beyond ie wei consequences of masemedted weal ate some D. VOTING ISSUE ~ THE VALUE OF DEBATE DERIVES FROM THE SKILLS. OF CRITICAL POLICY ANALYSIS. THE NEGATIVE’S RELIANCE ON, AND REPLICATION OF, THE WORST EXCESSES OF THE NEWS MEDIA DESTROYS DEBATE,CROSS-X KERPEN POLITICS K ‘NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION 4 1AR OVERVIEW 1/2 ‘THE NEWS IS A RIGIDLY CONTROLLED TOOL OF SOCIAL CONTROL USED BY ELITES TO CREATE A NEVER-ENDING STRING OF DRAMATIC FICTIONS — SINCE THE DISAD IS FICTION IS SHOULD HAVE ZERO WEIGHT - EXTEND OUR C CARD. ‘THE NEGATIVE NOT ONLY QUOTES THE NEWS ~ THE DISAD ITSELF 1S PRECISELY WHAT BENNETT CRITIQUES ~ A JIGSAW PUZZLE OF ISOLATED FRAGMENTS — THAT'S OUR A CARD. BUYING INTO THE NEGATIVE’S FICTION ACTUALLY CAUSES THE DISAD’S IMPACT BY GIVING THE INVENTED CRISIS PUBLIC AND POLITICAL CREDIBILITY ~ THAT’S THE B CARD ~ SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY IMPACT.cROSS-x KERPEN POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION 5 1AR OVERVIEW 2/2 AS A CITIZEN THIS DEBATE REPRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO REJECT THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION IN AN OPEN PUBLIC FORUM. , UNIVERSITY OF BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIEN WASHINGTON, 1996 [LANCE NEWS. THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG; 200-1] geet ter Me next Sep is 10 begin thinking freely about alermatives BIT aitorming ESIC pence Terps TT Sa san_paliical reporting? More analysis within news Sore? © forthe diversity of poliical ideas contained in it Perhaps people should think ‘more about diveity apd ates sienna Sox equston siete on Fae te communes Weedon ors meus eee Ze addon 10 thinking’ more pragmatically about how to des 7 gm oe oye wa a ere Would dowel Tear or ‘The calc analyses contained in this book can be used ‘Eeoding the new WI people en eal btw isean i fnitration and confusion nthe ma Decoding the news also reminds th bo fe retee Eo a Teminds hose who Tid mesg a siplvng scopes and sogan tha fl the news tae ee {uslon tht sl lado el power or meaning parent Se Co, big difference to people if they realize that{ becoming Lies FINALLY, EXTEND OUR VOTING ISSUE - THEIR DISAD IS HARMFUL TO REAL POLICY DEBATE ~ VOTE AFFIRMATIVE TO REJECT THEIR INTERPRETATION OF WHAT DEBATE SHOULD BE AND BECAUSE REJECTION THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION HAS A REAL IMPACT ON HOW WE FUNCTION AS CITIZENS IN A DEMOCRACY.CROSS-X KERPEN POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION 6 CRISIS CYCLE THE DISAD IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE CRISIS CYCLE — IT PERSONALIZES, DRAMATIZES, AND FRAGMENTS THE ENWS - MAKES S@a®8G ANY Sowing SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS IMPOSSIBLE. BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 [LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. 39-40] If there i a single mos impomtnt flaw in the American news Syle, i the over vovielming tendency to downplay the big social, economic, or political pictve 4 “favor of the human tials and wiomphs that stat ehe-suxace of events) In place of power and process, the media concentrate feopldeneaged in pelical com te “The reasons for tis are mimetSs, from The FaTmAT ST Tear Tt ‘probing analyse will tum off audiences, to the relative ease of telling the human Interest side of a story 38 opposed to explaining deeper causes and effects 1 for the news audience 10 react for or agains in theseffer™ < FCinicrest sors When people are invited to “tke the news Son they ean Rina wie range of private, emotional meanings ni. However, the meanings inspired by personalized news are not the shared erica aod anal _wcal meanings on which a healthy democracy tives. Personalized news encourages people to take an egocentrle rather dhan socially concerned view of politcal ical personalities encoumees a as rsonaltes do ir thinking and it tien heres cages weird Oe ae fences into more serious analysis of issues and problems. However, the focus on peel concen eldom inked to more depth als problems may be, they Just aren dramatic enough on a day-to-day level to make able” levek- of a eon foro andelving pobiens teats) oad clmited a Source The news is certainly not the cause of these problems, bu it could become ‘Fata the solution it substituted illumination of causes for dramatic coverage of symptoms qualities of events feeds into third ‘lation of stories from each ether 50 ‘The emphasis on personal and deamatie Information characteristic of the news: the is fragmented and hard to assemble into a big sppear heeatse the news pice 0 as eases cal backgroxindCROSS-X POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION DISAD IS FICTION 1/2 KERPEN NEWS SUBSTITUTES MANUFACTURED DRAMA FOR FACTS — THE DISAD IS. A WORK OF FICTION. BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. $6] he ost ovis ele of dmatiaton 1 vie news coef as of 4 gcevens and problems, ts an nen Ten eE damasfven when the drama may reflec ‘ “fie of the SHUATONT-aS The cae ofa congressional vote, Noe proecus dima often diac tention fom any bruad or enduring poles! significance Saat may lave EETYS Cave Tuchman has observed so cogenly, the agion Fapcttve Tens on events that have some rapily developing action vo report asa resul, lunnic social pmablems and longstanding paliical issues often_go ware develo in these espeds,ceamatizaion come ‘Pounds many of te same effects of personalization. Tn addition to mageifying the pall of personalization, dramatized news also ceates a dffeuty of ts own pecause dramas are simple, easy to grasp, and offer a {dual motives behind an adlon, er maN-gie 2 People may Se ane Toone tos tat few of ws have ever seen. Sosalk- about, Fetal taker than a convenient symbol, about the ea, [eas the peafs on a bicy- Sie” Ths ot lee ese Of un rts se TS ams assacislenves people wprepared to del eecively wi problems. The human capacity for planning, compromise, and sensi se et Nn feof ns conontation, and simplistic image Tra wovid where politcal events aa et ee PaO its ease applies equally to coverage of Se much closer wo home, Hs cine. Forex sara Tey eleven ston roduc an expe and mach ves’ dy Bh, lent eine The newpaper and tevin ae were dom eri Pee mane ase of the word fear, which seared the page and rat oy TY ace, ct ts aver, he program presents mune ped fo ay ce times a ded ow lca people rated ons cramps of Pri aos the mage of popula drama ard erature totem, ke begin to cone realy and fn. As the folowing Pe te wonder a ror mapaper columns indates, oor own es become dame fred tet pense fora woman 1 walk along, footep echoing through the Xk pol Trot Tecling 2° she's peflrming in 2 fan DePalma Si cekined ino DePalma fies: itches mov | cae omse wo any wel ight or sound What 2a er aceite aly” ta » gage ba or 9 an shape me tn acre Jooreny? I went ot slone afer i rane do caper leet om te evra woe a £Tve aN ee ean hear my own being, the amigo one lack of my hess on te pavement Unescorted Tam bea ear, chaperone by phantoms of my. cwn imagination ae Pan camped deo, ist as Te tne core? that te now wang behind metCROSS-X POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION DISAD IS FICTION 2/2 ‘THE DISAD ADHERES TO A WELL-WORN PLOT FORMULA ~ REASON ENOUGH FOR IT 10 BESEBIEEP SUSPECT? KERPEN BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PO. 205] (CRB rhical of factual claims that support only partisan positions. Whether 3 seh conte Wwe fc an mane per ee T Tooks beyond the immediate plot to examine the political world beyond. Sips sn tac na pote oO eat woe ni fa Tonal processce ofthe reat Wo ihe staged etings of ceamatized news work Sul you may Rave Teas Seats Roe to ae Ties sors oF fodiens Like any hgment call, news ctticism contains an element of risk and uncensinty. How can we be sure that familiar plot formulas ae always iaeleantor misleading? Arent they appropdate Some of the ime—pariculariy when there ae facts to back them up? Are we to di-“ ‘count the fa support a standard, tereorypial ite Dretation of an event? Here we encounter another guideline Tor cca news infer Sane pertaining fo the facts that do fit che plo formulas, "When judging the central facts in a story, be cial ofthe factual claims that pe SE Ohara pestis is wal roach a” War“ There are TS daran Wes—and then Were are statistics.” Rgcumentary evi. data ave always messy and amt “The ambiguity ivan- EE SH Sct anc pia forinew peter. When faci pe fect, they provide an image confirmation @a reality check REPORTERS NEED TO MANUFACTURE DRAMA BLURS THE LINE BETWEEN FACT AND FICTION. BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. $4] salts ab reporters of fact and y-Cestong Aer ing tit drama Is Tequirement for a major news SwoPaez and Entman observed tha some stores + deficient in their own “high drama” may shave deams “Jounal Fave aT Known to Wghiight I not concent Cone and 19 find TEakon: fo aract an audience that is thought to have litle “PaHIERCETEFTRC abstract, the technical, the ambiguous, the uncontroversial. "* ‘We shall see later ‘on that the public is not as simpleminded as the news ‘experts assume. But this is beside the point (Nowhere in journalism texts is pews SE TE Ee anne pails oven SS TS ey SS cL ea Se es Re PE eek oder anclon! ey emmaCROSS-X POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION DISAD JACKS DEBATE KERPEN 9 DRAMATIZED NEWS LIKE THE DISAD DROWNS OUT SERIOUS DEBATE LIKE THE RAGE. CASE, BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. $8] [7g not be such a bad thing for the news to arouse Fears if an accompany. ing thematic analysis provided the sor of understanding that gets to the root of @ problem. However| what passes for explanation in the news generally amo Jinle more than. So Semon eee FEET The dramatic episodesorime, for example, is dramatized in terms Spalvchale preying OF innocent law-abiding ctizens. As noted in chapter 1, i ts not aprising that the pat resotution of crime dramas is for poitians 1 call for more areas, bigger police budgets, new jails, and tougher judges, Unfortunately, Thon of these dramatic remedies seems to have any effect on crime, since the ‘uses have more to do with poverty, social environment, and restricted opportani- fies Thus the crime issue is put t0 rest ime and again with irelevant but dramati- tly conclusive actions. And just as dramatically, the issve will eturn again to cap- fure the news spotlight, Impossible to get at the root causes of problems like crime, {Jou sy? Look at the international crime statistics that show mest other nations inking fr below the United States inthe rates of virtually every category of violent Flee. then is he sous cal ciects lowing fgn dramatized pews Tin jnividualiaic explayCROSS-X POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION NEWS ISOLATES Aenricim et NEWS AREHEEEY ISOLATES EVENTS KERPEN 10 BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 |LANCE, NEWS, THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. 62] “There are, of course, numerous “good reasons" for such bad reporting. Jouralism’s llowed prohibitions against commentary and interpistation scem_12-ustls the [Eprexenation of events as solates, no matter how interested they may be, Mowe lover, press releases from official Sane es an om Inconsistencies, complex relations, or other big-picure aspects of events. These jes of ponpagandiss 1 jouralisie preocey “dally pews, which means what the news slaie is wipecl clean cach dav, Update sec {Gne-a elegated tothe backs of newspapers, and analysis pieces are saved for slow news day in radio an tclevising angen. The ‘apts ig Baas forher separate stots fom one-any ES ire etrin Tt own plo and resolutions kas be 5. Rs eos oe ct aw capsules can reduce thelr impact and confuse heir nots, In Tat, SBaneations Between news stores can raise the unsetling fea that nothing should be taken at face value, that behind every story there isa sill larger story Ag. IRERE= ainong stores tend fo complicate simple, isolated, reales. By contase RRSP oF SSRI IMUM SCT asTEologies and thoes use connec: tions among issues and events to simplify explanations and enhance meanina’CROSS-X in POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION PERSONALIZATION PERSONALIZATION LIKE THE DISAD’S PLOT LINE IS A FANTASY WORLD ~ IT CRUSHES UNDERSTANDING OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM AND REINFORCES PREDJUDICES, BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLI BENNETT, PROFESS ITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. 51-2] tend ihe news alo gives the news audience a distorted vies oF poner and ts political consequences! As Paletz and Entinan Tave, cor ee ener acems te be underatood in a limited sense by the medi ties emphasize the su the furious sounds and flery sights “yaltknown or colorful personalities invowert ving causes and setval impacts are litle noted nor long remembered” So the pag oH becomes 91 ae ee Sebi kee ee TE absence of atenion to power further encourages the audience 10 aba You politcal analysis in favor of casting their political fates with the hero of the rament. tn the 1992 election, for example, over 18 percent of the voters chose aeremtrot, 2 candidate who promised t0 go to Washinglon and personally raldten ouk dhe mess in government] The word of personalized thus fantasy Cons) ad _llce , ple TRIEEe on the basis of catharsis, escape, hope, oF sheer entertainment. Unfortu “BEF ie world of personalized politics is one in which meaning politcal itleanding and effective political access are limited severely Aided by the Meme Ameriean polis isa wodd in which today’s heroes are omomws fools “The piimary substance in this word is the occasional ie tises op ane Tam Tool to make way for the newly elected hero, Trews Fantasy offers. us abroad cast o Se-wth whom we cin estab 1 aS er aia Tom the eden Te people in the ae, fends and fs Tactony workers, ciminal, terorss i ‘hemes, rich and poor, men and women, black and white I isnot, however: the fe, We are likely, for ecample, Sime east of characters we af likely to meet in real ‘teitee more men in the news than women, more rich than pot, may more tertOF sec cad criminals than we will ever encounter in real ile, and far more white, pr esanal, well educated spokespeople than exist in any random sample of society the social world presented in the news js anything but a dispassion eve EW oF socal realy. I isa view itr imercs st pret white ETT which the fst and last words fe implictly portrayed 26 representing fears and fantasies of middle America, personal xed to public officals who g he re usual the people] Rather tan challeng ized news plays ight ito thet uCROSS-X KERPEN POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION 12 EPISODIC BAD ‘THE DISAD’S EPISODIC PRESENTATION OF THE NEWS FOCUSES ON PEOPLE AND IGNORES ROOT CAUSES. BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. 42] Tm the view of communication scholar Shan Iyengar these information biases up 0 news a is eptodc” her than “temic f pode nas paras the journalist and the audience into the middle of an already developest mate yous Took basin Tbe mnancdake human ie of a arg atc economic, oF pil conte in which the Tale news story has developed, Ivengars research shows that episodic news, ‘hich isthe most conimonly encountered form of reporting, particularly on televing ‘Son, leaves people with shallow understandings of the world around them. For cramp viewer of epiadie coverage re moe Uhh o old hat) ‘center_of news sores response for dhe-psnblems and confles tat suxound! them, ther than see more fund lia, oF conde causes at ‘work Fyengar’s work suagests that thelae Lmpontant link in a chain of poor re Se aay ERS aa eee emg ts el hl EE Sen cae 058 SORTIONE To Tene problems to on proces Tove dedicated 1 thems or aalyiea poring ight si = fst he evi probes at asi sc and gv. inment. The following case =tdy sows Tat VET re Squekly edu (0 personalized, dramatized, frqgmented, and normalized news representationsCROSS-X POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION PRESIDENT FOCUS Ba FOCUS ON THE PRESIDENT TRADES OFF WITH GFHER PRIORITIES. KERPEN 13 BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. 43], ‘“Fersonalized treatments are not reserved just for obscure events that people would Caherwse bave rouble relating The coverage of even he mcs inborn pli ents suggests that personal themes have indeed attained fst place on ob reponing avionics As Pale and Frtman observed, “Prime news generally ‘involves prominent, powerful people in action, or, more desirable from the me's Hrae 3 sce a xe etbock ewe fo ol pres cove of Bal Sn obee, noa te a a aE, ae ed ae ranma tet deky emerged hms fs et sow hose SE ene a vice Lagan eat oso ei oe FR i terre conges, te Duets uses dean an fens. This theme reduced “momentous politcal issues to ios about Reagan's personal power, His polled! scorecard” and his Tisks of public embarrassment, The personal Tocus on Reagan so dominated the 1-435 able to maiipulate and eARARCETN news coverage simply By sizing his personal MARE Th poRey decston=CROSS-X KERPEN POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION 14 NEWSPAPER LINK NEWSPAPERS ARE CONTROLLED BY MARKETING BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 [LANCE, NEWS, THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PO. 9} ee enterprise is widely believed to produce only good resus Towever, journalist, Ind communication scholar Doug Underwood looks at private ownership from ‘nother angle and points to real limits om the US, press that stem from the manu: facture and sale of pews as 9 commereiprodc Pres freon arg ined each snes simply because) i his words EMBAS pus Hie aoa Assign “are made increasingly wih cost, efficiency, and viewer or reader reactions in ‘ind Newspaper, i paiculy, sega Wo a Sa eer ‘ih ee Ti fever_concems at non fe ero Gscrbes tr Toys mavkeravvy newspaper a 2 PEF content is geared the results of readership nitive! Fer ten dobbed MePape” and "te newepape for people who at 10 ba to smtch TV* (These tend il be examined further Inthe “Case Study” ter i is Sapte \CROSS-X POLITICS K ‘NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION ELITISM 1/3 NEWS IS A POLITICAL POWER GAME - EVEN IF WE TRY TO READ IT CRITICALLY THERE'S JUST NO SUBSTANCE THERE. KERPEN 15 BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. 13-14] Tn order w think about how things could be inproved, helps 1 Know aw the Goren news aysem affects te perfonnance of democracy. This wil tke us ona fehindshcscenes tour of American poltcs snd mate communications 10 real ta tae ma se sr oo", ai and he ti occopy quite lent postions nba the pola cre and the mass Pomme stem. Despite te vast erences nthe actor’ peltal works ict cosine conan conditions hat cont tothe contruction of what we cal Te This end tal poblene wah fhe awe ae oot ie son ac ein. Consider, briefly, the news pollfes of poliicans, joumaliss, and The public From the standpoint of politicians, t hus always been clear that power and infhience 3a Gerpocratic society depend on the Santas ‘nation. The atle for information traditionally has been ialease among. interest (Groups; govemment, and the public. However the public is increasing! Scan are wel vo Rosle a ae act that These snes also seem to be beyond the knowledge and judgment of the Gey eins a beni Ueto us ea Coe eae ‘accountability for their decisions is tong a5 nfoiaon sono ecru athe Seaton dee oe eee Pereira rapes SE EN Sear power dont inp pron cee a eee rear Se aa ee fittings exnais: Sci spolssecahas sed poral Teton ehoe pro. a eae tells news dicctors what people want to hear about rather than hoy/o educate people about challenging issues 5, This combination of the political management of informatiog/ed press passiv- ‘ay does not brighten the prospects for an enlightened citizenry shat people are brainwashedor tured into unconscious zombies by Ther exposure To the dally news, Studies show that many people recognize the influence that powerful inscitutions have over news content. In addition, as we will sce in chapter 6, most people are capable of drawing their own interpretations from news stories, Yer the a Yet the stories themsclves seldom contain much jnformationbeyondthat ouside Dy polticans shemselves. People may be independent bat epee ica ce ee eeeCROSS-X POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION ELITISM 2/3 NEWS IS A PROPOGANDA CHANNEL FOR ELITES, KERPEN 16 BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 [LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. 195-6] Ine ideal civics book version of Ame rest withthe \ peo ae, i es, he vee of fe ane am, Laden ae supposed {BEE caes Tom the people and express thelr voice pollcally. The journals in this Scheme occupies the role ofthe independent monitor who report othe people on how well leaders handle the public fist. In simple picture form, this ideal version ‘of pawer in America looks lke Figure 7.1. is ty of power in F cmc like eal pcre, As numerous examples in the book have inited, lenders and (Simived_interesis have usurped en a Soppon-compllance. and.jusplala coafucomameng-ee pee, Graser001 Opn: TB crvesvatious cl rights and moral isues such as abortion and religious fee. doms, but on matters affecing economic policy and other sense areas of sale tn comporate concer, the batle for public opinion is waged largely by organized interes and politcal elites using poling and marketing techniques to deliver images to captive publics “The media also occupy a different role in the realty of Amertcan poles than the one they ae supposed to play in the Kel version Ea from being ‘watch doge, ofthe ete the edi are more politica! wansmiss ee See oe cae “eations of people to these messages. The sdia open the nes gales io-olees ers bela hart confer and il the flow of a ee Ra Una The pees a Seo Powel ‘peraumaive messages ffom above, yet seflom get the opportunity 10 use the media fo respond directly to those messages én this World of pols nds 0 ‘much.on the control of i ‘OlMead designs of 1S users. A more realistic picture of American political power looks something ike Figure 72. The use of information 1p control political realty is an everyday occu oan ET wo pone an Sea RS Tee a patna a a Sees nee e aeee e Spasciie news reporting Ip thie objectivity BQ Musiob tar obscures the” Sais na cg FIGURE 7.2CROSS-X KERPEN POLITICS K ‘NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION 17 ELITISM 3/3 NEWS TRANSFORMS POLITICS INTO PROPOGANDA BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 {LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION PG. 723] Seting limits on the imaginable and the politically possible; arriving too Tate (and Going t00 litle) to edueate people and get them involved in policy making —these fe among the effects the news has on American poles, and they speak to a seri ‘ous bas in our information system. Most people seem to worry about an ideologh «al bis ofthe Republican-Democratic som, not 2 more fundamental bias about the very nature of politics Political events are transformed as thro a jo mailing piceCROSS-X KERPEN POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION 18 PLOT FORMULAS REJECTING PLOT FORMULAS IS KEY TO BEING TRULY ACTIVE IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS. BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 LANCE, NEWS, THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. 207) a ven whea tow ulornason conchow permeates these belet bana, ‘only floduces confusion if it isn't clear how to work it nto the existing belie sys- tem fA readiness 10 on and to change belifs malees & sable To assimilate new egies Tor action, ‘Seeing Tow things can be done differently will motivate people to participate inf change process. How can one be open to new information without feeling confused by every ‘new pronouncement that one hears? Many people are so open to different views of ‘tuations that they just don’t know what to believe, Some of the most conscientious Ctizens, in fact, become paralyzed when they hear conflicting information in the rnews, The longer they wait for more information to emerge and bring them to an ‘objective understanding, the more confused they become [Clearly the process of challenging one’s beliefs Tea as VA This & where the above guidelines for news detectives come into play. Much Tie con ews can be sorted aut by looking beyond old plot femCROSS-X POLITICS K NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION FRAGMENTATION FRAGMENTATION, NOT BIAS, IS NEWS’S STRUCTURAL PROBLEM. KERPEN 19 BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. 13] de, Tor example, the problem with calling for journals to be less wks tr les pauentemeieneamies really in the eye ofthe Debolder|Liheras think the press is t00 establishment and conservative, while con. servatives find the press too lbeaTand hostile o trcitonal valves. Ironically, most ‘People are sensitive ] views that cffer from their own and are well equipped to ‘conect distorted information and get on with their political lives. Research into duced later in the book shows that most people take an independent approach to Interpreting news information. Tie girs exis logon pion Jocmercdtionfs the per. a a ee ae tba thr ion diversity n-mamnsres _ ng) According to ths view {the public sec nid and ling ture with 109 Title serious analysis to support erties! paca and acon. for ania ConpERARS aady Ot Farol vc ane Gene ST Setie 1 tour at Aneto Jno ne nel ee te the word inthe sense hat they che fewer nts om the poring than fe counterparts moter cemoxracs However, Ameren emt made the a. rower range of choice bout how tcy woud cover anus hese news a ‘ons Teh ease o sce the deeper problems with the American efomation seem shen one undemtans how the news has evolved, howl poced and sa owt shaped by palitcans, and how its used by cer, When ihe let politcal internation pce considered, Kolo! Hes inten fears Imay appeat io be the lea ofthe ifloation problems facing hensCROSS-X KERPEN POLITICS K ‘NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION 20 ENDLESS FANTASY THE NEWS GENERATES ENDLESS FANTASIES ALL DIFFERENT. BENNETT, PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, 1996 LANCE, NEWS: THE POLITICS OF ILLUSION, THIRD EDITION, PG. 187] Thay frag ite i essen or adusing to the conditions and people we counter in cal ie 7 his powerful images, fl characters, is rich source of ne can sep into news plot and imagine what K would be lke to be rich, poor, powerful, weak, female, tnale, sexy, brive, or intelligent. By taking the real world into the privacy of our finds vis the news, we can explore feelings and relate to people in ways that ‘might not be comfortable or possible in real lie 4 Mu i salty in onder to thvg, Infact since fantasies involve by definion the suspension of ordinary wealy cy cas fom the barest of suggestions and the last substantial of images. As Taras our fan py We goes, what docs mater what our favonte newscaster is reall ike in pic vate fe’ As long as he or she dspays the ight syle, manner, or looks, we fee omforable inviting him or her into our home and listening 28 we would «a {rusted fiend imparting all the news tat has wanspeed since outlast meeting, ‘Since fantasies feed on sich minimal information, and since the acs wants such condenses ambiguous inuse, i should not be surprising ro learn that people ssc sep abe anes fom Rem gp SESE Who rows Wa Fea) fice to be the guerila Righter dashing through the jungle, locked in a Iife-or-death struggle forthe freedom of er country? Some might iaagine that she ia romantic figure, with the virues of bravery, chaiama, morals, and intligence—he som of person they would secretly like to be. Others might imagine her as a bloodtinty Reathen-—an immoral fge who theatens their vakies and ifesles. Sime news story, diferent anise