1. What is the main function of the media?

Ans: The main function of media is to inform the people so that they can make decisions
and get involved in politics.

2. What type of media is the source of news for most other media organizations?

Ans: Other news media organizations rely on print for their news.

3. Radio is less important at reaching a mass audience but specifically talk radio is influential
in the political media landscape.

Ans: True

4. Though television reaches more Americans than any other type of media, what is the
significant drawback of television in shaping public opinion?

Ans: The short, less informative stories are the drawback of television.

5. What type of media is great for breaking news because it can update so quickly?

Ans: The internet is great for breaking news.

6. What is the argument against internet news media?

Ans: That it pushes news organizations towards creating more stories and hot takes rather
than deep reporting.

7. What is the way social media can be both good and bad?

Ans: It is a quick and easy way to access information, but it tends to polarize into right
wing and left wing sites.

8. What is the ‘most persistent bias in the news’?

Ans: Conflict is the most persistent bias in the news.

9. What are the three main factors that affect news coverage and why?

Ans: The three main factors that affect news coverage are the journalist who make it, the
politicians it’s about, the consumers of the news. These can affect it because these things
can influence the way it’s written or how its written.

10. People who watch and read the news tend to be better than those who don’t.

Ans: True
11. (based on 12) What ‘does this mean’?

Ans: This means that people won’t be able to hear about these things that may be
important to them. They can not formulate opinions iff they don’t know that something is
even an issue.

12. In many ways, what is the most important thing about media?

Ans: The most important thing about media is what it does not cover.