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Croteau/Hoynes: Media/Society, 5th Edition

Instructor Resource

Chapter 3: Political Influence on Media

Purpose and Goals of the Chapter

It is impossible to understand the workings of the media without

knowing something about the broader social environment in which they operate. For

commercial media, especially, the government represents a major structural constraint that limits

(but in some ways also enables) the actions of the media industry. This chapter looks at how the

political world—especially the government—influences the media industry. (Note that chapter 7

examines the media’s influence on the political world. You can play these chapters off against

each other to highlight the reciprocity of relations between the media and one aspect of the social

world.)

The specific content of the chapter covers territory that has often

been in the center of public debate: regulation of the media. Most students have an awareness of

censorship and the regulation of content, but will not be familiar with the regulation of

ownership and technology. This subject matter, too, lends itself to innumerable debates and

discussions. It’s important to not get bogged down in the details of each particular controversy

(Should CDs have warning labels? Should minors be able to purchase CDs with warning

Outline of Key Chapter Themes

All parties involved support some form of government regulation of the media. The major

debates are over what kinds of regulation should exist.

Different media are regulated differently.

The FCC is a central player in regulating the media.

One key dynamic in media regulation is the debate between “free market” advocates versus

those who advocate regulating in the “public interest.”

Regulation of media applies to ownership, technology, content, and distribution.

There are numerous areas of debate about regulation, including: ownership of media outlets,

Chapter Outline

Croteau/Hoynes: Media/Society, 5th Edition

Instructor Resource

1. Political Influence on Media

2. The “First Freedom” and the “Public Interest”

First Amendment

Section 8, Article I of the U.S. Constitution

3. Regulation in International Perspective

European Regulation and Organization of Broadcasting

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Deregulation and Competition

4. Competing Interests and the Regulation Debate

Free Market Approach versus Public Interest

Selective Deregulation

5. Regulating Ownership and Control

The Case of Pirate Radio

Broadcast Licenses and the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Regulating Ownership of Media Outlets

Changes in Media Technology

Common Carriers

Electromagnetic Spectrum and Spectrum Scarcity

Changes in Ownership Patterns

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Dual Network Rule

Regulating Content Ownership: Copyright and the Case of Music Sampling

Sampling

Fair Use

“Copyright Term Extension Act” of 1998

Regulating Ownership of Programming: The Case of “Fin-Syn” Rules

FCC regulations on TV programming (1970s)

Financial interest and syndication (“fin-syn”) rules

Forcing networks to buy programming from independent

producers

Syndication

1993 Repeal and Effects of Removal of “Fin-Syn” Rules

Network Control Increases

Croteau/Hoynes: Media/Society, 5th Edition

Instructor Resource

Independent Producers Squeezed Out

Regulating Ownership and Control of Technology

The Internet and “Net Neutrality”

Single-wire Monopolies

Open-access Forum

Net Neutrality

FCC Ruling

Internet Browsers

Microsoft versus the U.S Department of Justice and the European Union

Google’s Self-censorship in China

6. Regulating Media Content and Distribution

Regulating the Media Left and Right: Diversity Versus Property Rights

Regulating for Diversity: The Fairness Doctrine

The Fairness Doctrine (1949)

Forced radio stations to cover public issues

Regulating for Morality

Ratings and Warnings

Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Rating System

oG, PG, PG-13, R, X, NC-17 Ratings and Controversies

Television Ratings

The V-Chip

Music Labels (Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics)

Outlawing and Controlling Distribution

Obscene Material

Pornography

Indecent Material

1973 Supreme Court Decision

The Challenge of the Internet

Croteau/Hoynes: Media/Society, 5th Edition

Instructor Resource

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)

Protect the public against fraudulent or deceptive advertising

Regulating in the National Interest

Media and the Military

Effects of Vietnam War Media Coverage