AP Gov Media Framing Essay
AP Gov Media Framing Essay
AP Gov Media Framing Essay
Ms. Gordon
AP Government and Politics
8/22/16
Media Framing and the 2016 Presidential
Election
When Friedrich Nietzsche prophesized the death of God, he did
not literally mean that a supernatural being had died. He was referring
to the rise of Secularism, and its direct contradiction with the essence
democracy. In other words, politics is dead, and weve killed it. We, in
this case, means the people of the United States along with the media.
The death of politics was not the goal of the medias nefarious tactics,
begin any analysis of the death of politics, one must first define media
framing. Media framing (in the context of politics) is the way that the
filter for what candidates say. The partisan function gives a specific set
when they are being criminal or unethical. All of these functions have
The expectation that the media will tell us what is news has
evening newscasts, the journalists that were covering them spoke for
candidates.
their advertisements. The media loves money. CNN, MSNBC, and Fox
Max Layden
Ms. Gordon
AP Government and Politics
8/22/16
are all part of for-profit businesses, and the main way to rake in
revenue is by selling ads. For-profit media gave rise to Fox news and
spectrum, but they both tell people what they want to hear. This
attracts large viewership and keeps everyone happy (the media, bus-
iness, and the people), all the while hiding the truth.
framing. His Obama founded ISIS quote was taken out of context,
and was breaking news for many media outlets. Already a proven
originator of the birther movement against Obama, it was easy for the
race, and fulfilling our thirst for tabloid scandal. The construction of
leaders.
The media doesnt just skew the correct leadership choices; its
1987, there was the Fairness Doctrine, a set of FCC rules requiring
that all networks give equal air time to all candidates for the same
and for every leftist media outlet, a conservative outlet was created.
This has contributed to political gridlock in such a way that all social
progress is stagnant.
not to discount past progress on social issues, but to show that this
existence of that question, are we there yet, proves that in fact, we are
not. A utopia with equal rights is possible, but not in a system of media
framing.
and democracy, and is all the more prevalent today. There are a few
solutions to this problem, both bottom up and top down. The bottom
progress,
Max Layden
Ms. Gordon
AP Government and Politics
8/22/16
Works Cited
Patterson, Thomas. "The News Media: Communicating Political
Images." The American Democracy. 11th ed. N.p.: McGraw-Hill
Education, 2012. 315-44. Print.
Baudrillard, Jean. Carnival and Cannibal ; Ventriloquous Evil.
London: Seagull, 2010. Print.