Mass Media Test No.

1 study sheet
Fall 2010
The following material, as well as all information presented and/or discussed in class or
in assignments is fair game on the test. This study sheet is intended as a helpful guide, an
aid in test preparation. It is not the definitive list of every concept that could or will be on
the test. There may be some material listed here that will not appear on the test. There
may be material on the test that is not listed here. That said, this guide should go a long
way in helping you to prepare.

Chapter 1 – Mass Media Literacy

*What are the mass media?
*Identify the eight major mass media.
*What are the main functions of the mass media? (There are at least five)
*What has been the most sweeping effect of mass media in society?
*Historically, the mass media have attempted to reach the largest possible audience.
Why? How has that previous focus (reaching the largest possible mass audience)
changed? What’s the name of that process of change? What’s the effect of that process of
change?
*Why is the study of the mass media in American society important?
*Why is the media important to democracy?
*Be able to identify different ways the mass media make money. Why is the mass
media’s economic foundation important?
*What three main factors drive media content?
*What is media content?
*Approximately how many hours a day does the average American adult spend
consuming the mass media?
*Why is the media important to someone like Michael J. Fox?
*What does the concept of media interdependence mean?
*What are the seven elements of news?
*Be aware of the media in terms of their role as a powerful and influential public
resource.

Chapter 11 – News
*What is news?
*What is newsworthiness?
*What are the four historical periods of journalism? Know them and the stories and
players behind each.
*Who was Benjamin Day? What was his contribution to American journalism?
*Who was John Peter Zenger and why is he important to American journalism?
*Are the media biased? Yes or no? In what way?
*How does objectivity fit into news?
*What is the Associated Press? Know how it came into existence.
*What is the role of the journalist?
*Who is Herbert Gans and what was his contribution to American news media?
*Explain the concept of the news hole.
*Know what gatekeepers are and what impact they have on media coverage.
*How has non-stop, 24/7 journalism changed journalism?
*What is a blog and what is the controversy surrounding blogs?
*What does the term muckraking mean?
*What’s the difference between hard news and soft news?
*What significant issues are challenging contemporary American journalism?

Chapter 14 – Entertainment
*What are the three main genres of entertainment?
*What are the differences between authentic performances and mediated performances?
*What role does sex play in entertainment?
*What’s the difference between obscenity and pornography?
*Which entertainment form is growing?
*What is the elitist/populist debate? What do elitists believe? What do populists believe?
*Herbert Gans said what about audience member socioeconomic and intellectual levels?
About high-, middle- and low-brow audiences?
*What is pop art and what is its role in the media? What did Susan Sontag say about pop
art?

Chapter 3 – Books
*Who invented movable metal type?
*Who invented the printing press?
*Be able to support this statement: Movable metal type and the printing press are
arguably
the most important inventions in human history to date. Be sure you can give concrete
examples of WHY this is true.
*What are some of the ways in which society changed due to the invention of the
movable
metal type printing press?
*In what way were early American novels distinct from existing literature at the time?
Why were they important? Name some American novels produced in the mid-1800s that
influenced American culture and identity. Be prepared to explain their significance and
influence, and be sure to provide specific details.
*Name the textbook that taught people how to read in the 1830s.
*What role do books play in framing the country’s dialogue about current issues? Be
prepared to name books that have forced us to talk about issues like racism, the ecology
and others.
*How has the book industry changed over the last 50 years? What impact does this have
on society?
*There are several types of book genres—know them.
*What are the two basic categories of books? Provide examples.
*What are major houses?
*What was the first so-called blockbuster? Is it true or false that publishers are
increasingly concentrating resources on books with blockbuster potential? If this is true,
what is the impact of this policy? If it is false, then what is happening?
*There are two ways to evaluate the success of a book. What are these? How are these
different and which, in your mind, is the most accurate gauge?
*What is aliteracy? Are we as alliterate as we think we are?

Chapter 4 – Newspapers
*Who is Mary Junck and what does she believe about newspapers?
*In what ways are newspapers important to our society?
*Which generates more advertising revenue—newspapers or television?
*What is meant by chain ownership and what did Randolph Hearst have to do with it?
*Be prepared to discuss some of the positives and some of the negatives surrounding
chain ownership.
*Know each of the three national daily newspapers in the U.S.
*Who was Mary Baker Eddy and what contribution did she make to newspapers?
*What is a broadsheet and what is a tabloid? Why have tabloids historically carried a
negative connotation?
*Why are tabloids now experiencing resurgence in popularity?
*What is a “paper of record?” What is the United States’ paper of record?
*Be prepared to discuss some of the highs and the lows of the New York Times as
mentioned in your text.
*What is the difference between a metropolitan daily and a hometown daily? Be
prepared to give a local example of each.
*What does the future hold for newspapers and why is it believed that they will continue
to exist for the foreseeable future?
*What are the main issues surrounding the newspaper industry’s economic problems?

Chapter 5 – Magazines
*Magazines have influenced our culture in major ways. What are these?
*How did magazines contribute to our nationhood?
*Which magazine invented the personality profile?
*What impact did magazines have on photojournalism?
*Who was Margaret Bourke-White and what contribution did she make to magazines?
*Who was Sara Josepha Hale and what contribution did she make to magazines?
*What magazine is considered to have the largest circulation of any U.S. consumer
magazine? What is a consumer magazine and how does it differ from a newsmagazine, a
newspaper supplement, a women’s magazine and a men’s magazine?
*What is the Postal Act of 1879 and what was its significance to society?
*What are non-newsrack magazines? Be prepared to give an example.
*What is a trade journal and what is the criticism about trade magazines?
*What impact did television have on magazines? How did magazines respond?
*What are the main criticisms of magazine demassification and why is Norman Cousins
so upset about this?
*What are some advantages to demassification of magazines?
*What is the new competition for magazine’s share of the market?

Chapter 6 – Sound Recordings

*On what level do sound recordings impact human beings?
*In what ways have sound recordings impacted the course of human history?
*What are the big four? Why are they significant to the industry? Be able to name them.
*What’s the difference between the majors and indies.
*What is pirate dubbing? What is file swapping?
*How has iTunes impacted the sound recording industry?
*How have recording companies responded to the threat of censorship?
*What is labeling?
*What is the difference between a gold record and a platinum record?
*What is payola? Why was it a problem? How was it resolved?
*How has the Internet leveled the playing field in the recording industry?
*What is the RIAA and what is its role in the industry?