Michael Robinson’s 5 Myths of Press Behavior

1.      The press is investigative? - less than 10% of the time

  1. The press is adversarial? – There is too much cooperation for much of that, etc .
  2. The press is liberal?
    1. Media elites may be liberal, but reporters try to be fair
    2. There is no observed effect on candidates' coverage from so called “liberal bias”
  3. Media decides agenda? – There’s not much "good" evidence for this -- but those who use the media may set it
  4. The press behaves seriously? – Actually entertainment and $ are the key issues

"The 'Huh' Factor" - weaknesses found in news stories, esp. TV news

from Mark Levy and John Robinson, “The ‘Huh?’ Factor:  Untangling TV News,”  CJR, July/August 1986, 48-50

1.     too much jargon for lay audiences

2.     too little repetition for those who don't read everyday

3.     too fast/brief in delivery

4.     graphics are too complex

5.     poorly explained visuals and words that don't match them

      1. too little explanation of the significance of the story -- no context

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last updated 4/5/2001