Less news, more noise: Why weaker newscasts are bad for democracy
About this episode
This episode discusses the decline of substantive public-interest reporting in American broadcast news and its implications for democracy.
America has more news shows than ever, but somehow, we have less information. In this episode of UnSpun Journal Club , DrSturg looks as new research analyzing more than fifty years of American broadcast television news. Researchers found that advertising has expanded while substantive public-interest reporting has steadily declined. She also looks at how political rhetoric shapes public perception, why language that divides people into "normal" and "abnormal" matters and the best thing you can do to fight it. LINKS The Vanderbilt TV News Archive Original Paper from This Episode Follow Dr. Sturg BlueSky - Prof. Amanda Sturgill (@DrSturg) Websites - Sturg says | Unspun’s Substack Questions and Tips TheUnspunPodcast@gmail.com Dr. Sturg’s Books Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News We are #AltGov: Inside the Resistance on Social Media Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
People in this episode
Host: Amanda Sturgill
Topics covered
- broadcast news
- public interest reporting
- political rhetoric
- media analysis
- democracy
- advertising impact
Keywords
- news shows
- advertising
- public perception
- political language
- media decline
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Vanderbilt TV News Archive
Books & works: Detecting Deception: Tools to Fight Fake News, We are #AltGov: Inside the Resistance on Social Media
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- The reflecting pool is blue: The Big Lie (UnSpun Rewind)
- Why do conservatives think the media hates them? UnSpun Journal Club
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