Media And Politics : A Brief Note On Media & Politics

John Peter Zenger’s case was not only significant to to the journalists, but it was also very significant to the rest of the colonists in the American colonists. John Peter Zenger’s case sparked a rebellion into the colonists, which eventually led to them wanting their freedom and fighting for it against Britain in the American Revolution (Linder 2). John Peter Zenger claimed that his writing was, in fact, accurate. Although, the jury could still convict Zenger even if it was true or not, the judge convinced the jury not to convict on the grounds of publication alone (Kennedy 1). When the court decided to accept the truth as the truth, it laid the work for the future which eventually was put into the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution (John 1). “His trial establishes the principle that truth is a defense to libel and that a jury may determine whether a publication is defamatory or seditious,” (First

Government and politics are greatly affected by many different aspects such as the public, the media, and much more. These aspects affect decisions that may be put into laws or the political opponents and their views. The public and media have major influence over the government and its politics.

Peter Zenger owned the New York Weekly Journal and once wrote something against the royal governor and was writing for a political party. He was put on trial for libel, but Hamilton was the one who got the jury to say “not guilty” because he stated that New York’s libel laws are not the same as England’s libel laws. This was the foundation of the freedom of speech.

Supreme Court Case Sheppard V. Maxwell is the first case in American history to question whether the American right to a fair trial should be interrupted by the American right to freely publish one’s thoughts and opinions. Sheppard’s conviction, brought on by the biased eye of the press, was exonerated. However, concluded from the lack of policy alterations post-trial, the Sheppard V. Maxwell case still informally decided media is no real threat in the court system. Some may say otherwise. Although media may not directly affect court rulings, the press can certainly affect the public’s opinion, which in turn can affect a court case.

Whether the information was true or false did not matter. According to those times, "The greater the truth, the greater the libel." It was wrong to publish information against the government. Zenger did not deny printing the article and he was forced to go to jail because he refused to name the authors, who were anonymous. Zenger was in jail for nine months, waiting for his trial. During this time, his wife, Anna Catherine, continued to print The Journal.

(Ushistory.org) Without free press this restricted the citizens to express their ideas freely. In 1735 the trial of John Peter Zenger was underway to allow free press. With Zenger’s lawyers arguing this was a case based around “the law of the future” instead of the law of today, this was a big and vital step towards the true freedom that the citizens of the colonies had hoped for. (Hans, Valerie P.) John Peter Zenger was an immigrant who every week printed out The New York Weekly Journal, this publication pointed out how corrupt royal governor, William Cosby, was. It accused Cosby of rigging elections, allowing enemies to explore New York harbor, and committing various crimes. (Ushistory.org) The laws at the time stated that the factual question of the falsehood of a statement determined if it was a libel. Andrew Hamilton, Zenger’s lawyer, suggested that while these laws might work in England, they might not work well for America. America has greater equality between those who govern and those who are being governed. Hamilton stated that it was Zenger’s right to criticize those in power and that his right to that was being taken away. Jury decided on a verdict of not guilty within minutes. This case created a lasting impression in law and politics and introduced a new perspective of the relationship between citizens and state. (Hans, Valerie

According to Linder, Doug with The University of Missouri at Kansas City- School of Law in the article “The Trial of John Peter Zenger: An Account,” published in 2001, Linder states that “No country values free expression more highly than does the United States, and no case in American history stands as a greater landmark on the road to protection for freedom of the press than the

Accentuating the comical nature of the media, society strongly adheres to the opinions of influential leaders imposed by the susceptible nature of public conformity and the obscure outlying opinions of the media figures.

How are you informed about voting and elections? With the invention of television, American politics would be forever changed. Politics and television have evolved to be so intertwined that they are now almost one and the same. Since the invention of television in the nineteen fifties the media has had a substantial impact on the outcome of a highly publicized campaign in both positive and negative ways. However, the transition from campaigning in front of unions, work places, and public forums to being able to reach more than millions of homes in America with a single ad led to a drastic reform in the way a president would seek election. The presidential election of the 1960 with John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon would be the pioneering

Ever since the invention of television, image and reputation became the real weapons of politics. Television has influenced everything since its invention in 1940 (Campbell). From product and movie ads, to news bulletins and important congressional hearings, television has changed the way how viewers look at the world; especially the way we vote. The very first televised debate was held on September 26, 1960 between “Tricky Dick” and JFK (Menand). The television allowed most of America to view the inner workings of deciding who would run the country next, instead of reading what happened in the last debate in Sunday’s paper or hearing it on the radio. Though some listened to Nixon and Kennedy go back and forth on the issues on that Monday night,

Luke Scott once stated, ¨Crime is actually less in places where people own guns. Washington, D.C., is a case in point. It has the strictest gun laws, but who has the highest crime rate in the country? Washington, D.C.¨ Many people in the United States of America own firearms and use them in a proper, safe manner. Yet, gun control advocates pursue in trying to ban and put limits on the purchase and ownership of guns because of rare mass shootings that the media portrays to the general public. The media never shows the public the good that firearms do, the way firearms saves lives and keeps people safe. Gun control advocates believe that minimizing the availability of purchasing guns will decrease gun violence. This is ignorant and not a

When you think of politics today in America, what is the first thing that pops into your head? If you’re like me, your first thought was about Hilary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump. Your second thought might be about the major hot button issues in the United States today, such as Health Care, Immigration Reform, and Gun Control. Whether you’re like me or not, I’ve noticed one thing during this presidential race that cannot be avoided: media biases. The media today is a major part of politics, and often times is who we look to when deciding what candidate we want to vote for. Media biases involving politics, in my opinion, should not exist because it is unethical.

How has media influenced public perception of political figures, issues, and institutions? Through agenda setting and framing, media has the power to set the agenda for political discussion by providing public attention to political figures, issues, and institutions. In addition, the media can frame political agendas by influencing public perception and interpretation. (Ginsberg, Lowi & Weir, 1999)

When the White House felt a retraction was not enough because so much harm had already been done, the media got extremely upset with the White House, due to the pressure they were putting on the publication (52-53). Begala agrees with Hewitt that the media has a bias, but argues that it is a liberal bias. He cites the media's obsession with the Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal and how, "Even when Clinton was leaving office, he was hounded and pounded by the press" (199). He argues the news coverage was unfair, brutal and unethical in the way both Bill and Hillary Clinton were treated during the scandal (200). Begala also says Al Gore was treated very poorly by the press during the election, by being misquoted. Gore made major contributions during the early phases of the internet and made a comment on CNN saying he "took the initiative in creating the Internet." Begala argues this was blown out of proportion and more than a thousand articles have been written quoting Gore saying he said he "invented the internet" (202). The people's perception that certain publications are bias can have a negative affect on journalists as a whole. While the public demands that the press question politicians, Robinson says there is public discontent when bad news is reported due to the publics distrust in news and a "kill the messenger syndrome." At times, the public will assume all media is the same and when one publication is guilty of inaccurate or bias

How much does your vote really count? As a voter, does your choice really matter? How much influence does the media have on your vote? How many choices does the media actually make when it comes to our nation's leadership? These are questions pondered by both political scientists and the average American citizen each year as the second Tuesday in November approaches. Though we know that the framers founded this nation on the principles of representing it's citizens, and on the ideals of a nation for the people and by the people; it is obvious that the people feel that their vote doesn't always count. In this paper I plan to expand on these questions and the justifications behind asking them, and I plan to follow up with a specific