Chapter 25

Instructions

Choose your answers from a-d by clicking the radio button next to each choice and then press 'Submit' to get your score.

Question 1

The national daily newspaper with the largest circulation and which supported the Labour Party in the 2005 election was which of the following?

a) The Daily Mirror

b) The Sun

c) The Daily Mail

d) The Express

Question 2

Which one of the following most accurately describes the Fourteen Day Rule?

a) It prevented any discussion of opinion poll findings in the media for period of 14 days before elections were due to be held

b) It prevented broadcasters covering any matter due to be discussed in Parliament in the next fortnight

c) It prevented the broadcast of any party election broadcasts until local elections or the general election were two weeks away

d) It prevented broadcasters from showing any footage of debates in Parliament until two weeks had passed

Question 3

The 'D' Notice system is…

a) ...the system by which franchises for commercial broadcasters are allocated.

b) ...a system of voluntary restraint where broadcasters and print journalists agree not to disclose sensitive material on the advice of a committee.

c) ...a channel of communication between the government and the BBC established in the BBC's Royal Charter.

d) ...the mechanism by which the editors of national newspapers are held accountable for complaints about the content and character of their reporting.

Question 4

The Glasgow University Media Group advances which of the following arguments about the media in Britain?

a) The media can have a significant impact on the outcome of British general elections but only in campaigns which are closely contested between the two major parties

b) The broadcast and print media accurately and responsibly reports a variety of viewpoints which reflect the opinions held by the British public

c) There is a systematic bias in the coverage of radical and left-wing organisations and beliefs in the British media

d) There is pre-occupation with news management amongst politicians which is largely responsible for declining levels of political engagement and participation

Question 5

Jo Moore became embroiled in political controversy because...

a) ...she disclosed material covered by the Official Secrets Act which revealed the arrival of US cruise missiles in Britain to The Guardian newspaper.

b) ...she was responsible for disclosing ministerial correspondence during the 'Westland affair'.

c) ...she suggested on the 9^th of September 2001 that this was an appropriate occasion to 'bury bad news'.

d) ...she alleged that the British government had 'sexed up' the intelligence on Iraq's weapons in advance of the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Question 6

Which of the following DOES NOT limit the freedom of expression of a newspaper?

a) Advertisers

b) Legislation

c) 'Spin doctors'

d) Ofcom

Question 7

Which one of the following statements best describes the 'Lobby System'?

a) The procedures governing rights of access to Whitehall and government departments

b) A small group of journalists who enjoy privileged access to Parliament and government briefings

c) The collective name for all Government Information Officers in Whitehall

d) The rules and procedures by which the relationships between pressure groups and the media in Britain are regulated

Question 8

Which one of the following statements is false in respect of contemporary television coverage of British politics?

a) Television is a medium which allows party leaders to present themselves in personal and presidential ways

b) Most viewers of television consider it to be untrustworthy, untruthful and biased

c) Politicians have recently sought new audiences and less aggressive questioning by appearing on 'non-political' programmes

d) Lack of presentational ability on television is now widely regarded as a barrier to political advancement

Question 9

Which of the following statements best characterises the differences between broadcast and print media in Britain?

a) There is a mixture of commercial and non-commercial organisations which operate in both broadcast and print media in Britain. The print media are subject to more significant regulation than broadcast media

b) There is clear evidence of the political impact of the print media but the evidence is much less ambiguous in respect of the broadcast media

c) The broadcast media are much less sensitive to the preferences of their audiences than the print media are to their readers. This is why reporting of politics in the broadcast media is less overtly partisan

d) A broadcast media, composed of both commercial and non-commercial organisations, are subject to heavier regulation than an exclusively commercial print media in Britain. Political editorialising is prohibited for broadcasters, but permitted for the press whose reporting has tended to be become more sensationalistic

Question 10

Which of the following statements accurately summarises some of the key developments in respect of the media in British politics?

a) There is now an academic consensus that the print and broadcast media have a significant impact in shaping the political agenda of British politics. Both print and broadcast media find it increasingly difficult to engage the attention of their readers and audiences when communicating political stories

b) British politics has become increasingly stage-managed with an increasing reliance on 'spin doctors' and an obsession with keeping 'on message'. Press coverage of Parliament has increased as a result

c) A 24 hour news media has emerged and the number of media outlets has proliferated; consensus about the political impact of the media remains elusive but it is widely recognized that political actors are increasingly reliant on media and PR experts

d) The quality of political journalism has declined significantly in Britain in the last quarter of a century. The response of politicians has been the extension of regulation through the creation of bodies like the Press Complaints Commission

Oxford University Press, Online Resource Centre, Chapter 25.

Chapter 25

Instructions

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10