Democracy and the Media

Democracy requires free and independent media to inform citizens, hold officials accountable, and encourage party competition on public policy. This courseexamines how well U.S. news organizations do so. It also analyzes how media influence public opinion through agenda setting and framing, identifies sources ofmedia bias (such as organizational routines, private ownership, reliance on official sources, sexism, racism, and partisanship), and assesses how the rise of socialmedia, digital technologies, and disinformation campaigns have affected these patterns.

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