ABSTRACT
The United States is home to more than 291 million people of diverse backgrounds in race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation (U.S. Census Bureau 2003). The mass media system in the United States is very large and well developed. Free speech and exchange of ideas are considered to be important fixtures in the democratic process and are protected by the United States Constitution. The system is driven primarily by private and commercial interests, operating under relatively limited federal government regulation. Historically, this structure of commercial competition has encouraged technological innovation and also has allowed for the relatively rapid construction of a comprehensive infrastructure. Very few areas of the country are not “wired,” and even these are now accessible via satellite transmission. As a result, in the United States the mass media are just about everywhere. Where there is mass media, there is news.
