ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that American society is ordered largely through the sense-making strategies developed in mass media, particularly television. It argues that so powerful is the media logic that it has effectively terminated journalism as an effective representation of independent events and meanings. The chapter explores mass media have risen to a dominant position in the institutional network of society primarily because various institutions follow a media logic in the definition and solution of problems. It illustrates the perspective with materials from entertainment, news, politics, religion, and sports. The chapter looks at faddish nature of some university offerings, to be followed by an overview of how numerous academic organizations rely on media logic for legitimacy. It identifies grammar of mass media and treats it as a logic employed by both media professionals and audience members in making sense of events and media experience. Studies emerged that found bias in news reporting, harmful effects of television violence, and adverse socialization conditions.
