Influencing the Government How people and other sources influence the government and how people think about it

What influences the government? The people The Constitution/Laws Social climate International Affairs Economic climate Business Public Opinion The politicians themselves Elections The media

Public Opinion Public opinion is the ideas and attitudes that most people hold about elected officials, candidates, government, and political issues. It is the opinion of most of the people, the public.

Public Opinion It helps shape the opinions of elected officials. They are supposed to take into consideration what most people want and need. Public opinion is not uniform though- many different people think differently.

What Shapes Public Opinion? 1. Personal Background 2. Mass Media (all forms of communication- written and electronic) 3. Public Officials 4. Interest Groups

Interest Groups These are groups of people who share a point of view about an issue and unite to promote their beliefs. They work at influencing public opinion by trying to persuade people toward their point of view. Some examples are the Sierra Club and NRA, among a huge list of others.

Components of Public Opinion- How to Measure It 1. Direction- which way is it going? Positive? Negative? 2. Intensity- how strong is it? Really strong? Very weak? 3. Stability- how stable is it? Does it change every day? Does it hardly ever change? How committed is it?

Measuring Public Opinion 1. Election Results- how people voted gives a very good indication on what most of the public believes 2. Public Opinion Poll- these are surveys answered by the public 3. Mass Media- what we watch or want to hear about shows what we care about (google searches etc…)

Public Opinion Polls These are surveys to measure public opinion. To be accurate, the people given the survey are often randomly selected from all over the focus area- the whole United States or even a small county. It should include a wide variety of people- different sexes, different income levels, different races, different ages, etc…

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Public Opinion Polls The questions should also be unbiased and not lead the people taking the surveys to answer one way or another. Instead of asking: “Do you favor cutting taxes if it means letting the poor go hungry?” they should ask: “Do you agree with cutting taxes?” The first is biased- pushing people toward one side over the other.

Mass Media Mass Media are all forms of communication that communicate broadly to masses of people. There are two key types: print and electronic.

Print Media These are physical, printed materials. They include newspapers, magazines, newsletters, books, pamphlets, etc…

Electronic Media These are forms of communication that are electronic, reliant on some form of electricity or power. They include radio, television, the Internet, etc…

Mass Media’s Role It influences public opinion. It spreads propaganda. It serves a watchdog role- exposing corruption and waste in the government, keeping it in check. It helps set the public agenda. It is a reflection of what we care about.

Public Agenda The public agenda is all of the problems and issues that receive the most time, money, and effort from the government. The public agenda is greatly shaped by the media and public opinion. These are issues that the people want to have the government deal with.

Mass Media and National Security There is a fine line between what information American citizens need to know and what the government needs to protect for national security. For example, some people argue the American public should know everything about wars we are fighting, but if it is reported, then the enemy knows it too- particularly plans for what to do and troop movement information.

Protecting the Media Our government allows a great deal of freedom for the press. The 1 st Amendment provides for freedom of the press. The press is free from having the government censor what it releases to the public (this occurs in many other countries). That is called prior restraint.

Protecting the Media Freedom of the press is not completely unlimited, however. No one can publish false information that will harm someone’s reputation. Libel is committed when someone writes lies about someone else. Slander is committed when someone speaks lies about someone else.

Protecting the Media The government does decide who gets access to the limited number of airwaves available for radio and television broadcasting. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates broadcasting. It cannot censor broadcasts, but it can punish stations that violate rules- like Janet Jackson in the 2004 Super Bowl Half-Time Show

Media Literacy Media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media The purpose of doing so includes preparation, protection, and pleasure (Considine and Haley, Visual Messages) This involves questioning media sources and understanding the seven key principles of media literacy

Seven Key Principles of Media Literacy “Media are constructions” “Media representations construct reality” “Media constructions have commercial purposes” “Audiences negotiate meaning” “Each medium has its own conventions and forms” “The media contain and convey values and ideologies” “Media messages have social consequences” From Considine and Haley’s Visual Messages

Questions to ask of any media source Who created it? Why did they create it? How did they create it? What messages is it sending? Who is it targeting? What is being omitted? What is its effect?

Interest Groups An interest group is a group of people who share a point of view and unite to promote their viewpoints. They are biased- they do support and try to convince other to support a particular point of view.

Interest Groups By pooling their money, time, and skills together, they can increase their chances of influencing decision makers. One person alone has little influence, but a group of people enhances that influence tremendously. The 1 st Amendment protects our right to belong to interest groups by guaranteeing our rights to assemble and petition the government.

Interest Groups There are a great variety of interest groups out there. Many are economic interest groups- the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is one of the largest and it promotes free enterprise. Labor unions such as the American Federation of Labor are also very influential.

Interest Groups Many special interest groups form to promote a certain ethnic group, age group, race, or gender. The NAACP- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People- is an example. NOW- National Organization for Women- is another.

Interest Groups Many interest groups work for special causes such as the environment or rights. The Sierra Club and National Wildlife Federation are concerned with preserving and protecting nature and wildlife.

Interest Groups There are two main types of interest groups- private and public. Private interest groups promote only the special interests of their own members, like all discussed so far. Public interest groups support causes that affect the lives of Americans in general. The Common Cause is one example and works to promote the common needs of all citizens.

Interest Groups Interest groups try to influence public policy. Public policy is the course of action the government takes in response to an issue or problem.

Interest Groups Interest groups try to influence the public, government, and public policy in turn. They do this by supporting certain candidates, forming PACs (Political Action Committees), going to court, lobbying lawmakers, etc…

Political Action Committees PACs collect money from members of their groups and use it to support some candidates and oppose others. These allow interest groups to give money to candidates.

Lobbying Lobbyists are representatives of interest groups who contact lawmakers and other government officials directly to influence their policy making. They are called lobbyists because they often wait in the lobby. They operate at local, state, and national government.

Techniques of Interest Groups Many use direct-mail campaigns to recruit members. They also advertise on television and radio as well as newspapers and magazines. They use many forms of propaganda in their ads, including the following:

Forms of Propaganda 1. Name-calling 2. Fear 3. Bandwagon 4. Glittering Generality 5. Endorsement 6. Testimonial 7. Plain Folks 8. Stacked Cards 9. Symbols 10. Transfer 11. Euphemism 12. Logical Fallacy

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Propaganda This is an attempt to influence someone to do something, support something, buy something, etc… It is biased We are exposed to it all the time

Regulation of Interest Groups  The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 limits the amount of money PACs may contribute to candidates for national office.  The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946 states that any person hired as a lobbyist to influence Congress must register with the Clerk of the House o Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate and tell who hired them, how much they are paid, and how much they spend.

Regulation of Interest Groups  There is also a waiting period before former government officials can become lobbyists.  Many criticize interest groups and lobbyists and think they have too much say in government.

Interest Groups