Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Lecture 5 Dynamics of Democracy Ch. 6 Public Opinion Ch. 8 The News Media
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Large enough sample Representative of the population Properly worded question Methods for Public Polling A good survey result
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Opportunity to learn Capacity to learn Interest in learning Demographic characteristics Social characteristics Psychological characteristics Political Knowledge
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Education Most important factor in political knowledge
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 People who follow a particular issue closely, are well-informed about it, and have strong opinions on it. Attentive Publics
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Socialization shapes Values and Opinions
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Socializing Influences Family Media School
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Ideology An elaborate set of interrelated beliefs with overarching, abstract principles that make people’s political philosophies coherent. 6-3 Ideologies
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Liberalism Democracy Capitalism Freedom Government plays expansive role Government protects weaker citizens Government promotes equality Democracy Capitalism Freedom Government plays a minimal role Government to ensure citizens economic freedom Conservatism
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, a Liberalism Wealthy should pay more taxes to fund government programs Regulate business Guarantee minimum levels of social security Prevent discrimination Assist poor nations
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, b Conservatism Flatten tax rate for all Opposed to regulating the way businesses operate Limit social welfare Uphold “traditional values” Favor laws limiting or outlawing abortion Pursue foreign policy with military force, if necessary
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Values and abstract ideas Real life political situations 6-3d Sources of Ideologies
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Issues relating to the distribution of income and wealth in society Issues based on moral or value judgments Clustering of Opinion Economic Issues Social Issues
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 The News Media Dynamics of Democracy, Ch. 8
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Difficulty in Determining Media’s Impact Disentangling the media’s coverage with the event itself Enormous array of media voices in the United States Individual choice in media selection
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Selective Perception A phenomenon in which people perceive the same event differently because they have different beliefs and personal experiences.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Selective Exposure and Retention People consult only trusted sources, newspapers or TV shows reflecting their values People more easily remember information that agrees with their previous beliefs
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 The media plays a major role in shaping the political agenda. Media Influence
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Political Agenda The list of issues that people think are important and that government officials are actively debating.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, c The News Media and Government The media affects government officials in that government officials often try to influence the media.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Spin Control The practice of trying to persuade journalists to cover news stories in ways that put policies one likes in the most favorable light.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, The Changing Face of the News Media Changes in the conventions of journalism Changes in the sources from which the public obtains its news Changes in the pattern of media ownership
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Yellow Journalism A form of journalism, popular at the end of the nineteenth century, that emphasized sensational and sometimes lurid news coverage. The Evolution of Journalism
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Muckraking The media’s seeming preoccupation with exposing the unsavory aspects of government. The Evolution of Journalism
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Objective Journalism The Evolution of Journalism A form of journalism that developed in the 1920s and which continues to predominate today. It emphasizes that journalists should strive to keep their opinions out of their coverage of the news.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Cable TV Broadcast TV Television stations that make their programming available over the airwaves without charge. Most local cable companies include broadcast television channels as part of their basic package of services. Television programming not originally transmitted over the air, as with broadcast television, but rather carried via coaxial or fiber optic cable into the homes of people who pay a monthly fee. V.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Consolidation of news outlets from 1981 to 1990 Number of corporations Consolidation of the News
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 “Our liberty depends on freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” Thomas Jefferson 8-3 Freedom of the Press
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Freedom of Information Act 8-3 Freedom of the Press An act of Congress passed in 1966 that created a system through which anyone can petition the government to declassify secret documents.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 An independent federal agency that regulates interstate and international communication by radio, television, telephone, telegraph, cable, and satellite. 8-3 Freedom of the Press Federal Communications Commission
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, Freedom of the Press Equal Time Provision A federal law that stipulates that if a radio or television station gives or sells air time to a candidate for political office, it must provide all candidates for public office with access to the airwaves under the same conditions.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 A regulation the FCC adopted in 1949 and repealed in It required broadcasters to provide “reasonable opportunities for the expression of opposing views on controversial issues of public importance.” 8-3 Freedom of the Press Fairness Doctrine
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Criteria for Selecting the News Conflict Proximity Timeliness
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Four Rules for Journalists Keep personal preferences out of the story. Avoid using obviously value-laden words. Get both sides of the story. Rely on “responsible” sources for information.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Six Common Complaints about the Media They are ideologically biased. They are excessively cynical. They increasingly treat news as entertainment. They do a poor job of covering elections. They do a poor job of reporting election results. They complicate the task of governing by reporting stories based on leaks of confidential government information.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Year Length of Average Campaign Sound Bite
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2006 Political Impact of the Internet Can greatly improve access to information: Google, Wikipedia, government Web sites, CNN Can also disseminate FALSE or misleading information, scandal 2004: used effectively by Howard Dean to raise campaign funds Little “quality control” over bloggers, phony sites: Dole Most popular sites are for sports, pornography, celebrities, video poker, medicine – NOT politics Spur to youth voter turnout? Korea, 2002? MoveOn.org? Digital Divide: access varies by race, class, education, age