Interest Group -A group of individuals with a common interest who seek to influence public policy

Types of Interest Groups Corporate or industry interest groups represent shared economic interests Public interest groups work for the common good, not a particular group of people Environmental interest groups Civil rights interest groups

Roles of interest groups Monitoring Government Electioneering Litigation Publicity Lobbying

Monitoring Government Keep track of government activities that might influence their area of focus

Lobbying Paid members of interest groups speak to legislators to persuade them to support or oppose legislation

Electioneering interest groups provide campaign funds through Political Action Committees (PACs) to avoid contribution limits

Litigation Interest groups sometimes file lawsuits in court Examples: minority groups suing for civil rights Environmental group suing a company for toxic pollution

Publicity Spreading messages through advertisement Attempts to sway public opinion

THE MEDIA NEXT PAGE IN YOUR NOTES

The Media as “watchdog” The media (television, news, internet, etc.) acts as a “watchdog” to keep an eye on misconduct in government

Make your paper look like this: Media as watchdog…… Impact of the Media

1. Media needs information for reports and candidates need to get their message to voters. In this way, reporters and politicians help each other fulfill their responsibilities to the public.

2. Government officials tend to be on their best behavior because they know that the media is watching and waiting to report. They want to look good to the public.

3. Sometimes, the media provides government officials with the opportunity to misrepresent themselves through “photo opportunities”. Example: President puts on gloves and holds a spatula at a soup kitchen and is photographed, but did he really spend time volunteering?

4. Because elected officials have the media watching their every move, some qualified individuals may be reluctant to get involved in politics in order to maintain their privacy.

Analyzing Media & Political Communications

1.Who created the message? Example: interest group, political party, reporter, individual, etc.

2. What is the purpose of the message? Is it informational or is the author trying to persuade you of something?

3. Does the message contain bias? (Is the message only presenting one point of view?)

4. What is the main idea? How is it supported?

5. Are there symbols being used? What are they meant to represent? Identify any propaganda strategies being used.

6. Identify pieces of information as fact or opinion. Fact: Can be verified and is either true or false Opinion: Statement of belief; not verifiable

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