1. 7 th Grade Civics Miss Smith *pgs. 272-276

2.  The opinions of the citizens can influence the government

3.  Each issue has many opinions held by different groups  Each group makes up the “public”, therefore public opinion refers to many opinions  Opinions are shaped by:  Family  Friends  New ideas  Teachers  Clubs

4.  Mass media helps citizens form their opinions and comes in many forms such as:  Books, magazines, TV, and the internet  Having access to this info does not make you well informed  You must think critically about what you see, hear, and read

5.  Propaganda- ideas spread to influence people

6.  Presented as fact and its sources are kept secret  Used to fool people without letting them know it’s purpose to influence their views

7.  Makes readers or listeners aware that someone is trying to influence them  Examples:  Commercials for various products that companies want you to buy  Campaign videos that are labeled as paid advertisements by certain organizations

8.  Testimonials- Endorsements by athletes, famous people, etc.  By law, the testimonials people give in advertising must be true  Bandwagon- saying something loud and often enough that people believe it  More and more people will join in because people they know have  Name Calling- Describing someone or something in a negative or unpleasant way

9.  Glittering Generalities- saying things that sound good, but mean little to nothing  Plain-Folks Appeal- candidates try to show they are just regular people and can relate to others  Card Stacking- using facts that only support one side of a product, idea, or candidate

10.  This is done by conducting polls or surveys