Transcript View - Patrick Minges

Section 1:
Forming Public Opinion
A democratic society
requires the active
participation of its citizens.
Individuals, interest groups,
the mass media, and
government officials all play a
role in shaping public opinion.
Section 2:
The Mass Media
In a democratic society,
various forces shape
people’s ideas. The media
have a profound influence on
the ideas and behavior of the
American people and their
government.
Section 3:
Interest Groups
Political and economic
institutions evolve to help
individuals and groups
accomplish their goals.
Interest groups, a powerful
force in our democracy, use
various techniques to
influence public opinion and
policy.
Guide to Reading
Big Idea
A democratic society requires active
participation of its citizens.
Public Opinion
Public opinion, the ideas and attitudes
most people hold, plays a vital role in
our democracy.
Public Opinion (cont.)
• Public opinion refers to ideas and
attitudes people hold about a particular
issue or person.
• Public opinion is of political importance.
Public Opinion (cont.)
• Sources of public opinion:
– Personal background (age, gender,
income, race, religion, occupation, place
of residence)
– Mass media
– Public officials
– Interest groups
Public Opinion (cont.)
• Three features of public opinion:
– Direction
– Intensity
– Stability
Measuring Public Opinion
The most common way of measuring
public opinion is with public opinion
polls.
Measuring Public Opinion (cont.)
• Public opinion polls measure public
opinion.
• Pollster is a specialist who measures the
president’s popularity or towards possible
proposals
Pre-Election Approval Ratings, 1955–2003
Measuring Public Opinion (cont.)
• Sampling public opinion:
– People in sample are selected at
random
– Well-constructed sample reflects the
entire population
– Wording questions to find people’s true
opinions
– Push polls worded to influence
responses
Measuring Public Opinion (cont.)
• Arguments for and against polling:
– Allows officeholders to keep in touch
with citizens’ ideas
– Makes officials more concerned with
public opinion than leadership and
decision-making
– Affect elections and voter turnout
Guide to Reading
Big Idea
In a democratic society, various
forces shape people’s ideas.
The Media’s Impact
The nation’s media are an important
influence on politics and government
and also help set the public agenda.
The Media’s Impact (cont.)
• The mass media influences politics and
government, and connects the people and
elected officials.
America’s Use of Mass Media
The Media’s Impact (cont.)
• Newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and
books as examples of print media
• Radio, television, and the Internet as
examples of electronic media
• Influence of profit on news coverage
America’s Use of Mass Media
The Media’s Impact (cont.)
• Influence of the media on:
– The public agenda
– Political candidates
America’s Use of Mass Media
The Media’s Impact (cont.)
• Relationship between politicians and
journalists
• Purpose of government leaks to the media
• Watchdog role of the mass media
• Conflicts between national security and
citizens’ need for information
America’s Use of Mass Media
Media Safeguards
Freedom of the press is protected by
the U.S. Constitution, although some
regulation is permitted.
Media Safeguards (cont.)
• The government protects the ability of the
mass media to operate freely.
• The First Amendment and freedom of the
press
• Freedom from prior restraint
• Libel and limits to freedom of the press
• Supreme Court ruled that public officials
must prove actual malice, or evil intent, by
publisher
Media Safeguards (cont.)
• The media’s right to keep sources secret
• The Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) as a regulatory commission of the
federal bureaucracy
Guide to Reading
Big Idea
Political and economic institutions
evolve to help individuals and groups
accomplish their goals.
Guide to Reading
Content Vocabulary
• public interest
group
• political action
committee (PAC)
• nonpartisan
• lobbyist
Academic Vocabulary
• primary
• guarantee
Do you agree that groups
with greater financial
resources can exercise
more influence over
public policy than groups
with fewer financial
resources?
A. A
B. B
A. Agree
0%
0%
B. Disagree
A
B
Types of Interest Groups
Interest groups are an important part of
our democratic process because they
influence public policy.
Types of Interest Groups (cont.)
• Interest groups are organizations of people
who unite to promote their ideas.
Types of Interest Groups (cont.)
• Economic interest groups:
– U.S. Chamber of Commerce promoting
free enterprise
– Tobacco Institute representing cigarette
manufacturers
– AFL-CIO representing workers
– The American Medical Association
representing doctors
Types of Interest Groups (cont.)
• Other interest groups:
– NAACP improving the lives of African
Americans
– NOW representing women’s interests
– AARP promoting interests of older
Americans
– Sierra Club protecting nature
– NRA looking after interests of gun owners
Types of Interest Groups (cont.)
• Public interest groups working to benefit
Americans in general
− League of Women Voters is an example
of a nonpartisan, or impartial group
• Interests groups supporting candidates
and forming political action committees
• Interest groups bringing cases to court
Types of Interest Groups (cont.)
• Interest groups influencing lawmakers by
using lobbyists who:
– have a good understanding of how the
government functions.
– know which government department to
contact about concerns.
– supply lawmakers with useful
information that help their own cases.
Types of Interest Groups (cont.)
– suggest solutions and problems to
lawmakers.
– prepare their own drafts of bills for
lawmakers.
– testify in legislative hearings on bills.
– see that laws are enforced.
Do you think that
interest groups have too
much influence in
determining the laws
and policies of the
United States?
A. A
B. B
A. Yes
B. No
0%
A
0%
B
Techniques Interest Groups Use
Interest groups use various techniques
to influence public opinion and policy.
Techniques Interest Groups Use (cont.)
• Interest groups use a variety of techniques
to influence public opinion and policy:
– Direct mail
– Advertising
– Organize public events and protests
– Propaganda
Propaganda Techniques
Techniques Interest Groups Use (cont.)
• Regulating interest groups:
– Limits on PAC contributions
– Registration and disclosure
requirements for lobbyists
– Waiting period before former
government officials can become
lobbyists
Techniques Interest Groups Use (cont.)
• Controversy surrounding interest groups
and lobbying
Do you agree that the practice of
lobbying can easily lead to corruption
and should therefore be outlawed?
A. Agree
B. Disagree
A. A
B. B
0%
B
A
0%
Voters strongly
disagreed about
whether to elect
Kerry or reelect
Bush
The International
Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers
and the Association
of Trial Lawyers of
America
public opinion
the ideas and attitudes that most
people hold about elected officials,
candidates, government, and political
issues
mass media
a mechanism of mass
communication, including television,
radio, newspapers, magazines,
recordings, movies, and books
interest group
a group of people who share a point
of view about an issue and unite to
promote their beliefs
public opinion poll
a survey in which individuals are
asked to answer questions about a
particular issue or person
pollster
a specialist whose job is to conduct
polls regularly
uniform
consistent or unvarying
gender
a notion of the sex of a person
survey
to determine the size, shape, and
position of; to gather information
about, as in a poll
print media
newspapers, magazines, newsletters,
and books
electronic media
radio, television, and the Internet
public agenda
issues considered most significant by
government officials
leak
the release of secret government
information by anonymous
government officials to the media
prior restraint
government censorship of material
before it is published
libel
written untruths that are harmful to
someone’s reputation
malice
evil intent
acknowledge
to recognize the existence of or to
make something known
benefit
to be useful or profitable to
regulatory
used to describe an agency or body
whose function is to control or govern
public interest group
an organization that supports causes
that affect the lives of Americans in
general
nonpartisan
free from party ties or bias
political action
committee (PAC)
political organization established by a
corporation, labor union, or other
special-interest group designed to
support candidates by contributing
money
lobbyist
representative of an interest group
who contacts lawmakers or other
government officials directly to
influence their policy making
primary
first in time or importance
guarantee
to promise or give security
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