Chapter 10&16 Flashcards
conservative
those who believe in following tradition and having reverence for authority. They argue that government should do less and thus allow people more freedom.
liberal
being open to allowing the government to flexibly expand beyond established constraints
political culture
set of attitudes that shape political behavior, which are: individualism, equal opportunity, free enterprise, and rule of law
individualism
belief in the fundamental worth and importance of the individual
equal opportunity
The condition in which people, although not guaranteed equal rewards, expect to have comparable chances to compete for those rewards
free enterprise
Economic system in which individuals and businesses are allowed to compete for profit with a minimum of government interference
rule of law
the principle of government that establishes laws that apply equally to all members of society and prevents the rule and whims of leaders who see themselves as above the law
limited government
government kept under control by laws, checks and balances, and separation of powers.
ideology
comprehensive and mutually consistent set of ideas
valence issue
concerns or policies that are viewed the same by people with a variety of ideologies
wedge issues
Concerns or policies that sharply divide the public
saliency
Degree to which issue is important to a particular individual or group
moderate
someone whose political ideology occupies a center position on the left-right political spectrum
Libertarian
One who believes in limited government interference in personal and economic liberties
Populists
a member or adherent of a political party seeking to represent the interests of ordinary people.
Progressives
Favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are, especially in political matters.
political socialization
the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions
party identification
a citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other
lifecycle effects
shows that as people become middle-aged, they become more politically conservative, less mobile, and more likely to participate in politics
benchmark polls
first poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared
tracking polls
ongoing series of surveys that follow changes in public opinion over time
entrance/exit polls
surveys conducted outside a polling place on Election Day to predict the outcome of the election later in the news day, to gain insight into the thoughts and behaviors of voters, or identify and analyze how different voting demographic actually voted
focus groups
a small group of voters chosen by a political campaign for their demographic similarities who are brought together to gauge how the group they represent feels about the candidate.
approval ratings
a measurement of how popular, or unpopular, a leader, government action or program is among the public.
bandwagon effect
a shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public opinion polls report as the front-runner
Associated Press (AP)
Newspaper publishers from around the nation formed this to promote cooperative news gathering by wire, standardized unbiased reporting
bandwagon effect
a shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public opinion polls report as the front-runner
sound bites
short excerpts edited from longer remark that are especially vivid in presenting an issue, can have drastically different different effects on the public depending on how they are worded
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
allows the public to gain access to nonclassified federal documents, this law has helped journalists uncover information that was otherwise not released
C-SPAN
The cable network that provides gavel-to-gavel coverage of congressional floor proceedings, committee hearings, and special events.
political analysis
form of journalistic expression that explores and provides, with the help of experts, opinions on a topic in depth, valuable as a way to educate news consumers on likely causes, effects, and implications of proposed legislation, court rulings, or budget proposals
press conference
meetings of public officials with reporters
editorials
a newspaper article written by or on behalf of an editor that gives an opinion on a topical issue.
commentary
meaning opinion and interpretation rather than “just-the-facts” reporting
scorekeeper
media’s role of keeping track of political successes and failures
horse-race journalism
news coverage that focuses on who is ahead rather than on the issues
watchdog
media’s role in exposing scandal and investigating candidates
gatekeeper
media’s role in determining what is newsworthy and therefore deciding what information the public will receive
narrowcasting
targeting media programming at specific populations within society
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
regulates electronic media, and has the authority over the content of radio, television, wire, amd satellite broadcasters
Fairness Doctrine
A principle that formerly obligated broadcasters to present both sides of an issue
mainstream media
collection of traditional news organizations, still operates an objective news model
confirmation bias
a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence
consumer-driven media
media whose content is influenced by the actions and needs of consumers
