Citizens, Interest Groups, & The Media (Wk12.ppt) Flashcards
A.) Constitutional Principles
- Popular Sovereignty
- Republicanism
- Rights limit gov’t & protect the popular basis of gov’t
- A large, complex republic to control the effects of factions
1.) Popular Sovereignty
a. ) Gov’t by consent of the governed
b. ) accountability through regular elections
2.) Republicanism
a. ) Representative democracy
b. ) Institutions designed to restrain majorities & promote deliberation
3.) Rights limit gov’t and protect the popular basis of gov’t
a. Religious freedom
b. ) Freedom of Speech
c. ) Freedom of assembly
d. ) Right to petition gov’t
e. ) Freedom of the press
B.) Operational Principles
- ) Citizen participation in politics encouraged but w/ few requirements
- Emphasis on public opinion
- Ambivalence about interest groups
- A special status for the media
- A special status for the media
a. 1st Amendment protection
b. Broad access for media to government institutions, officials, and other political figures
II. Process
A. Citizens and the political system
B. Interest groups in the political process
C. Mass media and politics
A. Citizens and the political system
- Voting
- Measuring public opinion
a. Discernment
b. Straw polls
c. Scientific polling
d. The difficulty of measuring public opinion - Political participation
B. Interest groups in the political process
1. Who or what are the interests?
a. Traditional economic interests
b. New economic interests
c. Idea-based groups
d. Gov’t as an interest
B. Interest groups in the political process
a. Traditional economic interests
Business interests
Labor unions
Agricultural interests
Professional associations
B. Interest groups in the political process
b. New economic interests
Healthcare providers who treat Medicare & Medicaid patients
Defense-related industries
Public media stations
Private colleges & universities
Social service organizations that receive federal funds
B. Interest groups in the political process
c. Idea-based groups
Public interest groups (Public Citizen)
Issue advocacy groups (NRA)
Think tanks (Center for American Progress)
B. Interest groups in the political process
d. Gov't as interest
Fed dept’s & agencies
Governors
Mayors
State & local gov’t agencies that receive fed aid
State colleges & Universities
B. Interest groups in the political process
2. How do interest groups operate?
a. Organization
1. ) Basis of support: membership vs. non membership
2. ) A variety of organizational structures
b. Functions
1. ) Participation
2. ) Education
3. ) agenda building
4. ) monitoring
C. Mass media & politics
- ) Structure of the media
- ) Gov’t regulation of the media
- ) Finding the news
- ) Reporting the news
C. Mass media & politics
1.) Structure of the media
a. ) Print media
b. ) Broadcast media
c. ) New media
C. Mass media & politics
2.) Gov't regulation of media
a.) Print media & new media MOSTLY unregulated
b.) Broadcast media is regulated by FCC
•”Spectrum Scarcity”
•certain rules affecting politics: personal attack rule, equal opportunities rule, reasonable access rule
C. Mass media & politics
3. Finding the news
Info sources for news
How info obtained
“On the record” •Briefings & Press releases
•Interviews
•Documents
“On Background” •Briefing or interview to be attributed in a vague manner (“sources say…”)
•Leaked info or documents
“Pseudo-source” •one journalist interviewing another
C. Mass media & politics
4. Reporting the news: What tends to be covered?
•The sensational or dramatic
(Look for the “crisis” logo)
•Scandal is (usually) big news
•Political process behind decisions & policies
•Campaign coverage about the horse race & strategy
•Polls
•Images (why photo-ops are big)
Celebrities (including journalists themselves)
C. Mass media & politics
4. Reporting the news: What gets less attention?
- More routine or complex topics
- Some scandals overlooked
- Substance of complex issues & policy questions
- Substance of issues
- Whether polls are even useful or not
- Events that don’t make good pictures
- Substance
III. Politics
A. The paradox of voting
B. The struggle to influence public opinion
C. Interest group politics
D. Mass media and politics
A. The paradox of voting
- Voting is citizens’ most direct means for affecting gov’t
2. Voter turnout
•Highest in presidential elections
•Lower in state & local
•Lowest in primaries
•Irony: voter turnout lowest in elections in which individual votes matter most
•Turnout in US vs. other countries
B. The struggle to influence public opinion
- The ubiquity of polls
- Other means to measure public opinion (focus groups, etc.)
- How struggle to influence public opinion affects politics (next card)
B. The struggle to influence public opinion
•How struggle to influence public opinion affects politics?
- Using focus groups, etc. to “test drive” ideas, etc.
- Public opinion as a club
- Public opinion as defense
- Crafting policy to appeal to public opinion
- “AstroTurf”
