Exam 2 Flashcards
Chapter 6-11
According to Russell Neuman, the “paradox of mass politics” is that the American political system works as well as it does despite ____________.
the public’s lack of knowledge about politics
Conservatives generally favor the __________ sector.
private
How does lower voter turnout among young citizens affect the composition of those who show up at the polls?
Conservatives are overrepresented at the polls
Political participation
All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue
If the poor participated at higher levels in the political process, what might happen?
Government programs to alleviate economic inequality would likely be higher on the political agenda
In a random sample of 1,000 high school students, 29 percent indicated that they had read the Declaration of Independence at least once, with a sampling error of 4 percent. Which of the following statements is true?
It is likely between 25 and 33 percent of the population have read the Declaration of Independence
A form of political participation
Calling your representative to express your opinion about upcoming legislation
The effect of aging on political participation
Aging increases political participation until the infirmities of old age make it harder to participate
When do blacks participate more in politics than whites?
When their levels of education are equal to those of whites
Unconventional political participation
Staging a sit-in
1936 Literary Digest poll that predicted Roosevelt’s reelection defeat
The poll oversampled those with higher income
Women are more likely than men to cast their ballots for which type of candidate?
Democratic candidates who support higher levels of spending on social services as opposed to spending on the military
As technology has enabled the media to pass along information with greater speed, news coverage has become _________
less thorough
The relationship between politicians and the press was ______________ during the 20th century until the 1960s.
cozy
Policy entrepreneurs are people who invest __________ in an issue.
political capital
Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and other forms of communication
Mass media
The increased number of news and infotainment options has resulted in __________ in which media outlets focus on a particular interest and aim at a particular audience.
narrowcasting
The media’s emphasis on the slowly improving American economic situation in 2012 rather than the record number of long-term unemployed Americans is an example of _____________.
agenda setting
The use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes, at times putting reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders, is referred to as _________
investigative journalism
Thomas Patterson’s careful analysis of campaign reporting has shown that since 1960, its emphasis has changed dramatically from ____________.
the candidates’ policy statements to the campaign as a horse race
Trial balloons
An intentional news leak for the purpose of assessing the political reaction
Beats
Specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House. Most top reporters work a particular beat, thereby becoming specialists in what goes on at that location.
What do network executives blame for the superficiality in media reporting?
The public
Selective exposure
The tendency for viewers to seek news that aligns with their existing ideas
