LECTURE 4-5: MEDIA AND PUBLIC OPINION

Question 1

sources of info that form public opinion

Answer 1

media, elites

Question 2

Walter Lippmann “Public Opinion”.

Answer 2

He describes opinions as “pictures in our heads of the world”, and the media plays a key role In shaping those images.
Media shape perception of things we have not experiences personally

Question 3

media effects before

Answer 3

Early in the previous century (20s-60s), people thought mass media would lead to the rise of authoritarian regimes (initial perceptions quite negative): with the spread of media the government can easily alter public opinion, changing people’s perspectives over facts and spreading propaganda.
The rise of the Third Reich seemed to confirm these fears.

Question 4

ORSON WELLES’ 1938 HALLOWEEN BROADCAST

Answer 4

It illustrated the power of media and the influence it can have on public perception and behavior.

Question 5

Minimal Exposure hypothesis

Answer 5

people are not actually influenced by media because of:
- Limited exposure: only a small segment of voters follows media messages about politics
- Selective exposure: people listen to the candite they already vote for
- Biased perception: confirmation bias distorts information reception

Question 6

REVISIONIST VIEW two main channels

Answer 6

agenda setting framing

Question 7

agenda setting

Answer 7

ability of the media to influence the perceived importance of topics through intensity of coverage and selective attention to media messages. By increasing the salience of an issue, media influences their importance in people’s minds. The priority of the media becomes the priority of the public. Media doesn’t tell people what to think but what to think about.

Question 8

framing

Answer 8

the way in which topics are presented matters. A frame is an angle from which an issue is presented (packaging the issue in such a way as to encourage certain interpretations and discourage others). Frames provide people with a quick and easy way to process information. Frames serve as mental filters to make sense of incoming messages. What matters is how you say something, not what you say.

Question 9

priming

Answer 9

Priming: shift in the standards used by people to form an opinion about an issue (ex: the government suggests new benchmarks).