Public Opinion and the Media

Question 1

What is the Equal Protection Clause

Answer 1

a clause in Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment that prohibits the government from denying any person equal protection under the law

Question 2

What are Jim Crow laws

Answer 2

a set of laws used to discriminate against African Americans and deny rights to newly freed slaves after the Civil War. The name “Jim Crow” came from a minstrel routine, “Jump Jim Crow,” that turned into a derogatory term for African Americans.

Question 3

What is disenfranchisement

Answer 3

being denied the right to vote

Question 4

What are the Civil War Amendments

Answer 4

the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, which were added to the Constitution after the Civil War; these amendments ended slavery, provided equal protection under the law, and granted voting rights to men of color

Question 5

What is the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

Answer 5

an unratified amendment to the U.S. Constitution, proposed in 1972, that would require equal treatment for all citizens regardless of sex. The original date of ratification by at least 38 states was March 1979; 35 states ratified it. The ERA is still considered by some to be ratifiable, although it is not universally accepted that this is constitutional.

Question 6

What determines the outcome of the rational basis test

Answer 6

If there is a reason for treating some people differently, the act or law is acceptable

Question 7

What determines the outcome of the intermediate scrutiny test

Answer 7

It requires demonstration that treating men and women differently is “substantially related to an important governmental objective”

Question 8

What is DOMA

Answer 8

Excluded a same-sex partner from the definition of spouse as that term is used in federal statutes

Question 9

What is the Respect for Marriage Act

Answer 9

Signed by Biden in 2022. Repeals DOMA

Question 10

What is United States v. Windsor (2013)

Answer 10

Supreme Court ruled that DOMA’s definition of marriage between one man & one woman was unconstitutional and that it violated the 5th amendment of due process

Question 11

What is Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

Answer 11

combined several lawsuits against same sex marriage bans in various states.

Supreme Court rules the 14th Amendment’s due process clause guarantees marriage as a fundamental liberty

Question 12

What is Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

Answer 12

Until the Supreme Court’s ruling in Griswold, it was a crime to use birth control or to provide advice about birth control in Connecticut

Question 13

What is Roe v. Wade (1973)

Answer 13

Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that limited abortion to only when the mother’s life was endangered

The court extended the idea of reproductive privacy in the earlier case of Griswold to include accessing an abortion

Question 14

What is Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992)

Answer 14

Casey involved Pennsylvania laws that restricted access to abortions..

As long as a state’s restrictions did not impose an “undue burden” on women, they were constitutionally allowed

Question 15

What is Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022)

Answer 15

Dobbs challenged the constitutionality of Mississippi’s law banning almost all abortions after 15 weeks.

Supreme Court over-turned its decision in Roe v Wade

Question 16

What is mass media

Answer 16

types of technology that communicate to large numbers—a mass—of people; present-day mass media include newspapers, radio, broadcast and cable television, films, magazines, compact discs, podcasts, and many forms of social media

Question 17

What is hypodermic theory

Answer 17

a model of communications suggesting that an intended message is directly received (“injected”) and wholly accepted by the receiver

Question 18

What is minimal effects theory

Answer 18

the idea that the media have little effect on citizens.

Two-Step Flow of Information:

One person consumes the news then shares this information to friends and those friends only listen to people they agree with leaving a diminished effect of the media through conversation.

Question 19

What is cultivation theory

Answer 19

the idea that media presents a version of reality that eventually cultivates a worldview generally accepted by the population

Question 20

What is framing

Answer 20

the process of giving a news story a specific context or background

Question 21

What is priming

Answer 21

the process of predisposing media readers or viewers to think and act a particular way

Question 22

What is agenda setting

Answer 22

the ability of powerful media to focus public attention on particular issues or topics via strength of its coverage

Question 23

What is pack journalism

Answer 23

a style of journalism in which all journalists cover the same issues and stories rather than seeking out their own stories

Question 24

What is an example of “framing”

Answer 24

Support for affirmative action depending on how it’s framed such as

Frame A - Reparations for Past Injustices

Frame B - Reverse Discrimination

Question 25

What is a positive affect of Mass Media

Answer 25

can act as a Watchdog and keep an eye on public officials

Question 26

What is broadcast media

Answer 26

TV and radio stations regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Question 27

What is prior restraint

Answer 27

the legal suppression of speech or media coverage prior to public speaking or publication; a form of censorship; the First Amendment significantly limits prior restraint (that is, favors freedom of speech and the press).

Question 28

What is equal-time rule

Answer 28

a provision of the 1934 Communications Act; this federal rule requires broadcasters to provide equal opportunities for airtime and advertising to all legally qualified candidates for the same office.

Question 29

What is fairness doctrine

Answer 29

a federal rule, repealed in 1987, that required media broadcasters to provide balanced airtime to all sides of an issue.

Question 30

What is muckraking

Answer 30

the process of journalists seeking out information on scandals or misconduct in government, politics, or business

Question 31

What are sunshine laws

Answer 31

a law that mandates government proceedings and meeting documents be made available to the public

Question 32

What is Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Answer 32

a 1967 act that requires the executive branch of the U.S. government to provide information requested by citizens; a "sunshine law" that allows citizens to know what the government does

Question 33

What does the FCC require radio stations to get

Answer 33

to apply for licenses and they are only granted if stations follow certain rules including limiting advertising, providing a public forum for discussion, and serving local and minority communities

Question 34

What are sunshine laws

Answer 34

laws that require government proceedings and documents be made available to the public which some people believe open access allows democracy to flourish

Question 35

What types of activities are less likely now from Branzburg v. Hayes

Answer 35

Whistleblowers leaking information to the media since journalists find it more difficult to protect their sources

Question 36

What is political socialization

Answer 36

the process by which we are trained to understand and join a country’s political world. Tells us we are influenced by the political views of our parents

Question 37

What is a gender gap

Answer 37

the marked differences in political opinion between men and women

Question 38

What is political culture

Answer 38

shared political attitudes, values, and beliefs

Question 39

What are political elites

Answer 39

a community or political leader who shapes or even dominates public opinion by providing information to citizens and fostering political strategy

Question 40

What is a bandwagon effect

Answer 40

a tendency by the media to increase coverage of candidates who win primary elections and caucuses early on in the presidential nomination process

Question 41

What is horse-race journalism

Answer 41

the common media practice of following the leading candidates every move and polling numbers throughout a presidential campaign

Question 42

What is collective (mass) public opinion

Answer 42

the opinion of an entire group; also referred to as the “public mood”

Question 43

What is a mandate

Answer 43

in politics, the authority and influence an elected official gains by virtue of substantial popular support; a politician with an electoral mandate has confidence to push for their desired policies, often what they campaigned on.

Question 44

What are the 2 methods citizens use to form an opinion about an issue or candidate

Answer 44

heuristics and research

Question 45

How do prevailing political conditions influence socialization

Answer 45

Actions taken in the political arena influenced your beliefs in this situation. Example - You grew up during the civil rights movement so today you consider protesting the government the most effective form of political participation.

Question 46

What do liberals want

Answer 46

larger government to promote EQUALITY. want more government laws, higher taxes, welfare, to ensure equality

Question 47

What do conservatives want

Answer 47

want smaller government for more FREEDOM want less government laws, low taxes, let individuals & businesses have freedom

Question 48

What do progressives want

Answer 48

the MOST Equality free college, living wage for all, tax wealthy people, climate change

Question 49

What do Libertarians want

Answer 49

the MOST Liberty or Freedom Oppose all government subsidies, welfare, and regulation of firearms, businesses. No IRS or income tax

Question 50

What is Classical Liberalism

Answer 50

Believes in individual rights, liberties, freedom Views government with suspicion, rejects government intervention Found Father or Framers believed this

Question 51

What is Modern Liberalism

Answer 51

Believes that government should promote equality first in laws and actions, Wants larger government, higher taxes, for more equality, welfare, and economic control over private business

Question 52

What is Traditional Conservatives

Answer 52

Use traditional religious beliefs to justify political beliefs on laws and government. Values personal freedom first with low taxes and regulation over business, less welfare and government spending. Against unlimited abortion rights and is for traditional marriage

Question 53

What are Modern Conservatives

Answer 53

Similar beliefs to Traditional Conservatives but do not use religious beliefs to justify their political beliefs

Question 54

What is authoritarianism

Answer 54

Government leaders control many factors. These include politics, the military, the economy, social life, and government.

Question 55

What is communism

Answer 55

There is communal ownership of all property and materials. There is no private property or for-profit enterprises. There are no guarantees of civil liberties and civil rights.

Question 56

What is fascism

Answer 56

There is total control of a country by the ruling party of the dictator. Opposition to the regime is eliminated with violence. Individual interests are less important. There is a focus on the collective good of the nation or race.

Question 57

What is socialism

Answer 57

Government leaders pass laws to promote social and economic equality. They do so by raising taxes. They also nationalize private industries and run those industries as government agencies. Government control of the economy depends on how much of the total economy has been nationalized.