The Media And Opinion Polls Flashcards
What is the Pluralist model of the media in relation to voting?
- The influence of the media is minimal; people choose media that reflects their beliefs, reinforcing original voting intentions.
- This model suggests that the media follows public opinion rather than shaping it.
What is the ‘drip, drip, drip’ effect in media influence?
- A long-term campaign by influential media can gradually shape public opinion, affecting election results over time.
- This is also known as Cultivation Theory.
How can the media affect new and floating voters?
- Voters rely heavily on media for political information, which can significantly influence their voting intentions, especially for those less engaged in politics.
- This is particularly true for new voters and those who pay little attention outside of elections.
According to the Marxist perspective, who owns the media?
- The capitalist class owns the media and promotes agendas that support capitalism.
- This ownership plays a significant role in perpetuating capitalist ideologies.
What is the role of the media as part of the Ideological State Apparatus?
- The media heavily determines the prevailing political thought and defends capitalism, often against the interests of the working class.
- This concept is rooted in Marxist theory.
How do political parties manipulate the media?
- Parties use spin doctors, selected press releases, and favorable imagery to gain positive media coverage.
- They may also manipulate the economy before elections to create favorable news.
What effect did negative press stories have on John Major in 1997?
- He may have suffered from a prolonged period of negative media coverage leading up to the election.
- This illustrates the potential impact of media on electoral outcomes.
What is the role of the media as described in The Fourth Estate?
- Holding those in power to account and speaking truth to power
- The media should ensure the government acts in a democratic, responsible, and accountable manner.
What actions might the media take against governments they oppose?
- Sustained opposition may lead to governments changing course, removing ministers, changing policies, or altering legislation.
What is a potential downside for governments responding to media pressure?
- Caving in too often may make the government look weak and indecisive.
How does the media maintain its influence in politics?
- By being a constant daily presence that can sustain opposition or support for governments and their policies.
What strategy do political parties use on social media?
- They target particular groups, such as swing/marginal voters, to improve their image and chances of winning elections.
What might governments do regarding media sections that are consistently hostile?
- They may choose to ignore these sections if they do not have widespread public backing.
What is an example of a government ignoring hostile media?
- Trump claiming CNN was Fake News.
When might the media have no real impact on government policies?
- When governments are popular or have large majorities.
What are 4 good things about opinion polls?
- Part of free media, people have the right to be informed or ignore them if they choose
- Allows government and opposition to discover certain policies, leaders, images etc are doing well/badly, allows them to be responsive and representative
- Opinion polls can be accurate which allows voters to respond in an informed matter e.g tactical or protest voting or not vote
- Used by parties to see if policies are popular, test new policy ideas
What are / bad things about opinion polls?
- Inaccurate info to the electorate and get them to make decisions they would regret, respondents may give incorrect info e.g wrong in 1992 due to secret Tory voters
- can give inaccurate info to political parties, May called general election in 2017 because she was 24% in the opinion polls but this was highly inaccurate
- encourage tactical voting, many people see tactical voting as a sight here is something fundamentally wrong with our system
- opinion polls can have adverse affects on turnout e.g with a foregone conclusion
