Unit 4 Flashcards
Media System
all media outlets in a country
Media Outlet
a specific program, station, website
Prior Restraint
government preventing publication of material it finds objectionable
New York Times vs. US 1971
Pentagon Papers were leaked illegally. The Nixson administration said that you can’t publish it because it would threaten National security. Freedom of the press was deemed better
Journalistic Values
Objectivity was not always a value.
1. Partisan press: founding until 1830/40s
2. Penny press: mass market, so they didn’t want to offend any potential buyers
Norm of objectivity developed n this period
3. Broadcast Media: 1920s (radio) 1950s (TV)
Narrowcast media/niche journalism
Want to speak to a well defined slice of the pie
Objectivity
really hard to achieve in journalism. Process of selection, editing, and emphasis, reflects media outlet’s goals, journalist’s own values and professional norms
Hostile Media Phenomenon
we aren’t objective readers, conservatives and liberals see different biases
Media Outlet Goals
Entertain
Watchdog Rule: scrutinizing gov’t officials, telling us when they do something wrong
Make $
What get covered
the consequences of media outlets being businesses is that market forces, audience prefer us to at least partly drive content. We want drama, conflict, scandal, crime, and criticism of the government
Horserace phenomenon
we want to see who is ahead, polls and stats
Paid Media
Campaign ads that politicians pay for
Free Media
Politicians get covered by talking in sound bytes, talking points and with dramatic visuals. IT is “earned media”
News Management Strategies
needed to control your image in the media
sound bytes
dramatic visuals
talking points
Hypodermic Hypothesis
we don’t believe everything we hear, but we worry that other people will
Agenda Setting Effect
when media cover an issue, we think it is important Oversimplified coverage Incentives to entertain us Lots of concern about bias, fake news Watchdog
Fake News
We see lots of bias against our views, we see things we don’t agree with as Fake News
Political Parties
a group that organizes to 1)win elections 2) operate the government, 3) determine policy
Party Organization
National, State, Local
National Party Committee
Independent of other party sections
Recruitment of Candidates
Since their main goal is to win, they will recruit strong candidates that they think can win, even if they don’t match party values completely
Party Platform
official party position on various issues. Party members won’t agree with it all. No one is bound by the platform. Some people disagree with their platform.
Activists vs. party leaders
Activists want thoroughly progressive candidates, and have strong opinions, party leaders just want to win elections.
Party ideology
set of stances shaped by an underlying philosophy about key issues and the proper rule of government in society
Party polarization
voting in congress is now more polarized
Party in electorate
normal Americans
Party identifier
people who choose one specific party
Dealignment
increasing tendency to identify as independent rather than as a partisan
Closet Partisans
Independents who say they lean one way or another almost always vote one way
Affective partisanship
Emotions, identity, and dislike of the opposing party
Strength of party bias
greater than any other bias
Why 2 parties?
Plurality elections guarantee 2 political parties; it is out of necessity. People will vote for you just because there is a D or R next to your name on the ticket. Parties provide $ and publicity. Candidates need to be in a party to win
Plurality elections/Single Member Districts/First Past the Post/Single Member Plurality System
Person with the most votes wins
Strategic Voting
If you know your 1st choice will lose, vote for 2nd favorite
Proportional Representation
% of votes of party = % of seats in the legislature
Duverger’s law
a plurality election system strongly favors 2 party system, a PR election system strongly favors a multi-party system
Interest Group
organized groups of individuals that seeks to influence public policy
Types of IGs
Economic groups
Public Interest groups
Government Interest groups
Economic Interest groups
the biggest group
Business/trade, labor unions, agricultural groups, professional groups, individual businesses
Public Interest groups
formed to advance the public good
Ex. NRA
Government Interest Groups
Don’t seek to win office, just to influence policy
Americans hate IGs
2/3 consider lobbying a threat to democracy
1st Amendment makes lobbying legal
First amendment & lobbying
1st amendment makes lobbying legal
Outside techniques
- Elect/defeat candidates, PAC donations to candidates, independent expenditures
- Shape public opinion
- Mobilize IG members to contact representatives
- Endorsements and ratings
Independent expenditures
funds used to elect/defeat candidates, but not coordinated with an official campaign - these are unlimited and create superPACs
IG rating systems
Groups will rate where certain politicians rank on certain issues
Inside techniques
lobbying, meeting or talking with officials, providing information and making a request
Lobbying
attempts to influence the passage, defeat, or contents of legislation
Preemption laws
if the federal government through Congress has enacted legislation on a subject matter it shall be controlling over state laws
