LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS Linkage Institutions Groups that are not

LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS

Linkage Institutions Groups that are not officially part of the government, but play a vital role in connecting (or linking) citizens to the government. � Three types of linkage institutions �Political Parties �Interest Groups �Media �

Media � One very important type of linkage institution is the media. � The media is the public’s main link to politics and the political issues � Most people find out about current events, political candidates, and other political issues through the media.

Mass Media � Types of mass media: � Print media � Movies � Radio � Television � Internet and social networking

Mass Media � Functions of the mass media: � Mass media influences public opinion (the population’s beliefs about politics) � Influences political agenda (the issues that the population finds most important) � The mass media is used by the government to educate young people on politics � Defamation by the mass media: � Libel – written defamation � Slander – spoken defamation must be malicious to count as libel or slander, not just untrue

Agenda Setting � � The ability of the media to influence the public agenda by dictating what issues should be important Based on the agenda setting theory, the more something is covered by the media, the more it is seen as important by the public

Mass Media � � The media gets information from many sources, one of which is the White House itself The White House releases information in 3 ways � Press Release: A document put out by the White House for the press to notify them (the press) of a current situation � Press Briefing: A meeting held daily by the press secretary to inform the press of current White House events � Press Conference: A meeting held to inform the press of a current event, often recorded or televised.

Fireside Chats � � FDR gave speeches over the radio in order to appeal to the public, known as fireside chats. The term is now used to refer to an informal address by a political figure made over television or radio.

How does the internet affect government and politics? � � � The internet influences public opinion greatly. The internet has allowed the public to receive information immediately with little to no restrictions The internet therefore has an influence on government and politics as the public has more access to information than they ever have before.

Candidate-Centered Political Campaigns � � Candidate-centered campaigns are those that focus on candidates themselves rather than their political party affiliation or other issues. Candidate-centered campaigns are extremely popular and extremely successful as it takes the thinking out of deciding who to vote for. People simply focus on the candidate as a person.

Negative Commercials � � Negative ads are advertisements in the media in any form that show an opponent in negative way. These ads are put out by a candidate or supporters of a candidate attacking another candidate.

Negative Ads

Sound Bites � � A SHORT video or audio clip of someone, such as a political figure, speaking, which can be fit easily into newscasts. Often, one clip out of a speech is replayed over and over in different newscasts.

Scandals � � � There have been many political scandals throughout history These all become scandals as they are picked up by the media and portrayed to the public Some highly publicized scandals are: � Nixon’s Watergate scandal � Bill Clinton’s sex scandal � Reagan’s Iran-Contra scandal

Gaffes � � � An error that is publicly made by a politician Oftentimes, political gaffes by candidates can end campaigns and gaffes by sitting officials can hurt their career. Recent political gaffes Donald Trump telling people to “go vote on November 28 th” � Joe Biden telling Obama “This is a big f-in deal” after the passage of the Affordable Car Act in 2010 � Sarah Palin referring to the white house as “ 1400 Pennsylvania Avenue” (the address is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue) �

Horse Race Journalism � The way that journalistic coverage of political elections resembles horse races. � The focus on data from polls which resembles that of horse races � The way the media focuses on the differences between candidates rather than focusing on similarities or on candidates alone � The main trait of horse race journalism is that it focuses on the numbers and who is winning rather than what is happening in society.