Mass Media Public Opinion Influencing Public Opinion Interest

Mass Media & Public Opinion

Influencing Public Opinion • • Interest Groups Public-Interest Groups Lobbyists Public opinion: ideas and attitudes a significant amount of Americans have about political issues

Political Socialization: Process of shaping one’s ideas and attitudes about government Factors that Affect Political Views: – Family – Schools – Peers – Media

Measuring Public Opinion • Politicians monitor public opinion: – Email – Letters – Talking to Constituents – Town hall meetings – Election results – Media – Polls

Scientific Polling • Polls: ask voters for their opinions • Random sample: randomly chosen people up to a specified amount (usually 1500+) • Telephone interviews • Leading Questions vs. Scientific Questions • Margin of error: measures poll’s accuracy Voter Opinion Dem 51% Republican 49% Margin of error: 2%

Mass Media • Most Americans get their news about government and political issues from: § Television § Newspapers § Radio § Magazines § Internet

Media Influence on the Public Agenda • Public Agenda: societal problems that political leaders and the general public agree need government attention • Media set agenda by choosing what to show and what not to show • Bias: liberal, conservative, moderate

Images affect attitudes VS. Case Study: (Vietnam War)

Media Influence on Elections • Presidents use the media to promote their policies and programs • Media plays a role in who is elected • How television shapes elections: 1. Little-known candidates can make an impact 2. TV ads reach more people than print 3. TV networks put more resources into covering front-runners in primaries

Images affect attitudes • Vice President Nixon vs. newcomer John Kennedy • 1 st time presidential debate was televised • TV viewers thought Kennedy won, but radio listeners thought Nixon won. Case Study: (1960 Election)

Media, Congress, & the Courts • Press Secretary • C-SPAN • Broadcast of state & local trials • Daily sessions for reporters at Federal trials

Media Bias Types of Bias: – Advertising bias, when stories are selected or slanted to please advertisers. – Corporate bias, when stories are selected or slanted to please corporate owners of media. – Mainstream bias, a tendency to report what everyone else is reporting, and to avoid stories that will offend anyone. – Sensationalism, bias in favor of the exceptional over the ordinary, giving the impression that rare events, such as airplane crashes, are more common than common events, such as automobile crashes.

Watchdog Groups Liberal • Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) • Media Matters for America Conservative • Accuracy In Media • Media Research Center