American Politics Exam 2
liberty
Freedom from government control
traditional political participation
activities designed to influence government including voting, campaign contributions, and face-to-face activities such as protesting or volunteering for a campaign
digital political participation
activities designed to influence politics using the Internet, including visiting a candidate's website, organizing events online, and signing an online petition
citizen journalism
news reporting, and political commentary by ordinary citizens and bystanders, advocacy groups, and eyewitnesses to crises, often using cell phone images or video and distributed via social media.
mainstream news organizations
organizations that adhere to the principles of journalism by doing original ,balanced, factual reporting, using unpaid, credible sources: conducting interviews ethically: and avoiding personal bias by editors or reporters
protest
participation that involves assembling crowds to confront a government or other official organization
filter bubbles
partisan media environments in which users are exposed primarily to opinions and information that conform to their existing beliefs; constructed by algorithms that analyze and then personalize each user's online experience
sampling error (or margin of error)
polling error that arises based on the small size of the sample
selection bias
polling error that arises when the sample is not representative of the population being studied, which creates errors in overrepresenting or underrepresenting some opinions
media
print and digital forms of communication, including television, newspapers, radio, and the Internet, intended to convey information to large audiences
equal protection clause
provision of the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteeing citizens "the equal protection of the laws." This clause has been the basis for the civil rights of African Americans, women, and other groups
principled journalism
reporting that involves being as accurate, fair, and balanced as possible, relying on original sources, being transparent about citing sources, and presenting multiple viewpoints
public-opinion polls
scientific instruments for measuring public opinion
confirmation bias
the tendency to favor information that confirms a person's existing beliefs; it involves discounting evidence that could disprove or challenge those beliefs
discrimination
the use of any unreasonable and unjust criterion of exclusion
liberal
today this term refers to those who generally support social and political reform; governmental intervention in the economy and more economic equality; expansion of federal social services; and greater concern for consumers and the environment
conservative
today this term refers to those who generally support the social and economic status quo and are suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulae and economic arrangements... believe that a large and powerful government poses a threat to citizens' freedom
news aggregators
websites that pull together news from a wide range on online sources and make them available on one platform or page; news aggregators can be a way to avoid partisan or filtered news, providing a broad overviews of the news of the day from many sources
Fourteenth Amendment
(1868) one of three civil war amendments; it guaranteed equal protection and due process. Important to helping African American individuals become protected citizens after the 13th Amendments, allowing them to have civil and and legal rights in America.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Landmark legislation that ended segregation in public spaces and prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, sex, and national origin.
Fifteenth Amendment
One of the three Civil War Amendments; gave African American men the right to vote.
Thirteenth Amendment
One of the three Civil War Amendments; specifically bans slavery in the United States.
opinion-driven journalism
Political blogs and talk shows where the writer or host provides highly opinionated personal commentary, usually through conversations with guests; these formats blur the boundaries between objective journalism and subjective reporting
Nineteenth Amendment
The constitutional amendment adopted in 1920 that guarantees women the right to vote.
right of rebuttal
a Federal Communications Commission regulation giving individuals the right to have the opportunity to respond to personal attacks made on a radio or television broadcast
political ideology
a cohesive set of beliefs that forms a general philosophy about the role of government
gender gap
a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men
adversarial journalism
a form of reporting in which the media adopt a skeptical or even hostile posture toward the government and public officials
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
a government program intended to allow undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors to legally remain in the country to study or work
Civil Liberties Act of 1988
a historic piece of legislation in which the federal government formally acknowledged the forced removal and internment of Japanese people as an injustice that had been motivated largely by racial prejudice
simple random sample (or probability sample)
a method used by pollsters to select a representative sample in which every individual in the population has an equal probability of being selected as a respondent
random digit dialing
a polling method in which respondents are selected at random from a list of 10-digit telephone numbers, with every effort made to avoid bias in the construction of the sample
bandwagon effect
a shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public opinion polls report as the front-runner
sample
a small group selected by researchers to represent the most important characteristics of an entire population
attitude (or opinion)
a specific preference on a particular issue
strict scrutiny
a test used by the Supreme Court in racial discrimination cases and other cases involving civil liberties and civil rights that places the burden of proof on the government rather than on the challengers to show that the law in question is constitutional
insurrection
a violent attack on government; the act of revolting against civic authority or an established government
equality of opportunity
a widely shared American ideal that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential
values (or beliefs)
basic principles that shape a person's opinions about political issues and events
public opinion
citizens' attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events
media echo chambers
closed communication systems in which individual beliefs are amplified or reinforced by repetition; they may increase social and political polarization because users do not encounter opposing views
broadcast media
communication methods such as television and radio; they tend to take the form of one publisher (ex. a television station to many viewers)
Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)
court decision that guaranteed the right to marry to same sex couples
news websites
digital sites that are owned and managed by newspapers, follow the principles of journalism, and deliver content like that of print newspapers, with similar story layout for all users regardless of location, demographic characteristics, partisanship, or friend networks
"separate but equal" rule
doctrine that public accommodations could be segregated by race but still be considered equal
misinformation
false, inaccurate, or misleading information in the media, especially social media; often targeting political candidates and leaders, can include manipulated or fabricated content, satire, and parody content to the public
media monopolies
giant, often global, corporations that control a wide array of media, including television networks, movie studios, record companies, cable channels, book and newspaper publishers, and digital media outlets
affirmative action
government policies or programs that seek to redress past injustices against specified groups by making special efforts to provide members of those groups with access to educational and employment opportunities
civil rights
guarantees of equal opportunity and protection through obligations imposed on government to protect individuals
Jim Crow Laws
laws enacted by southern states following Reconstruction that discriminated against African Americans
de facto
literally, "by fact"; refers to practices that occur even when there is no legal enforcement, such as school segregation in much of the United States today
de jure
literally, "by law"; refers to legally enforced practices, such as school segregation in the South before the 1960s
partisan media
news organizations that mix opinion-driven journalism with factual reporting in order to appeal to consumers who are ideologically liberal or conservative; often characterized by ideological agenda setting, priming, and framing
Chicano Power Movement
social and political movement of mostly Mexican Americans focused on community empowerment and collective organizing against discrimination and repressive policing
agents of socialization
social institutions, including families and schools, that help to shape individuals' basic political beliefs and values
algorithms
software programs that analyze the viewing, liking, and commenting data of all of a platform's users, as well as individual users' prior data, to present users with additional content tailored to their individual interests instead of ordering posts based on the most recently published
libertarian
someone who emphasizes freedom and believes in voluntary association with small government
socialist
someone who generally believes in social ownership, strong government, free markets, and reducing economic inequality
socioeconomic status
status in society based on level of education, income, and occupational prestige
social movements
sustained campaigns brought by and on behalf of disadvantaged populations in support of a political or social goal
Brown vs. Board of Education (1954)
the 1954 Supreme Court decision that struck down the "separate but equal" doctrine as fundamentally unequal; this case eliminated state power to use race as a criterion of discrimination in law and provided the national government with the power to intervene by exercising strict regulatory policies against discriminatory actions
selection desirability bias
the effect that results when respondents in a survey answer questions in a way that will be viewed favorably by others; can lead to overreporting good behavior to or socially acceptable answers, or underreporting socially undesirable behavior or answers.
justice
the fairness of how rewards and punishments are delivered, especially by governments and courts, but also in society.
Islamophobia
the fear of and discrimination against Islam or people who practice Islam
political socialization
the induction of individuals into the political culture; learning the underlying beliefs and values on which the political system is based.
agenda setting
the media's designation of some issues, events, or people as important and others not
early voting
the option in some states to cast a vote at a polling place or by mail before the election
permanent absentee ballot
the option in some states to have a ballot sent automatically to your home for each election, rather than having to request an absentee ballot each time
same-day registration
the option in some states to register on the day of the election, at the polling place, rather than in advance of the election
turnout
the percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote
mobilization
the process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity
collective action
the process of a group of people organizing and acting based on a shared goal
framing
the process of presenting information from a certain perspective perspective in order to shape the audience's understanding of that information
marketplace of ideas
the public forum in which beliefs and ideas are exchanged and compete
journalism of assertion
the publishing or broadcasting of information or opinion as quickly as possible, with minimal fact-checking
journalism of affirmation
the putting forth of opinion and information that is consistent with the consumer's preexisting beliefs
equal time rule
the requirement that broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office equal opportunities to communicate their messages to the public
burden of proof
the responsibility of an individual, organization, or government to provide sufficient evidence in support of a claim in court
suffrage
the right to vote
