Chapters 5 & 6 - Public Opinion & Political Socialization and The Media

Bimodal Distribution

A distribution (of opinions) that shows two responses being chosen about as frequently as each other - Great potential for political conflict

Political Agenda

A list of issues that need government attention

Infotainment

A mix of information and diversion oriented to personalities or celebrities, not linked to the day's events, and usually unrelated to public affairs or policy; often called "soft news"

Opinion Schema

A network of organized knowledge and beliefs that guides a person's processing of information regarding a particular subject

Media Event

A situation that is so "newsworthy" that the mass media are compelled to cover it. Candidates in elections often create such situations to garner media attention

Socioeconomic Status

Position in society based on a combination of education, occupational status, and income

Equal Opportunities Rule

Required any broadcast station that gave or sold time to a candidate for public office to make an equal amount of time available under the same conditions to all other candidates for that office

Reasonable Access Rule

Required that all stations make their facilities available for the expression of conflicting views on issues by all responsible elements in the community

Federal Communication Act (1934)

Sweeping law that regulated the broadcast and telephone industries. Created the FCC

Stable Distribution

A distribution (of opinions) that shows little change over time

Normal Distribution

A symmetrical bell-shaped distribution (of opinions) centered on a single mode - Public tends to support a moderate government policy

Skewed Distribution

An asymmetrical but generally bell-shaped distribution (of opinions); its mode lies off to one side - Indicates homogeneity of opinion

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

An independent federal agency that regulates interstate and international communication by radio, television, telephone, telegraph, cable, and satellite - 5 members (No more than 3 from 1 party) nominated by the president for 5 year terms

Market-Driven Journalism

Both reporting news and running commercials geared to a target audience defined by demographic characteristics

Broadcast Media

Communication of information electronically, through sounds and images (radio, television, the internet, etc.)

Print Media

Communication of information through the publication of words and pictures on paper (newspapers, magazines, etc.)

Reno vs ACLU

Court case that ruled the internet is more akin to a newspaper, NOT broadcast TV, and is therefore protected by the first amendment

Federal Radio Act (1927)

Declared that the public owns airwaves and private broadcasters could use them only by obtaining a license from the Federal Radio Commission

Horse Race Journalism

Election Coverage by the mass media that focuses on which candidate is ahead rather than on national issues

Telecommunications Act (1996)

Eliminated limits on the number of television stations one company may own, as long as their coverage didn't extend beyond 35% of the market nationwide

Attentive Policy Elites

Leaders who follow news in specific policy areas

Gatekeepers

Media executives, news editors, and prominent reporters who direct the flow of news

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts that require hardly any information

Fairness Doctrine

Obligated broadcasters to provide fair coverage of all views on public issues

Public Opinion

The collected attitudes of citizens concerning a given issue or question

Television Hypothesis

The belief that television is to blame for the low level of citizens' knowledge about public affairs

Political Socialization

The complex process by which people acquire their political values

Newsworthiness

The degree to which a news story is important enough to be covered in the mass media

Self-Interest Principle

The implication that people choose what benefits them personally

Mass Media

The means employed in mass communication; often divided into print media and broadcast media

Mode

The most frequent response ("favor")

Mass Communication

The process by which information is transmitted to large, heterogeneous, widely dispersed audiences

Two-Step Flow of Communication

The process in which a few policy elites gather information and then inform their more numerous followers, mobilizing them to apply pressure to government

Communication

The process of transmitting information from one individual or group to another

Issue Framing

The way that politicians or interest group leaders define an issue when presenting it to others.