Gov Vocab Unit 5 part 2

Adverserial press

the tendency of the national media to be suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them

Background

a public officials statement to a reporter given on condition that the official not be named

Blog

a series, or log, of discussion items on a page of the World Wide Web

Bully pulpit

the president’s use of prestige and visibility to guide or mobilize the American public

Equal time rule

an FCC rule that if a broadcaster sells time to one candidate, it must sell equal time to other candidates

Feature Stories

media stories about events that, though public, are not regularly covered by reporters

Horse race journalism

news coverage that focuses on who is ahead rather than on the issues

Insider Stories

Media stories about events that are not usually made public

Loaded language

words that imply a value judgement, used to persuade a reader without having made a serious argument

Routine Stories

media stories about events regularly covered by reporters

Selective attention

paying attention only to those new stories with which one already agrees

Sound bite

a radio or video clip of someone speaking

Trial balloon

info leaked to the media to test public reaction to a possible policy

Earmark

provision in a law that provides a direct benefit to a client without the benefit having been reviewed on the merits by all of Congress

“Free rider“ problem

the ability of individuals to benefit from the efforts of an interest group without contributing to or aiding the group

Ideological interest groups

political organizations that attract members by appealing to their political convictions or principles

Incentive

something of value one cannot get without joining an organization

Interest group

an organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence public policy

Iron triangle

a political alliance consisting of three groups; an interest group, a congressional committee, and a bureaucratic agency. All three groups cooperate to achieve or reinforce a common goal or objective

Issue network

similar to an iron triangle, but with a looser organization and larger coalition of actors. Issue networks usually include a variety of interest groups with a common goal

Lobbyist

a person who tries to influence legislation of behalf of an interest group

Material Incentives

money or things valued in monetary terms

Political Action Committee (PAC)

a committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

Political cue

signal telling a legislator what values are at stake in a vote, and how that issue fits into his or her own political views on party agenda

Public interest lobby

a political organizations whose goals will principally benefit nonmembers

Purpose incentive

a benefit that comes from serving a cause or principle

Ratings

assessments of a representative’s voting record on issues important to an interest group

Social Movement

widely shared demand fro change in some aspect of the social or political order

Solidary Incentives

the social rewards (sense of pleasure, status, or companionship) that lead people to join organizations