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Citizens’ groups

Organized interests formed by individuals drawn together to promote a cause that does not provide significant individual economic benefits.

Collective (public) goods

Benefits offered by groups as an incentive for membership that are nondivisible and available to both members and nonmembers.

Economic groups

Interest groups organized primarily for economic reasons, engaging in political activity to seek favorable government policies.

Free-rider problem

The situation where benefits offered by a group are available to nonmembers, reducing the incentive to join or promote the group's cause.

Inside lobbying

Direct communication between organized interests and policymakers based on close contacts.

Interest group

Any organization that actively seeks to influence public policy.

Iron triangle

A stable group of legislators, executives, and lobbyists that promote policies beneficial to a particular interest.

Issue network

An informal network of public officials and lobbyists responding to a proposed policy, disbanding after the issue is resolved.

Lobbying

The process by which interest-group members or lobbyists try to influence public policy through contacts with public officials.

Outside lobbying

Lobbying that seeks to use public pressure to influence officials.

Political action committee (PAC)

An organization through which an interest group raises and distributes funds for election purposes, requiring voluntary contributions.

Private (individual) goods

Benefits that a group can grant directly and exclusively to individual members.

Super PACs

Election committees unrestricted in fundraising and spending, as long as they do not coordinate efforts with candidates.

Agenda setting

The media's power to focus public attention on particular events, problems, or issues through coverage.

Common-carrier function

The media's role as an open channel for political leaders to communicate with the public.

Framing

The media's process of emphasizing certain aspects of a situation to provide a specific interpretation.

High-choice media system

A media system where audiences have a wide variety of information sources, allowing control over exposure.

Low-choice media system

A media system with limited options, such as a single newspaper and a few television networks.

News

The news media's version of reality, focused on timely, dramatic, and compelling events.

News media (press)

Organizations in the news-reporting business, including print, broadcast, cable, and internet.

Objective journalism

A model of news reporting focused on communicating facts fairly, presenting all sides of a debate.

Partisan function

Media efforts to influence public response to a party, leader, issue, or viewpoint.

Partisan press

Media that openly supports a political party, following the party line in reporting.

Priming

The way media context shapes how information is interpreted by the public.

Signaling (signaler) function

The media's responsibility to alert the public to important developments promptly.

Watchdog function

The media's responsibility to expose corrupt or incompetent officials to protect the public.