Government 9

Public Opinion

The combined opinions, beliefs, and attitudes of people about a person or issue.opinion

opinion poll

A survey of a random sample of people used to measure public opinion.

Margin of error

A measure of how accurate an opinion poll is.

mass media

Ways of communicating with a large audience, such as TV, newspapers, radio, and the internet.

Off-the-record conversation

Information a reporter may use but cannot reveal the source of.

Media Bias

Real or imagined prejudice that affects which stories journalists cover and how they report them.

Broadcast media

Media that uses radio and television to share news.

Mass media

Media politicians use to reach voters during campaigns.

Agents of socialization

People and groups that shape our political beliefs, such as family, schools, religion, friends, and media.

Agenda-setting power

The media's ability to focus public attention on certain issues.

push poll

Polls designed to influence people's opinions instead of measuring them fairly.

Random sampling

Selecting people so each person in the population has a chance of being chosen.

Horse-race coverage

News coverage that treats an election like a sports competition.

Tracking polls

Polls conducted repeatedly during a campaign to measure changes in support.

Exit polls

Surveys of voters leaving polling places, used to predict election results.

Benchmark poll

A detailed poll used by a candidate to measure support before starting a campaign.

Print media

News sources such as newspapers and magazines.

World Wide Web

A system of internet pages accessed using computers and other devices.

News media

Sources that provide news and information about politics and public affairs.

Opinion journalism

Commentary from people who share their opinions about current events.

Staged events

Events arranged by politicians to attract media attention.

Sound bites

Short statements that capture the main point of a message.

Benchmark poll

A poll used to test public reaction and measure support before a campaign.

Political socialization

The process of developing political beliefs and attitudes throughout life.

Trial balloons

Ideas or messages shared to test public reaction before officially acting on them.

Photo opportunity

An event arranged to give the media a good picture of a candidate.

Horse-race coverage

Coverage focused on who is winning or losing an election.

Soap opera stories

Coverage focused on the ups and downs of candidates and their campaigns.

Mudslinging

Attacking an opponent with negative statements during a campaign.

Blog

An online journal or newsletter posted on the World Wide Web.

Push poll

A misleading poll that tries to persuade people to support or oppose someone.

Spin

Presenting information in a particular way to influence public opinion.

Negative campaigning

Trying to win a campaign by emphasizing an opponent's weaknesses.

Opinion makers

Influential people, such as journalists and public officials, who provide information and advice.

Straw poll

An informal survey that counts people's preferences, such as a show of hands.

Benchmark poll

A long, detailed poll used to test the waters before a campaign begins.

Electronic media

Media that provides news electronically, including online news and other digital sources.

On-the-record conversation

Information a reporter can quote and attribute to a person by name.