Unit 7 - AP Government Vocabulary

Agenda Setting

media influencing what the public sees as important

Benchmark Poll

a poll that politicians use to see if the public likes them

Broadcast Media

media that is reading a large audience is going to be more regulated by the government.

Consumer-Driven Media

media that tries to maintain viewership with drama, shock, etc.

Exit Polls

polls that are prompted when people leave on election days

Fairness Doctrine

a policy of the FCC where a broadcasting site must address both view points of a story fairly

Federal Communications Commission

regulates interstate communications via radio, television, media

Focus Group

small group of voters talking about a candidate or topic

Framing

how the media portrays issues

Gatekeeper

picking what gets coverage and what doesn't

Horserace Journalism

media coverage that focuses on polls, popularity, and campaign momentum

Ideologically Oriented Programming

news or media that is specifically targeted to a political party or group

Linkage Institution

connecting citizens to the government

Poll

surveys used to gauge public opinion about topics

Priming

the sequence of questions that change how the media reacts to stories

Prior Restraint

a government action that doesn't allow speech or publication before it happens

Public Opinion

attitudes and beliefs held by a population

Random Sample

an equal but random chance of being selected

Sampling Error

margin of error in a poll

Scientific Polling

a poll that accurately describes a population’s opinions

Stratified Sample

dividing the population based on the demographics

Tracking polls

asking the same questions over time to see how the answers change

Watchdog Journalism

exposing corruption in institutions, this holds leaders accountable

New York Times v. U.S.

landmark court case that upheld the right of press

Print Media

newspapers and magazines