AP Government Interest Groups, Media, Technology

Attack Journalism

A type of increased increasingly popular media coverage focused on political scandals and controversies, which causes a negative opinion of political figures

Broadcast Media

Communications technologies such as television and radio that transmit information over airwaves

Equal time provision

An FCC regulation requiring broadcast media to provide equal airtime on non-news programming to all candidates running for an office

Exit Poll

A poll of people leaving a polling place, asking who they voted

FCC

A government agency created in 1936 to regulate American radio stations and later expanded to regulate television, wireless communication technologies, and other broadcast media

Filtering

The influence on public opinion that results from journalists' and editors' decisions about which of many potential news stories to report

Framing

The influence on public opinion caused by the way a story is covered or presented, including the details, explanations, and context offered in the report

Hard news

Media coverage focused on facts and important issues surrounding a campaign

Horse Race

A description of the type of election coverage that focuses more on poll results and speculation about a likely winner than on substantive differences between the candidates

Ideological polarization

The effect on public opinion when many citizens move away from moderate positions and toward either end of the political spectrum, identifying themselves as either liberals or conservatives

Investigative journalism

Reporters who dig deeply into a particular topic of public concern, often targeting government failures and inefficiencies

Leak

The release of either classified or highly embarrassing information by a government employee to a member of the press

Mainstream Media

Media sources that predate the internet, such as newspapers, magazines, televisions, and radio

Mass Media

Sources that provide information to the average citizen such as newspapers, television networks, radio stations, and websites

News Cycle

The time between release of information and its publication, like the 24 hours between issues of daily newspapers

Off-the-record

Comments a politician makes to the press on the condition that they can be reported only if they are not attributed to that politician (also knows as 'on background'

Opposition Research

Attempts by a candidate's campaign or other groups of supporters to uncover embarrassing or politically damaging information about the candidate's opponent.

Political culture

The deep seated beliefs and characteristics of a people

Political socialization

The process by which an individual's political opinions are shaped by other people and the surrounding culture

Press conferences

Events at which a politician speaks to journalists, and usually, answers questions afterwards.

Public opinion

Citizens' views on politics and government actions

Push polling

A type of survey in which the questions are presented in a biased way in an attempt to inflame the respondent.

Random sample

A subsection of a population chosen to participate in a survey through a selection process in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen. This kind of sampling improves accuracy of public opinion data.

Sample

Within a population, the group of people surveyed in order to gauge the whole populations' opinions

Sampling error

A calculation that describes what % or people may not accurately represent population being studied

Soft News

Media coverage aimed to entertains/shock, often through sensationalized reporting or a focus on a candidate's personality

Sound bites

Short extracts from a recorded interview chosen for their pungency or appropriateness

Trial ballons

Tentative measures/statements made to see how a new policy will be received

Wire service

An organization that gathers news and sells it to other media outlets. Invention of the telegraph in the early 1800s enabled this

Yellow Journalism

A style of newspaper popular in 1800s that featured sensationalized stories, bold headlines, and illustrations to increase readership

watch dog journalism

informs the public about goings-on in institutions and society, especially in circumstances where a significant portion of the public would demand changes in response

Gatekeeping

the process by which a relatively small number of people in the media industry control what material eventually reaches the audience

Edward Snowden

An NSA contractor turned whistleblower, who released classified information relating to the United States' intelligence gathering both at home and abroad.

Americans who own a smart phone

70%

broadcasting

the transmission of radio waves or TV signals to a broad public audience

Narrowcasting

targeting media programming at specific populations within society

telegenic

having an appearance or manner that is appealing on television; began in 1960s

new media

new technologies, such as the internet, that blur the line between paid and free media sources

Amicus Curie Brief

"friend of the court" brief filed by an interest group to influence a Supreme Court decision

digital divide

A worldwide gap giving advantage to those with access to technology

Wikileaks

Unaffiliated online source that posts secret government and corporate documents. Designed to correct abusive practices and promote public dialogue and involvement

Hacktivism

the use of hacking to promote a political cause

Telecommunications Act of 1996

federal legislation that deregulated the communications media; opened communications markets to telephone companies

micro-blog

sites, including Twitter, that enable short communication, often targeted specifically at on-the-move audiences

Media Framing Theory

The way that a story is put together or structured shapes the way people understand and are affected by the content (e.g. gain-frames or loss-frames) by Shanto Iyengar

information overload

exceeding the amount of information a human mind can absorb and process, resulting in a decline in decision-making quality and an increase in the cost of providing information

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"

Stamp Act

1765; law that taxed printed goods, including: playing cards, documents, newspapers, etc.

Penny Press

Newspapers that, because of technological innovations in printing, were able to drop their price to one cent, therefore making papers affordable to working and middle classes and enabled newspapers to become a genuine mass medium

special interest

an organization of people with some common interest who try to influence government decisions

netroots

the Internet-centered political efforts on behalf of candidates and causes

Elitism

A theory of government and politics contending that an upper-class elite will hold most of the power and thus in effect run the government.

Priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response (used by the media)

interest group

An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy

grassroots lobbying

Efforts by groups and associations to influence elected officials indirectly, by arousing their constituents.

Ida Tarbell

A leading muckraker and magazine editor, she exposed the corruption of the oil industry with her 1904 work A History of Standard Oil.

Remarketing

targeting political Google ads based on the cookies that a user drops on other websites

letter to the editor

a letter sent to a publication about issues of concern from its readers

Upton Sinclair

muckraker who shocked the nation when he published The Jungle, a novel that revealed gruesome details about the meat packing industry in Chicago. The book was fiction but based on the things Sinclair had seen.

Fireside Chats

informal talks given by FDR over the radio; sat by White House fireplace; gained the confidence of the people

American's adults who use the internet today

80%

PAC (Political Action Committee)

an independent organization established by interest groups, political candidates, and people who hold office. PACs serve to raise and contribute money to the political campaigns of individuals whose platforms agree with the aims of the PAC.

Super PACs

Independent expenditure-only PACs are known as Super PACs because they may accept donations of any size and can endorse candidates. Their contributions and expenditures must be periodically reported to the FEC.

501(c) groups

Groups that are exempted from reporting their contributions and can receive unlimited contributions. Section 501c of the tax code specifies that such groups cannot spend more than half their funds on political activities.

Media Framing

how media depictions of events influence and constrain the way consumers can interpret the events

docudrama

a television programme or film which shows real events in the form of a story

Bandwidth

The amount of data that can be transmitted over a network in a given amount of time.

free rider problem

For a group, the problem of people not joining because they can benefit from the group's activities without joining.

Pippa Norris

Wrote "Gender and Party Politics"

Muckraking

the action of searching out and publicizing scandalous information about famous people in an underhanded way.

news aggregators

web sites, applications, and software that cull content from other digital sources

Obama Campaign technique

Used social media and technology to raise money and support

ads in newspapers

originated in 1830s