Chapter 6 and 7 Vocab

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32 Terms

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Public opinion
Citizens' views on politics and government actions.
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liberal or conservative ideology
A way of describing political beliefs in terms of a position on the spectrum running from liberal to moderate to conservative.
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latent opinion
An opinion formed on the spot, when it is needed (as distinct from a deeply held opinion that is stable over time).
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political socialization
The process by which an individual's political opinions are shaped by other people and the surrounding culture.
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mass survey
A way to measure public opinion by interviewing a large sample of the population.
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population
The group of people that a researcher or pollster wants to study, such as evangelicals, senior citizens, or Americans.
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sample
Within a population, the group of people surveyed in order to gauge the whole population's opinion. Researchers use samples because it would be impossible to interview the entire population.
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sampling error
A calculation that describes what percentage of the people surveyed may not accurately represent the population being studied. Increasing the number of respondents lowers the sampling error.
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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 the accuracy of public opinion data.
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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.
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policy mood
The level of public support for expanding the government's role in society; whether the public wants government action on a specific issue.
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mass media
Sources that provide information to the average citizen, such as newspapers, television networks, radio stations, podcasts, and websites.
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wire service
An organization that gathers news and sells it to other media outlets. The invention of the telegraph in the early 1800s made this type of service possible.
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yellow journalism
A style of newspaper popular in the late 1800s that featured sensationalized stories, bold headlines, and illustrations to increase readership.
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investigative journalists
Reporters who dig deeply into a particular topic of public concern, often targeting government failures and inefficiencies.
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Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
A government agency created in 1934 to regulate American radio stations and later expanded to regulate television, wireless communications technologies, and other broadcast media.
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broadcast media
Communications technologies, such as television and radio, that transmit information over airwaves.
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fairness doctrine
An FCC regulation requiring broadcast media to present several points of view to ensure balanced coverage. It was created in the late 1940s and eliminated in 1987.
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equal time provision
An FCC regulation requiring broadcast media to provide equal airtime on any non-news programming to all candidates running for an office.
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media conglomerates
Companies that control a large number of media sources across several types of media outlets.
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news cycle
The time between the release of information and its publication, such as the 24 hours between issues of a daily newspaper.
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on background or 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.
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by-product theory
The idea that many Americans acquire political information unintentionally rather than by seeking it out.
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media effects
The influence of media coverage on average citizens' opinions and actions.
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filtering
The influence on public opinion that results from journalists' and editors' decisions about which of many potential news stories to report.
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slant
The imbalance in a story that covers one candidate or policy favorably without providing similar coverage of the other side.
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priming
The influence on the public's general impressions caused by positive or negative coverage of a candidate or an issue.
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framing
The influence on public opinion caused by the way a story is presented or covered, including the details, explanations, and context offered in the report.
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attack journalism
A type of increasingly popular media coverage focused on political scandals and controversies, which causes a negative public opinion of political figures.
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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.
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soft news
Media coverage that aims to entertain or shock, often through sensationalized reporting or by focusing on a candidate or politician's personality.
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hard news
Media coverage focused on facts and important issues surrounding a campaign.