AP Gov - media, interest groups, & civil rights movements vocab

agenda setting

The media‘s ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public

broadcast media

outlets for news and other content including radio and television that brings stories directly into people’s homes

collective action

political actions occurs when individuals contribute their, energy, time or money to a larger group goals

collective good

also called a public good; a public benefit that individuals can enjoy or profit from even if they do not help to achieve it

economic interest group

groups advocating on behalf of the financial interests of their members

free riders

individuals who enjoy collective good and benefit from the actions of an interest group without joining

government interest groups

organizations acting on behalf of local, state, or foreign governments

grassroots lobbying

mobilizing interest group members to pressure their representatives by contacting them directly through phone calls, email, and social media

horse-race journalism

coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign than on policy issues

interest group

voluntary associations of people who come together with the goal of getting the policies that they favor enacted

investigative journalism

an approach to news gathering in which reporters dig into stories, often looking for instances of wrong doing

iron triangle

the coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy. Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals.

issue network

the webs of influence between interest groups, policy makers, and policy advocates.

lobbying

interacting with government officials in order to advance a group's public policy goals.

mass media

sources of information designed to reach a wide audience, including newspapers, radio television, and internet outlets

news media

a broad term that includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, internet sources, blogs and social media postings that cover important events.

partisan bias

the slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular political party or ideology

policy agenda

the set of issues to which government officials, voters and the public are paying attention

public interest groups

groups that act on behalf of the collective interests of a broad group of individuals

revolving door

the movement of individuals between positions in government and lobbying positions

selective benefits

benefits available only to those who join the group

social media

forms of electronic communication that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

social movement

diffuse groups that educate the public and put pressure on policymakers in an effort to bring about societal change.

wire service

an organization that gathers and reports on news and then sells the stories to other outlets