Interest Groups Vocab

Amicus curiae brief

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

Divided government

Government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls the Congress

Elite theory

Theory that upper class elites exercise great influence over public policy

Feeding frenzy

The media “attack” when they sense wrongdoing or scandal in government, and devote great amounts of coverage to such stories

Free rider problem

The problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest group action without actually joining, participating in, or donating money to such groups

Horse race coverage

The tendency of the media to report on an election campaign like a race; who is ahead, who is behind, who is gaining ground

Litigation

The act or process of carrying out a lawsuit

Lobbying

Attempting to influence policy makers

Photo opportunity

A staged campaign event that attracts favorable visual media coverage

Political Action Committee (PAC)

An interest group that raises funds and donates to election campaigns

Revolving door

When a Congress member retires and becomes a lobbyist

Selective exposure

The practice of selectively choosing media sources which are in harmony with one’s own beliefs

Selective perception

The practice of perceiving media messages the way one wants to

Sound bite

A short, pithy comment that is likely to attract media attention

Spin control

Placing a certain slant on a story to detect negative public attention against a candidate or office holder