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Photo-Op

Short for "photo opportunity." A staged event, usually photogenic, used to attract media attention

Horse Race Coverage

Treating an election as a sporting event. Focuses on who is wining and why

Soap Opera Storage

A type of coverage that focuses on the ups and down of candidates and their campaigns

"Gotcha" Journalism

Reporter goal to catch a candidate making a mistake or looking foolish

Negative Campaigning

Trying to win an advantage in a campaign by emphasizing negative aspects of an opponent or policy. In the past, this type of campaigning was called mudslinging

Mudslinging

Another name for negative campaigning

Focus Group

A small group of people who are brought together to discuss their opinion on a type of concern

Staged Events

Staging an event and inviting the press to both attract and shape media coverage

On-the-Record Conversation

The reporter can quote the public officials by name

Off-the-Record Conversation

The reporter can use the information but may NOT reveal the source

Spin

The deliberate shading of information about a person or an event in an attempt to influence public opinion

Opinion Journalism

The chatter of "talking heads" eager to share their views with the world

Agenda-Setting Power

Decisions made by politicians and activists that makes the media focus their attention on issues they care about

Trial Balloons

A proposal that is shared with the press to test public reaction to it

Sound-Bites

A few words that capture the politician's main point

Leak

The unofficial release of confidential information to the media

Media Bias

Real or imagined prejudice that is thought to affect stories journalists cover and how they report those stories

Push Poll

Conducted as phone survey, usually made close to Election Day on behalf of a candidate

Mass Media

Means of communication that reach a large audience. Today the mass media includes newspapers, magazines, radios, televisions, and the Internet

Print Media

Mainly newspapers and magazines

Broadcast Media

Mainly radios and televisions

News Media

Newspapers, news magazines, and broadcast news shows for information on politic and public affairs

Blogs

A journal or newsletter posted on the World Wide Web

Electronic Media

Mainly computers, cell phones, and other communication devices that connects via the Internet to the World Wide Web

World Wide Web

The billions of documents stored in computers all over the world that are accessible to anyone with an internet connection

Random Samples

Every individual having a chance of being selected

Margin of Error

A measure of the accuracy of an opinion poll. The smaller the margin of error, the more confidence one can have in the results of a poll. Usually decreases as the number of people surveyed increases

Benchmark Poll

Used by prospective candidates to "test the waters" before beginning a campaign

Tracking Poll

Conducted during a campaign to measure support for a candidate on a day-by-day basis

Exit Poll

Used by campaigns and the news media to predict the winners on Election Day long before the polls close

Scientific Sampling

The process of selecting small groups of people are representative of the whole population

Straw Poll

an informal and unofficial election poll conducted by a show of hands or some other means of counting preferences

Opinion Poll

A method of measuring public opinion. Done by asking questions of a random sample of people and using their answers to represent the view of the broader population

Opinion Maker

People whose opinions are influential like journalists, public officials, business leaders, or activists

Political Socialization

The process by which people form their political values and attitudes. Starts in childhood and continues through adulthood

Agents of Socialization

Many agents and forces that plays a part in political socialization. Ex: Family, school, friends, religion, etc..

Public Opinion

The sum of many individual opinions, beliefs, or attitudes about a public person or raise

Political Campaigns

Organized efforts to influence election outcomes.