Chapter 7 AP Gov

High-Tech Politics

Politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology.

Mass Media

Television, radio, newspaper, magazines, the internet, and other means of popular communication.

Why presidential candidates use media

To effectively communicate their message and gain control over the political agenda.

e.g. TV scripted news coverage

Media events

Events that are purposely staged for the media and that are significant just because the media are there.

G.O.T.V. program (original)

“get out the vote”

TV and Internet ads

The majority of campaign spending.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

The president that is credited with inventing media politics

Press Conferences

Meetings of public officials with reporters.

Vietnam War and Watergate

Two events that lead to political cynicism and to investigative journalism

Investigative Journalism

The use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes, at times putting reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders.

Print Media

Newspapers and magazines, as compared with electronic media

Electronic Media

TV, radio, and the internet, as compared with print media

White House Press Secretary

Senior official in executive office that is the U.S. Administration’s primary spokesperson

1783

1st American daily newspaper printed in Philadelphia

1791

Ratification of 1st Amendment, guaranteeing freedom of the press

1960

Year of the first televised presidential debate

Presidential Debate of 1960

First one was televised. Between Richard Nixon and JFK (<3)

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Regulates communication via radio, television, telephone, cable, and satellite. Regulated how long candidates were allowed to be on TV.

Equal Time Rule

Stipulates that if a station sells advertising time to one candidate, it must be willing to sell equal time to other candidates for the same office.

Fairness Doctrine

Required broadcasters to give time to opposing views if they broadcast a program slanted to one side of a controversial issue. Abolished in the 1980’s

Net Neutrality

A former federal regulatory policy holding that internet service providers must provide equal access to broadband for all websites to their customers.

Narrowcasting

Media programming on cable TV. (e.g. MTV, ESPN, Fox News) or the internet that is focused on a particular interest and aimed at a particular audience.

Infotainment

Humorous shows that cover current events.

Selective Exposure

The process through which people consciously choose to get the news from information sources that have viewpoints compatible with their own.

Criticisms of Cable News

Fail to systematically cover political events and issues, show too much people yelling at each other, and they sensationalize it.

Popular Cable News Among Conservative Republicans

Fox

Popular Cable News Among Liberal Democrats

CNN

Digital Divide

The difference in American’s access to broadbands.

Pros of FCC Lifeline Program

Helps low income families defray the costs of acquiring high-speed internet. Enables low-income individuals to gain access to land and mobile telephones. Mitigates inequalities in digital divide.

Cons of FCC Lifeline Program

High costs of funding program. No proof that it subsides digital divide.

PBS

Public Broadcasting stations owned by America

Chains (Affiliates)

Groups of newspapers published by media conglomerates and today accounting for over 4/5 of the nation’s daily newspaper circulation.

Marshall McLuhan’s “The Medium is the Message”

The way we communicate is more influential than the information itself.

Journalism criteria to be “newsworthy“

Where they get their information and how they presentit

Beats

Specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House

Trial Balloons

Policy ideas floated to the media for the purpose of assessing the likely political reaction.

Relationship between journalists and politicians

Politicians rely on journalists to get their message and journalists rely on politicians to keep them in the know

Embedded journalist

When war journalists can embed themselves within the military, they acquire an especially proximate seat to combat operations.

Woodward and Bernstein

Reporters for the Washington Post that uncovered important information on Watergate

Sound Bites (Bytes)

Short video clips of approx. 10 seconds. Typically, they are all that is shown from a politician’s speech on the nightly TV news

Average time devoted to a story

43 to 9 seconds. Discourages politicians from discussing policies in depth.

Talking Head

A shot of a person’s face directly talking to the camera

Most followed type of stores

Involving disaster or human drama

Media Influence on policy agenda

Increasing public attention to certain problems and effecting how public evaluates specific events

Policy Agenda

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and others involved in politics

Policy Entrepreneurs

People who invest in their political “capital” in an issue. Techniques include press releases, press conferences, and e-mails.

Watchdog Function

Helps keep politicians in check in the media.

Executive Branch

Government branch that receives the most media coverage. 65%

Testimonial

Implied endorsements from celebrities.

e.g. President George Bush will be voting for John McCain in the Republican primary

Mudslinging

Name-calling or groundless assertions about another candidate.

e.g. Do you favor the economic policies of the Democrats, which will preserve Social Security, or the policies of the Republicans, which will destroy our Social Security system and leave many of our elderly citizens homeless.

Transfer

Use of popular systems to create a positive connotation for a candidate or the use of negative or controversial symbols to create a negative view of the competition’s candidate.

e.g. using the American Flag=patriotism, peace sign/dove=peace, or horns/fire=evil

Card Stacking

Use of statistics in a one sided manner; the omission of information that is crucial to drawing an informed conclusion. Can be used in a negative way as well.

e.g. Eric Cantor has been a lawyer, member of the VA General assembly, served a minority whip and majority leader in the House. OR Democratic TV and showing former teachers and college professors listing Republican George Allen’s failings concerning education in VA.

Glittering Generalities

Also known as a slogan. Use of very vague words or phrases that may have a positive effect on the viewer and appeal to a variety of interest.

e.g Obama, Change we can believe in. or Mike Huckabee: Faith, Family & Freedom

Contrast question or Sandwich Quesetion

Posing positive images of one’s candidate with negative images of the competition’s candidate.

e.g Al Gore trust the people of the US, not big corporations. Do you believe Bush, who calls himself a “Compassionate Conservative” or Gore, who is fighting for the people not the powerful who will make a better president for most Americans?

Bandwagon

is an appeal to the subject to follow the crowd, to join in because others are doing so as well. Trying to convince the subject that one side is the winning side, because more people have joined it.

e.g. A picture of the candidates with a large group of people.

Plain Folks

device is an attempt to convince the public that his views reflect those of the common person and that they are also working for the benefit of the common person. They are a common American just like you.

e.g. A candidate using pictures of their family or doing everything things. During speeches, may attempt to increase the illusion through imperfect pronunciation, stuttering, and a more limited vocabulary.