AP GoPo Chap 7 & 8: Mass Media & Political Parties 2025

Linkage Institutions

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. These include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

Rational-Choice Theory

A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians - individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of other alternatives.

Party Image

The voter's perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism.

Party Identification

A citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other.

Ticket Splitting

Voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices.

Party Machines

A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage to win votes and to govern.

Patronage

A patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone. One of the key inducements used by party machines.

National Convention

The meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform.

Coalition

A group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends.

Party Eras

Historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections.

Critical Election

An electoral 'earthquake' where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party.

Party Realignment

The displacement of the majority party by the minority party.

Party Dealignment

The gradual disengagement of people from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.

Third Parties

Electoral contenders other than the two major parties. These parties are not unusual, but rarely win elections.

Blue Dog Democrats

Fiscally conservative Democrats who are mostly from the South and/or rural parts of the United States.

Responsible Party Model

A view that parties should offer clear choices to the voters, who can then use those choices as cues to their own preferences of candidates. Once in office, parties would carry out their campaign promises.

High-Tech Politics

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

Mass Media

Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and other means of popular communication.

Media Events

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

Investigative Journalism

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

Narrowcasting

Media programming on cable TV or the Internet that is focused on a particular interest and aimed at a particular audience, in contrast to BROADcasting.

Beats

Specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House. Most top reporters work a particular beat, thereby becoming specialists regarding what occurs in that area.

Trial Balloons

Intentional news leaks for the purpose of assessing the political reaction.

Sound Bites

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

Policy Agenda

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time.