Ch18-19

1. Interest Group – A group of people with common goals who organize to influence government.  

2. Public-Interest Group – A group that seeks policy goals that it believes will benefit the nation.  

3. Lobbying – Direct contact made by a lobbyist in order to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors.  

4. Lobbyist – Interest group representative.  

5. Public Opinion – The ideas and attitudes a significant number of Americans hold about issues.  

6. Peer Group – An individual’s close friends, religious group, clubs, or work group.  

7. Mass Media – Means of communication, such as television, newspapers, movies, books, and the Internet, that influence large audiences.  

8. Political Culture – A set of shared values and beliefs about a nation and its government.  

9. Biased Sample – In polling, a group that does not accurately represent the larger population.  

10. Universe – In polling, the group of people that are to be studied.  

11. Representative Sample – A small group of people, typical of the universe, that a pollster questions.  

12. Random Sampling – A polling technique in which everyone in the "universe" has an equal chance of being selected.  

13. Sampling Error – A measurement of how much the sample results may differ from the sample universe.  

14. Cluster Sample – A polling method that groups people by geographical division.  

15. News Release – A ready-made story government officials prepare for members of the press.  

16. News Briefing – A meeting during which a government official makes an announcement or explains a policy, decision, or action.  

17. Leak – The release of secret information by anonymous government officials to the media.  

18. Media Event – A visually interesting event designed to reinforce a politician’s position on some issue.  

19. Front-Runner – The early leader in an election.  

20. Spot Advertising – The brief, frequent, positive descriptions of a candidate or a candidate’s major themes, broadcast on television or radio.  

21. Prior Restraint – Government censorship of information before it is published or broadcast.  

22. Libel – False written or published statements intended to damage a person’s reputation.  

23. Shield Law – A law that gives reporters some means of protection against being forced to disclose confidential information or sources in state courts.  

24. Fairness Doctrine – Rule requiring broadcasters to provide opportunities for the expression of opposing views on issues of public importance.  

25. Partisan – Adhering to or supporting a particular party, faction, cause, or person.  

26. Electronic Mailing List – An automated e-mail notification that provides subscribers with current information on a topic.  

27. Action Alert – A message from an interest group to its members, calling upon them to respond immediately by telephone, fax, or e-mail to a specific lawmaker, group of lawmakers, or other official.  

28. Electronic Petition – A message that asks the recipient to “sign” his or her name electronically to a request that will be sent to an official.