Incentive - Something of value one cannot get without joining an organization

Public interest group/lobby - A political organization whose goals will principally benefit members

Political cue - A signal telling a legislator what values are at stake in a vote, and how that issue fits into his or her own political views on a party agenda.

Ratings - Assesments of a representative’s voting record on issues important to an interest group.

Interest group -  may represent very specific or more general interests, and can educate voters and office holders, conduct lobbying, draft legislation, and mobilize membership to apply pressure on and work with legislators and government agencies ; may also file an amicus curiae briefs ; exert influence by working within party coalitions and through iron triangles and issue networks ;  may have large memberships and are able to mobilize those members, and possess access to large financial reserves ; some may have more direct and more frequent access to important people in the policy process

Amicus curiae brief - a written document submitted as a “friend of the court” to provide additional information for justices to consider when reviewing a case

AARP - a non-profit organization focused on the issues affecting those above 50 years of age ; lobbies in favor of entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare

Lobbying - act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of public policymakers

Free rider - individuals who benefit from the work of an interest group without providing financial support ; interest groups may deal with this issue by providing selective benefits, goods and services that are only available to members, to encourage more people to join

Single-issue group - political party or organization focused on lobbying on a specific policy area or idea

Ideological/social movements - a political party or organization focused on a particular political ideology or social movement agenda

Protest movement - a political party or organization focused on addressing a perceived injustice or disagreement with public policies, agendas, or current political, economic, or social circumstances and situations

Professional organization - an interest or advocacy group consisting of members of a common career field

Political Action Committees (PACs) - a political committee organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates ; regulated by the FEC in federal elections

SuperPACs - a type of political action committee that may raise unlimited amounts of money from interest groups but cannot coordinate directly with candidates and political parties

Sound bite - A radio or video clip of someone speaking

Yellow journalism -

Trial balloon - Information leaked to the media to test public reaction to a possible policy

Loaded language - Words that imply a value judgement, used to persuade a reader without having made a serious argument

Selective attention - Paying attention only to those news stories with which one already agrees.

Adversarial press - The tendency of the national media to be suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them.

Background - A public official’s statement to a reported given on condition that the official not be named.

Agenda setting (media) -  takes place when traditional news media, new communication technologies, and advances in social media influence how citizens routinely acquire political information, including news events, investigative journalism, election coverage, and political commentary

Traditional news media - include print media, radio, television, cable/satellite, and billboards

Social media - interactive technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas. interests, and other forms of expression through virtual networks and communities ; e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

Investigative journalism - a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a topic of interest, particularly with the government ; watchdog role of the media

“Horse race” journalism - based more on popularity and factors other than qualifications and platforms of candidates through the media’s use of polling results to convey popular levels of trust and confidence in government which can affect elections

Media bias - bias of journalists or producers in the selection and coverage of events and stories ; i.e. MSNBC slants more liberal / Democratic, FoxNews slants more conservative / Republican

Consumer-driven media outlet - media whose content is influenced by the actions and needs of consumers