POSC FINAL

Media and american politics

History of print media

Early forms of mass communication were used to spread political ideas and support for the revolution
- Ex. common sense by thomas paine, encouraged independence from Britain

Partisan press: newspapers that aligned with parties to cover party goals

The rise of the penny press: as newspapers became cheaper to make they split from their party sponsorship

Yellow journalism: an era of a rise of media companies that prioritized sensationalism to increase sales. Competition between pulitzer and hearst)

Muckraking: journalism that exposed corruption and societal issues

Politicians and journalists

Goals of politicians and journalists: politicians aim to control narratives and promote policies, journalists seek to uncover truths and engage audiences

Cooperation of politicians and journalists: when interests align there is cooperation

Antagonism of politicians and journalists: investigative reporting often challenges political action, creating tension

Agenda setting/priming/framing

Agenda setting: not what to think but what to think about it, most seen in crime

Ex. highlighting crime stats to increase fear in public

Priming/framing: how an issue is presented is how we think about it, most seen in racial bias

Ex. coverage of racial bias in policing framing it as a systematic issue

Campaign coverage

Horse race coverage: term from thomas patterson, when media covers campaigns like they would a horse race. Focuses more on who is winning/losing rather than actual policies

Shrinking sound bites: the length of a politician talking, from 40 seconds to 8 seconds

Debates/conventions: TV plays a major role in this, nixon and kennedy was first presidential debate to be televised (kennedy looked presentable, nixon did not)

Campaign advertising

Daisy ad: painted opponent as very dangerous and it worked

Willie horton ad: very aggressive and

Negative campaigning: people don't like it but it works and people remember it after it being ran once

Gaffes: unintentionally saying something embarrassing that can hurt your campaign

Media and the presidential nominating process

The “great mentioner”: social media coverage determines candidates public attention

Ex. donald trump gained lots of media attention, his challenger jim gilmore, did not and no one knew who he was

The “great winnower”: media coverage narrows field by amplifying some candidates and not others

Media bias

Ideological bias: learning left or right in coverage

Selection bias: prioritizing certain types of stories over others (ex. Scandals over policy)

Professional bias: preference that are sensational or conflict-driven, will get more clicks thus more money

Civil rights and liberties

Definition of civil rights: specific rights that embody the general right to equal treatment under the law. Protections by government power

Definition of civil liberties: fundamental freedoms that together preserve the rights of a free people. Protects citizens from government power.

Constitutional barriers to securing civil rights

States rights: states government are responsible for many policies and resisted federal efforts to ensure federal rights

Tyranny of the majority/minority: majority groups can suppress minority rights, minorities can stall progress of majority

Separation of powers: makes it difficult to control different groups/states

Self interested factions: would only do things that interested self

Interest groups politics: advocacy groups influence policies that prioritize some rights over others

Fight for African-American civil rights

Post civil war amendments: 13th, 14th, 15th

13th amendment: abolished slavery

14th amendment: gave citizenship to black americans

15th amendment: gave right to vote to black men, came with challenges

Compromise of 1876: ended reconstruction, democrats gave presidency to republicans if they promised to stop sending troops to the south (enforcing civil rights) which lead to establishment of southerner democratic dominance and jim crow laws

Jim crow law: a legal way to segregate, especially with voting

Voting “rules”: white primary: excluded african americans from voting in democratic primary. Poll tax: charged people to vote. Literacy test: voters had to interpret parts of the constitution to vote. Grandfather clause: if your grandfather could vote, you could.

Plessy v ferguson: separate but equal, segregation did not violate 14th amendment because they still had same things just separate

Roosevelts and New deal: Eleanor Roosevelt was very progressive on civil rights. FDR introduced new deal, armed forces desegregated

Dixiecrats: democrats who left the party because they adopted civil rights, lead by strom thurmond

Brown v board of education: overturned plessy v ferguson and desegregated schools, met with lots of resistance in the south

Montgomery bus boycott: rosa parks sat in front of bus, starting nonviolent protests

Civil rights act of 1964: outlawed segregation (really split the parties to what we know today)

Selma (1965): MLK organized a march from Selma to Montgomery to deliver a letter for voting rights to the governor. Met with backlash, state troopers beat protesters

Voting Rights Act of 1965: finally got rights to vote without “tests”

Other rights movements

Women's rights: Equal rights amendment = right to vote, equal pay, gender parity in poitics, and recognition of sexual harassment

LGBTQ rights: same sex marriage, trans rights

Incorporation and 14th amendment

Incorporation: brining state laws and practices under the bill of rights, (applying the bill of rights to the states)

Barron v baltimore: bill of rights only restrained federal government not states (bill of rights = meaningless)

14th amendment clauses: due process clause: states cannot deny any person their basic rights without following fair legal procedures. Equal protection clause: no state can deny it's citizens equal protection

Difference between civil rights and civil liberties: civil rights are protections by government (voting rights) civil liberties are protections from government (freedom of speech)

Prior restraint: censorship

Libel: published false and malicious information that damages another persons reputation

1st amendment

Freedom of speech and press

Freedom of religion

Establishment of religion clause: congress must not establish religion or favor a religion
Free exercise clause: government can’t stop those from exercising religion

Right to assemble

Right to petition the government

2nd amendment: right to bear arms

3rd amendment: no quartering of soldiers

4th amendment: protection against unreasonable searches and seizures

5th amendment: rights in criminal cases and protection of property

6th amendment: right to a fair trial

7th amendment: right to a jury trial in civil cases

8th amendment: protection against cruel and unusual punishment

death penalty

13th amendment: abolishment of slavery

14th amendment:

Due process clause: can’t deny rights unless due process

Equal protection clause: no state can deny it's citizens equal protection

15th amendment: voting rights for african american men

Cases to know

Category	Case	Issue	Outcome / law
Pre-incorporation	Barron v baltimore	Whether the bill of rights applies to state governments	Ruled that bill of rights only applies to federal government
Freedom of speech (threatening)	Schenck v US	Whether the government can restrict speech during wartime	Convicted schenck, speech that created “a clear and present danger” to national security is not protected
Freedom of speech (non-threatening)	Stromberg v california	Whether stormberg could encourage her students to pledge allegiance to soviet union flag	Stromberg could encourage them, she was protected by first amendment rights
Freedom of speech (non-threatening)	Texas v johnson	Whether burning the american flag is protected by the first amendment	Ruled that flag burning is a form of political protest, thus protected by first amendment
Freedom of speech (obscenity)	Roth v US	Whether obscenity is protected under first amendment	Ruled that obscenity is not protected by the first amendment
Freedom of speech (obscenity)	Miller v california	What constitutes obscenity	Established 3 part test (miller test( to define obscenity
Freedom of press (prior restraint)	Near v minnesota	Whether a state law allowing prior restraint on anti-semetic/racist newspapers violates first amendment	Ruled that the law is unconstitutional and near was protected by first amendment
Freedom of press (prior restraint)	NYT v US (pentagon papers)	Whether gov could prevent NYT from publishing pentagon papers exposing gov during vietnam war	Ruled that the gov couldn't prevent papers from being published, freedom of press
Freedom of press (libel)	NYT v sullivan	Whether public official could sue for defamation without actual malice	Ruled public officials must prove “actual malice” and if not NYT protected by first amendment
Freedom of religion (est. of religion)	Lemon v kurtzman	Whether state funding religious schools violated establishment clause of first amendment	Court established lemon test to see if establishment clause has been violated
Freedom of religion (est. of religion)	Engel v vitale	Whether prayer in public school violates establishment clause	Ruled prayer in public school is unconstitutional (separation of church and state)
Freedom of religion (free exercise)	Cantwell v connecticut	Whether state law requiring permit for door-to-door solicitation violates first amendment	Ruled that law violated first amendment and free exercise of religion
Freedom of religion (exercise v est.)	Carson v makin	Whether providing tuition for private schools but excluding religious schools violates first amendment	Ruled the exclusion violated first amendment and discriminated against religious schools
Freedom of religion (exercise v est.)	Kennedy v bremerton	Whether a public school football coach could have prayer on 50-yard line	Ruled in favor of coach, prayer protected by first amendment freedom of religion and speech
4th amendment	Mapp v ohio	Whether the exclusionary rule (prevents illegally obtained evidence from being used in court) applied to states	Ruled that evidence illegally obtained cannot be used in state courts
5th amendment	Miranda v arizona	Whether police have to inform suspects of their rights before interrogation	Ruled that suspects must be informed of their rights (miranda rights)
6th amendment	Gideon v wainwright	Whether defendants in state courts have the right to legal counsel if they cant afford it	Ruled that 6th amendment right to counsel applies to state courts through 14th amendment
Reproductive rights	Griswold v connecticut	Whether a state law banning contraception violates right to privacy	Ruled that the law did violate right to privacy
Reproductive rights	Eisenstadt v baird	Whether states can restrict access to contraception for unmarried people	Ruled that violations violate equal protection clause of 14th amendment
Reproductive rights	Roe v wade	Whether constitution protects women's right to abortion	Ruled right of privacy includes a woman's decision to have an abortion
Reproductive rights	Dobbs v jackson women's health organization	Whether states can ban abortions before fetal viability	Court overturned roe v wade, returning issue of abortions to the states
Sexual freedom	Lawrence v texas	Whether a state law criminalizing same sex marriage violates constitution	Ruled the law violated the due process clause of 14th amendment
2nd amendment	D.C. v heller	Weather second amendment protects an individual's rights to possess firearms	Ruled second amendment guarantees individuals rights to bear arms for self defense
2nd amendment	New york state rifle and pistol association v Bruen	Whether states require individuals to show “proper cause” to obtain concealed carry permit	Ruled against the law, second amendment protects right to bear arms in public for self defense