Unit 3-Linkage Institutions Chapter 7: Mass Media Chapter 8: Political Parties Chapter 11: Interest groups

MASS MEDIA

Types of Media Print Broadcast Internet

The Development of Media Politics Government Regulation of the Broadcast Media The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates the use of airwaves in three ways: Prevent near monopoly control of market Reviews performance of stations Issues fair treatment rules for politicians

Reporting the News Finding the News Beats: specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House Trial Balloons: an intentional news leak for the purpose of assessing the political reaction Reporters and their sources depend on each other—one for stories, the other to get them out.

Reporting the News

The News and Public Opinion Television news can affect what people think is important. Agenda-setting effect The media influence the criteria by which the public evaluates political leaders. Some stories or events can be made more important, others less important, depending on their coverage.

The Media’s Agenda- Setting Function Policy Agenda The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time Policy Entrepreneurs People who invest their political “capital” in an issue to get it placed high on governmental agenda Use media to raise awareness of issue

The Public’s Perception of the Media Public opinion of media is relatively critical. Perceive media to be: Politically biased Roadblocks to solving problems Inaccurate in their reporting Unwilling to admit mistakes Most still view the national news media as credible. Terrorist attacks shifted public opinion positively for a period. Value the watchdog role of the news media

Media Bias 1980s and 1990s argument that media were liberally biased because of the sheer number of journalists who leaned to the left. Another argument focuses on corporate interests and the influence on what is covered. Media critics: focus on national news media’s lack of skepticism regarding the invasion of Iraq Recent media bias is intentional and a response to increasing fragmentation and competition among media Mainstream media losing market share while online, ethnic, and alternative media are growing. Market position CNN: 27 percent of Democrats; 20 percent of Republicans Fox News: 29 percent of Republicans; 14 percent of Democrats Ideological fragmentation is viewed as a negative trend by those who believe that the mass media are essential to providing the facts to educate the public about policies.

POLITICAL PARTIES

What Is A Political Party? An organized effort by office holders, candidates, activists, and voters who pursue their common interests by gaining and exercising power through the political process

Purpose of a Party Linkage Institution: the channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the government’s policy agenda Parties Pick Candidates Run Campaigns Give Cues to Voters Articulate Policies Coordinate Policymaking

The Party in the Electorate Party image A voter’s perception of what Republicans or Democrats stand for Party identification A citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other Republican, Democrat, or Independent

The Party in the Electorate Ticket-splitting Voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices Independents are most likely to split tickets. No state or race is completely safe due to split tickets.

Party in the Electorate Party Identification: A citizen’s personal affinity for a political party Usually expressed by his or her tendency to vote for the candidates of that party Sources Parents Marriage and other aspects of adult life can change one’s party loyalty Charismatic political personalities, cataclysmic events, and maybe intense social issues Social class remains a powerful indicator of likely partisan choice.

WHY?????

Minor Parties What Impact Have They Had? Teddy Roosevelt (1912) Ross Perot (1992 and 1996) Ralph Nadar (2000 and 2004) The Spoiler Effect!

Group Affiliations Geographic Region South still has Democratic Party affinity at local election level. Gender Gender gap Race and Ethnicity African Americans Hispanics Age Very young and very old more Democratic Social and Economic Factors Republicans have higher SES (occupation, income, and education) supporters. Religion Protestants favor Republicans; Catholics and Jews are predominantly Democratic. Marital Status Married people lean more towards Republicans. Ideology Few surprises

The Party in Government: Promises and Policy

INTEREST GROUPS

What are Interest Groups? An organized group that tries to influence public policy Truman Disturbance theory Interest groups form in part to counteract the efforts of other groups

Kinds of Organized Interests Generally, interest groups is a term used to describe the numerous organized groups that try to influence government policy Public Interest Groups Economic Interest Groups Governmental Units Political Action Committees Multi-Issue versus Single Issue Groups

What Makes an Interest Group Successful? Free-Rider Problem Some people don’t join interest groups because they benefit from the group’s activities without officially joining. Bigger the group, larger the problem Large groups are difficult to organize Olson’s law of large groups: “The larger the group, the further it will fall short of providing an optimal amount of a collective good.” Overcome Olson’s law by providing selective benefits: Goods that a group can restrict to those who pay their annual dues

What Do Interest Groups Do? Lobbying The activities of a group or organization that seeks to influence legislation and persuade political leaders to support the group’s position 23 ways for lobbyists and organizations to lobby on the state and national level Most often they: testify at legislative hearings, contact government officials directly, help draft legislation

Lobbying Congress Members of Congress targets of lobbyists Many lobbyists former members Lobbyists work closely with those members who share their interests Effectiveness depends on a lobbyists’ reputation for fair play and accurate information

Lobbying the Executive Branch As the scope of federal government has expanded, so has lobbying of the executive branch. Many potential access points Lobbyists seek influence at formation and implementation stages. An especially strong link exists between interest groups and regulatory agencies Groups often monitor the implementation of the laws or policies they advocated.

Lobbying the Courts Can take two forms: Direct sponsorship Filing amicus curiae briefs Brief that informs the court of the group’s policy preferences, generally in guise of legal arguments Interest groups also attempt to influence who is nominated and placed on the bench.

The Interest Group Explosion

Grassroots Lobbying A form of pressure-group activity that attempts to involve individuals who contact their representatives directly in an effort to influence policy Persuading ordinary voters to act as the group’s advocates