Interest Groups and the Mass Media

Interest Groups Interest groups are private organizations that try to persuade public officials to respond to the shared attitudes of their members Interest groups have been viewed with suspicion James Madison warned against the dangers of “factions” in Federalist No. 10* Interest groups raise awareness in public affairs and allow members to achieve a common goal Represent their members Provide information to government

Types of Interest Groups Economic Interest Groups – business groups, trade associations, labor groups, agricultural groups, professional groups Groups that promote causes – ACLU, National Right to Life Committee, National Rifle Association, Sierra Club Groups that promote the welfare of certain groups – AARP, NAACP, Christian Coalition Public Interest Groups – League of Women Voters, Common Cause, MADD

Techniques of Interest Groups Influencing public opinion Propaganda Lobbying Influencing elections – campaigning and contributing money through PACs Litigation

The Media Print – magazines, newspapers; early newspapers were often financed by political groups Electronic – cable, satellite, network (“free”), radio, internet Mass Media v. Group Media

Roles of the Media Reporting the news Interpreting the news Influencing public opinion Setting the political agenda Socialization Providing a link between citizens and government

Who Controls the Media? Media is driven by the “profit motive” and audience ratings Protected by the First Amendment Networks are owned by large corporations News departments can be affected by who owns the media

Use of the Media Use of the media by the President in news conferences and speeches Photo Opportunities Spin doctors and talking heads Free media coverage for making news Use of “leaks” Love/Hate relationship between the press and politicians White House press corps, press conferences

Media Influence News filtering (accidental and intentional): time slots, lead stories, story lines Media as Gatekeeper, Scorekeeper, Watchdog

Print Media Usually owned by conservatives Has less and less affect – more than 50% of the population gets 100% of their news from TV; internet based news continues to grow in influence Had an anti-middle class bias because of the higher education of the reporters Reporters are usually personally liberal, but try to be neutral in their reporting

TV News Cuts across age groups, social groups, economic groups Captive audiences Vivid, emotion, dramatic Has contributed to distrust of all institutions including the media itself through investigative reports C-Span Political Satire

Rules Governing the Media The Federal Communications Commission was established in 1934 Rules relating to ownership, equal access air time, libel, slander First Amendment protects freedom of the press The Telecommunications Act of 1996 deregulated the media “self” censorship