Unit 3: Media, Political Parties and I.G.

Identify and explain the role of the media in the political system. The role of the media in the Political system is how it serves as “watch dog” for every party, regardless of ideals. It also serves to attract more followers or to fight against wronged parties. This means that the news is free of party judgment and free to watch and keep people in check. Like for instance, any one person can be silenced, but for a whole news outlet to “turn the other way” is almost impossible. It can also attract people by going into their homes and telling them who or what is bad and what is good.

Examine the impact of the media on public opinion, voter perceptions, campaign strategies, electoral outcomes, agenda development, and the images of officials and candidates. The impact of media on the common household can be enormous. It can affect all these factors by which what and how different topics are being brought up from the different news outlets. They affect all these by simply talking their opinions or what they are going to do. The images of the officials however, are created by people who are too much in others lives. For example, they will get in so personal that it can be destructive to be exposed. Thus shows a negative side to give an official a bad name this can be useful in elections of to get someone out of office.

Identify and describe the symbiotic and frequently conflicting relationship among candidates, elected officials, and the media. Like in the last side, I stated that news can be very damaging to an official. But it can also be beneficial to one as well. For example, if an official saved an infant from a car, they would use the media to get ahead in poll numbers or such. It is symbiotic by how the official can help that news outlet as they help him or her. It is all a game of time and what, meaning that one day it can be good to be on the news and the other it is a bad thing to be broadcasted. The media has a tendency to manipulate what ever or how ever it wants, which can be conflicting.

Identify and describe the goals and incentives of the media as an industry and how those goals influence the nature of news coverage. The goals of the news is to bring current information that benefits the public in the knowledge area and the help educate and push others forward. These goals help influence the nature of news to become negative or positive. This means that it will deliver the basic truth of that event or happening to their ability and their want to bend or make that story lean a little to their idealist side. The nature of news now a days is from good on how this official did good or to the bad of how this official is in a cheating, drug, illegal, etc. scandal.

Examine and analyze the consequences of the increasing concentration of major media outlets in fewer hands, as well as the growing role of the Internet. This could become potentially bad because of the small range of people that have influence over that news outlet. What I mean by this is that with such a small group, it is easy to bend the truth to fit that person’s ideology. Like if one man controlled the whole news society then what ever he likes most would get the most support and the opposite, would be more scrutinized and less-supported. The growing range of the internet can be a hazard due to the fact that it cannot be controlled or silenced. The power of the internet is very large and anyone can say almost anything or do almost anything he or she wishes.

Identify and describe the political roles played by a variety of lobbying and interest groups. A lobbyist is an typically hired individual or group that promotes the ideas and views of the party or organization that hired them. They will wait for a certain official, take them out to dinner and sweet talk them into voting for their party’s ideals or against the opposite. A interest group is a organization that is self founded on a one or multiple topics that that group stand for. They can raise money or go and be involved politically and fight for what that groups believes in. All contributors push for what they want and play a critical role in the process of which political party will rule.

Explain why some interests are represented by organized groups while others are not, and the consequences of this difference in representation. Identify and describe interest groups, what do they do, how they do it, and how this affects both the political process and public policy. Some interest are not represented because they are: so small, not many people care about that topic, or because there is no need to because it is so big and has a lot of attention. The consequences can be that that specific topic will not get the attention it deserves and be simply thrown to the side. Interest groups are organizations that are banded for one specific topic or cause that pushes that group to take action. They do this by raising money for lobbyist, participate in politics, and push forward the overall process of a topic. This affects the policy's by getting different views or opinions out in the world.

Discuss why certain segments of the population able to exert pressure on political institutions and actors in order to obtain favorable policies? This can be linked to lobbyists or just very involved and connected people to push that organization’s or person’s wants. Only certain people or groups have this reach due to the fact that top people have this types of relationships with others that are beneficial to each other. They can exert pressure by money or other factors.

Identify and describe the mechanisms that allow citizens to organize and communicate their interests and concerns. There are many things people can do to push forward their personal goals. They can form interest groups, get politically involved first of all actually, raise money, form a petition, and much more. These mechanisms were created to allow citizens to move on their own terms and push for their own ideals and ways to live. A petition is used to get an issue in the system legally and to try to form a bill. This starts by people trying to get a set number of signatures to propose a bill to get it voted on to hopefully get it into the state or nation vote level.

Examine the significance of the historical evolution of the U.S. party system, the functions and structures of political parties, and the effects they have on the political process. It was not always Democrat and Republican, but from so many labels to now. The first main two groups were Federalist and Anti-federalist. This was over the constitution and such then it when to republican-democrats and federalist, to Whigs, to eventually now, a Two-party system. The functions of the parties is to create a platform for each party, get people involved, be a watchdog and so much more. The effect they have is that the government is split in half pretty much and leaves no room for a equally sized or powerful third party.

Examine the of issues of party reform and of campaign strategies and financing in the electronic age provides students with important perspectives. These can be problematic because of the confusion It can create. In this age, the electronics and the range can be endless. They can give rise to topics that others were not even aware of. It gives others perspectives and can give confusion to younger supporters or a party or an ideal ology. The issues with campaigning strategies can purposely confuse the youth.

Trace and discuss the development and the role of PACs in elections and the ideological and demographic differences between the two major parties, as well as third parties. The development of PACs are of organizations wanting to do more then just vote for that candidate or official. The differences between the two party's are of their main views and where they stand on things. The PACs in return help people of those parties to run for and stay in office. As for the third parties, they have little to none chance of getting an official in the office or to even get through the preliminaries. The demographic difference is that different parties have different groups they attract based on their views. All these different factors play in the bigger role of politics.