 Mass Media- The impact TV, radio, printed materials and internet have on society.  Public Opinion- The attitudes that most people hold about candidates or major issues.  Lobbyists- Hired by special interest groups to influence lawmakers.

 What is propaganda?

 EXPLAIN HOW THE MEDIA AND INTEREST GROUPS IMPACT OUR SOCIETY?

 Mass media refers to the impact journalists, celebrity personalities, and writers have on society.  They communicate through TV, radio, the Internet, and printed materials

HHelp set public agenda Problems or issues that are most important to US citizens Also called “public interest” AAffects the outcome of elections The Media can often be guilty of bias PPlays the watchdog role

 The ideas and attitudes that most people hold about elected officials, candidates, gov’t & political issues In order to keep track of public opinion politicians and the media often conduct Polls (surveys taken from a random sample) Polls help parties campaign effectively and develop their party platform

 Political Activism is the act of being politically involved by making your voice heard Voting Petition Political Protest (marches, sit-ins, hunger strikes)  This sort of passion can sometimes lead people to commit libel or slander  Why don’t people Vote? Apathy…just don’t care

 Lobbyists are “professional activists” Hired by Interest groups to influence lawmakers

 To win votes campaigns often produce propaganda Biased information meant to influence voters  Endorsements Celebrity/someone famous supports you  Stacked cards Only share one side of the story. Geared towards a positive/negative image molding.  Name-calling Unpleasant label or description. Way to turn people against the other candidate  Glittering generality Statements that sound good but mean absolutely nothing  Just plain folks Make the people think the candidate is just like you  Bandwagon Convince people everyone else agrees and so should you  Cartoon Time!

1. What role does the media play in shaping public opinion? The media conducts polls in order to find out which issues they should cover. During their coverage they can become biased to influence the public to take a particular view. 2. What are characteristics of an active citizen? Voting, volunteering, petitions, letters and protests 3. How can lobbyists influence gov’t? They work for special interest groups who use propaganda to get public opinion on their side to get “their” candidate elected.

 EXPLAIN HOW THE MEDIA AND INTEREST GROUPS IMPACT OUR SOCIETY?

1. WHAT ROLE DOES THE MASS MEDIA PLAY IN POLITICS? HOW CAN IT SHAPE PUBLIC OPINION? 2. WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF PUBLIC INTEREST? SOME EXAMPLES. 3. HOW CAN CONFLICTS OVER VALUES AND PRINCIPLES MAKE AGREEMENT ON PUBLIC POLICY DIFFICULT? 4. HOW CAN CITIZENS INFLUENCE GOVERNMENT POLICIES? 5. WHAT ROLE DO LOBBYISTS PLAY? 6. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TECHNIQUES THAT LOBBYISTS USE? 7. WHICH TECHNIQUE DO YOU FEEL IS MOST EFFECTIVE? WHY? 8. HOW DO POLITICAL PARTIES ALLOW CITIZENS TO PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNMENT? 9. HOW CAN POLITICAL PARTIES PLAY A ROLE IN THE LAW MAKING PROCESS? 10. HOW CAN INTEREST GROUPS AND THE MEDIA INFLUENCE PUBLIC POLICY?

 Which technique do you feel is the most effective? Why?