1. Public Opinion and the Mass Media

2. Lesson 1: What is Public Opinion?

3. Public Opinion: The complex collection of opinions of many different people; or the sum of all their views.

4. What factors influence it? Peer groups—people that you regularly associate with Opinion Leaders—those with a strong influence on the views of others Mass Media—communications that reaches large dispersed audiences (T.V., Internet, etc.) Historical Events—events that have a major impact on our views (such as 9/11 or the Great Depression)

7. Polls—attempts to collect information by asking people questions How do you measure public Opinion?

12. How are polls conducted? Define the universe (or population the poll aims to measure) Construct the sample (or a representative slice of the total universe) Prepare Valid Questions Conduct the Interview Reporting Findings

13. Lesson 2: Interest Groups

14. Interest Groups are private organizations that try to persuade public officials to respond to the shared attitudes of its members, thus influencing public policy. They may come in the form of: Associations Clubs Committees Etc.

15. Examples

16. Like parties, interest groups are made up of people who unite for some political purpose. But interest groups differ in 3 main ways: They do not nominate candidates for office They focus only on the interests of their members They usually focus on one or only a few issues

17. What do interest groups try to accomplish? To give info and “educate” the public on their issue To build a positive image for the group To promote their policy agenda(s) To lobby and use propaganda to persuade

19. Lesson 3: Mass Media

20. How important is the media?

21. Some call it the “fourth branch of government!” Think about it! Where do we get most of what we know about government and public policy? Some form of media (T.V., internet, newspaper, radio, etc.)

22. (1) The mass media is an agenda setter—often largely determining what public issues people think and talk about—thus, what issues politicians are most concerned with.

23. (2) Candidates and government officials depend on the media to reach the people, and they try to use it to their advantage.

26. Sadly, despite 24 hour news and instant communication, Americans are not as informed as we may think. Public Knowledge of Current Affairs Little Changed by News and Information Revolutions Nearly One-Third of Younger Americans See Colbert, Stewart As Alternatives to Traditional News Outlets Survey Finds American Teens Woefully Uninformed about Government American Public is Misinformed, Distrustful, New Survey Finds Survey Finds Poll Workers Often Misinformed Voters Last Election Poll: Voters Unaware of Candidates Immigration Positions

31. Will I get the same news coverage from all forms of media? Judge for yourself…. Educated voters know the difference between news reporting and commentary AND access multiple forms of media. Remember, relying ONLY on Fox News or ONLY on CNN may not be what is best!