1. Chapter 8 Mass Media and Public Opinion

2. Chapter 8 Section 1: The Formation of Public Opinion
Public Opinion—attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of government and politics
Family
Occupation
Race
Education
Historic events
Opinion leaders
Peer groups
Mass media—means of communication that reach large, widely dispeared audiences simultaneously

3. Chapter 8 Section 2: Measuring Public Opinion
Elections—voting results can sometimes reflect public opinion
Interest Groups—key way public opinion is made known
Difficult to know number of people and strength of views
Media—mirror and mold public opinion
Often reflect views of vocal minority

4. Personal Contacts—officials gauge views through interactions
Can fall into trap of finding only views that agree with their own
Public Opinion Polls—collect info by asking people questions
Best measure of opinion
Straw Vote—asks large number of people the same question
Unreliable because it’s not based on scientific techniques
Scientific Polling—define the survey universe, construct a sample, prepare valid questions, select and control how poll will be taken, analyze and report findings

5. Chapter 8 Section 3: The Mass Media
Newspapers
America’s first regular newspaper was in 1704
First daily newspaper was in 1783
Today there are more than 10,000
Daily newspapers have been declining for decades
Most newspapers are now local

6. Magazines
Into early 1900s, they were mostly literature and social graces
First political magazines came in the mid-1800s
Muckraking in the early 1900a
Only national medium before radio/tv
Most magazines today are for a specific trade or personal interest

7. Radio
Began 1920
By 1930s it was a major entertainment medium
Convenient availability helped it survive arrival of TV
Satellite radio receives signals nation-wide
Most stations are local
Some stations are all-news
Talk radio—political comment

8. Television
Boomed in 1950s
Early 1960s it replaced newspapers as the main source of political info
Now main source of info for 80% of population
Independent broadcasting, cable, PBS

9. The Internet
Roots in Defense Department’s Cold War research
Mass medium by early 2000s (Al Gore…)
Now 2nd to TV as source of political news
Almost all government and political organizations have websites
Weblogs usually devoted to specific subjects
Podcasts, vlogs, other means of communication

10. Public agenda—the societal problems that the nation’s political leaders and the general public agree need government action
Media plays a large role in shaping public agenda
Media has power to focus public’s attention on specific issues (or not)
Limits on the media
Few people follow events closely
Selective attention—pay attention to what you agree with
Content—most TV shows are not about politics
Radio and TV only “skim” the news (time-constraints; second blurbs)