Download The Mass Media

 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
 Help
set public agenda
• Problems or issues that are most important to US
citizens
• Also called “public interest”
 Affects
the outcome of elections
• The Media can often be guilty of bias
 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!
What role does the media play in shaping
public opinion?
1.
•
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.
What are characteristics of an active
citizen?
2.
•
3.
•
Voting, volunteering, petitions, letters and protests
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
WHAT ROLE DOES THE MASS MEDIA PLAY IN POLITICS? HOW
CAN IT SHAPE PUBLIC OPINION?
WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF PUBLIC INTEREST? SOME
EXAMPLES.
HOW CAN CONFLICTS OVER VALUES AND PRINCIPLES MAKE
AGREEMENT ON PUBLIC POLICY DIFFICULT?
HOW CAN CITIZENS INFLUENCE GOVERNMENT POLICIES?
WHAT ROLE DO LOBBYISTS PLAY?
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TECHNIQUES THAT LOBBYISTS USE?
WHICH TECHNIQUE DO YOU FEEL IS MOST EFFECTIVE? WHY?
HOW DO POLITICAL PARTIES ALLOW CITIZENS TO PARTICIPATE
IN GOVERNMENT?
HOW CAN POLITICAL PARTIES PLAY A ROLE IN THE LAW MAKING
PROCESS?
HOW CAN INTEREST GROUPS AND THE MEDIA INFLUENCE
PUBLIC POLICY?
 Which
technique do you feel is the most
effective? Why?