Understanding Public Opinion and Interest Groups in Media Campaigns

1. Warmup • What are 3 types of propaganda techniques used in campaign ads?

3. Unit 5 Part III Interest Groups and Mass Media

4. What is public opinion? • The ideas and attitudes that people hold about an issue or person

5. What influences Public Opinion? • Personal Background – age, gender, income, race, religion, and where you live • Mass Media – TV, internet, books, newspapers, radio, movies • Public Officials – political leaders and government officials • Interest Groups – work to persuade people to their point of view

6. How is public opinion measured? • Election results • Public Opinion Poll – survey of individuals beliefs about particular issue or person

7. What do we mean by the term Mass Media • Methods of mass communication

8. What are forms of mass media? • Print media – books, magazines, newspapers • Electronic media – TV, radio, internet

9. What determines what news items are shown by the mass media? • What will attract the most viewers in order to make a profit

10. What is the public agenda? • The issues and problems that receive the most money, time and effort from the government

11. How does mass media affect the public agenda? • Have effect on what the public thinks is important

12. What other roles does mass media serve? • Candidates for office • Give candidates exposure to run for office • Give candidates idea of what the public is concerned about • Test public reaction: Politicians sometimes leak (secretly pass on info) to gage how the public will react • Watchdog Role – expose government waste and corruption

13. What protects the media from censorship? • Amendment I – protects the press from prior restraint – censorship of material before it is published

14. What limits are there on the freedom of the press? • Libel – cannot print false info that will harm someone • Slander – cannot speak untruths that harm someone • FCC – regulate broadcasting and can punish stations that break rules

15. Warmup

16. What are interest groups? • A group of people who share a point of view about an issue and unite to promote their beliefs

17. Why do people join interest groups? • People believe that by joining together they can increase their influence

18. What protects the right of people to join interest groups? • The First Amendments freedom of assembly

19. Private Interest Groups • Economic Interest Groups: • Focus on economic issues • US Chamber of Commerce – promotes free enterprise • AFL-CIO – alliance of labor unions that fight for workers rights • AMA – American Medical Association: represents doctors

20. Special Interest Groups • Promote a ethnic group, age, gender, religion or other special issue • NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Colored People • NOW – National Organization of Women • AARP – American Association of Retired People • NRA – National Rifle Association

21. Public Interest Groups • Support causes that affect the lives of Americans in general • League of Women Voters - Educates voters about candidates and issues • MADD – Mothers Against Drunk Driving

22. In what ways do interest groups try and influence the government? • By forming PAC’s – political action committees to raise money for candidates • Going to court – taking cases to court to bring attention to them • By hiring lobbyists – specialists who try to influence lawmakers

23. What protects the rights of interest groups to try and influence government decisions? • The first amendments freedom to petition