Most media outlets are owned by?
Large corporations
Traditional media outlets in decline?
Newspapers, News magazines, Networks
New media has grown in popularity?
Internet, Cable television, Satellite radio
Media as an institution?
Long established source of information
What is the FCC?
Federal Communication Commission
What is the Fairness Doctrine?
Media must provide equal coverage for each side of an issue
The Media' functions in the United States
-entertainment
-reporting the news
-identifying public problems
-setting the public agenda
-socializing new generations
-providing a political forum
-making profits
The Media and Political Campaigns
-advertising
-the management of news coverage (spin)
-presidential debates
-the media's impact on voters
Political ad spending on broadcast TV has increased dramatically in recent years. T or F?
True
The 1st Amendment declares that?
-"Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press"
-Tradition of free press is very strong in the United States
-However, freedom of the press not absolute
Describe Obscenity and Defamation in Media terms
Media outlets can be prosecuted for violating obscenity laws, but the Supreme Court's definition of obscenity is so narrow that prosecutions are rare and do not directly impact the media.
Defamatory (false) expressions, are not given what?
1st Amendment protections.
Written defamation is called?
Libel
Spoken defamation is called?
Slander
Ordinary citizens can win defamation suits by proving that
a statement is false.
Defamation for Public Figures
-The standards are different.
-They must demonstrate that the false statements were made with malice or in a reckless fashion.
Prior restraint
-Government action to prevent the publication or broadcast of objectionable material
-Supreme Court issue
-Such an extreme limitation on freedom of the press that it can be used only in exceptional circumstances, such as war
Congress created the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1939 to
regulate media using public airwaves
Public airwaves include:
VHF and UHF television and AM/FM radio
Recently the FCC has become more aggressive in monitoring indecency in the realm of entertainment even though regulations on political broadcasting have been loose for many decades. True or False?
True
Journalists believe...
1st Amendment shields reporters from being compelled to reveal their sources.
Courts have agreed that the 1st Amendment protects journalists from revealing their sources. True of False?
False.
-Many states have shield laws
-Federal government has no such law
News media outlets try to...
attract as large an audience as possible.
The larger the audience...
the higher the rates they can charge to advertisers.
The desire to have as large an audience as possible can lead to...
more coverage of entertainment and
less of policy issues.
Stories written for a few major newspapers can...
end up in dozens of papers across the country.
Local television stations rely heavily on what for their news?
network...especially regarding national and international news.
Campaign organizations have become adept at...
manipulating candidate news coverage.
Do media sources tend to to cover Democratic candidates
for president more favorably or Republican candidates?
Democratic candidates
Do media sources tend to treat presidential challengers better or favor incumbents in recent elections?
challengers
The media plays an important role in what part of the policymaking process?
the agenda-building and policy-evaluation stages.
Media influenced agenda building...
-The press plays a signaling role.
-The media may be unable to tell people what to think, but they generally succeed in telling people what to think about.
The media influence policy adoption through what?
Framing
Framing
The way the media presents an issue helps define the approaches policymakers will take in addressing an issue.
The media does not adopt policies, however, they do...
publicize policy adoption by reporting on governmental activities in all branches of government.
The media implements public policies in many ways besides just carrying out FCC rules. True or False?
False
The media are important participants in policy evaluation. True of False?
True
Define Political Party
-A group of individuals who join together to seek government office in order to make public policy
-Number varies from country to country.
What kind of political party system in the US?
Two-party system
What is the result of the two-party system in the US?
-Division of voter loyalties between two major political parties
-Near exclusion of minor parties from seriously competing for a share of political power.
Describe the American political party system
-2 Party system
-Single-member districts
-Majority v plurality elections
-Proportional Representational system
Democrat and Republican national platforms show clear differences on issues:
-Education
-Abortion
-Environment
-Tax and Spend Issues
-Social Welfare
-Capital Punishment
-Gun Control
Support for the parties varies according to the following factors:
-Income
-Race and Ethnicity
-Education
-Gender
-Age
-Family/Lifestyle Status
-Religion
-Region
-Place of Residence
-Political Ideology
Describe Ideological parties. Examples?
-little impact
-Communist, Socialist, Libertarians
Describe Issue Oriented Parties
-more impact
1848-1852 Free-Soil Party
1892-1908 Populist Party
Describe Candidate Parties
1912- Progressive Party- Theodore Roosevelt
1992-1996- United We Stand Reform- Ross Perot
Describe the first party era in the US
1788-1824 Federalist vs Democratic Republicans
-Parties emerge in 1790s
-One party dominant after 1800 but sharply divided internally
Describe the second party era in the US
1828-1852 Democrats vs Whigs
-Balanced two party competition
-Democrats mostly dominant throughout period
Describe the third party era in the US
1856-1892 Democrats vs Republicans
-Republicans dominant to 1874
-Balanced two party competition until 1896
-Parties increasingly divided by geography (Democrats South; Republicans North)
Describe the fourth party era in the US
1896-1928 Democrats vs Republicans
-Republicans dominant except in 1912 when the party split by third party
-Parties continue to be divided by geography.
Describe the fifth party era in the US
1932-1994 Democrats vs Republicans
-Democrats dominant until 1968
-Democratic New Deal coalition weakens steadily thereafter
Explain Political Cycles
-The party holding the reigns of government is the governing party
-The party out of power is the opposition party.
Platform
a formal statement of beliefs, opinions, and policy stands of the party
Party Era
a period of time when one party is dominant in the political system
Party Realignment
a time when the underlying party loyalty of the voters changes to end one party era and begin another
Divided Government
when one party controls one branch of the government and the other party controls the other branch
Where does the bulk of party energy go to?
winning the Presidential election
How do political parties win the presidential election
-Raise money
-Target Voters
-Survey the Public
-Develop policy positions
Describe difference in political primaries
-Republican equal for each state
-Democrats based on voting population
National Party organization?
-Chair
-Chief Spokesperson
-Liaison to Public Officials
Describe the State Organization of political parties?
-Better Organization because of decentralization
-The chair is the ultimately powerful
-Has a lot of discretion
-Principle link to elected officials
-Spokesman for the party
Primary goal of both National and State parties?
elect people to national offices and the Governors position
Describe parties at Local level
-Organization is loose
-Based on volunteers
-Mostly "get-out-and-vote" campaigns
-Party machines were at this level in the 19th century
-Ethnic, Racial, and gender minorities have gained significant power at this level
Parties are much less influential today then 50 years ago. True or False?
True
Their primary goal of today's political parties are still the same but less effective. Their main goals are...
-Get candidates elected
-Nominate Candidates
-Structure the campaigns
-Get people to vote
Describe ballot casting in General Election
Voters may cast split tickets or straight tickets.
In most states, major parties choose their general election candidates in what?
Primary Elections
Closed Primary
Limited to voters who are registered to vote as party affiliates
Open Primary
Voters may participate in either party's election, but not both.
Voters select public officials through:
-At-large elections
-District elections
At-large elections
Voters choose public officials whereby an entire political subdivision, such as a state, is at stake.
District Elections
Voters choose public officials in which a political subdivision, such as a state, is divided into districts and each district elects one official.
Legislative district boundaries must be redrawn...
Every 10 years after the census is taken.
Redistricting can be used to...
advance the interests of a political party or individual through the practice of gerrymandering.
Census data are used for...
apportioning the 435 seats of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Legislative districts must be redrawn to reflect...
population movement within a state.
Legislative districts must be nearly equal in...
population size.
Describe how the Civil Rights Act of 1965 affected the redistricting process
-Increases legislative representation for African American and Latino Districts.
-Creates majority-minority districts whose population is more than 50% of a given minority.
Gerrymandering
-The designing of election districts to give advantage to one group over another; might be accomplished with a view to:
-race
-income
-party
-some other political advantage
What is a Political Campaign?
An attempt to get information to voters that will persuade them to support/oppose a candidate.
Campaign money is raised from...
-Individuals
-Group PACs
-Parties
-Candidates themselves
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002
a campaign finance reform law designed to limit the political influence of big money campaign contributors.
High-level campaigns are easy short affairs. True of False?
False. They are long, drawn out affairs.
Describe how challengers campaign
-Challengers begin planning years in advance while incumbents never really stop campaigning.
-Challengers spend the early months raising money and building name recognition.
Campaigning occurs on two planes:
-ground war is the direct contact between the campaign workers and the voters.
-air war is the media advertising.
U.S. House of Representatives incumbents are usually reelected. True or False?
True
Describe House elections
-Congressional campaigns have grown more expensive and challengers have been unable to raise sufficient funds.
-Incumbents benefit from the growing tendency of voters to regard House races as a local contest.
-Incumbents also have high visibility and the
Although incumbency is the most important factor affecting House elections, these also influence the election...
National factors
Describe Senate elections
-More competitive than House elections
-There are a number of differences between Senate and House races that account for the relatively greater vulnerability of Senate incumbents.
Differences between House and Senate elections:
-Senate constituencies are more diverse than most House constituencies and hence more competitive.
-Incumbent senators generally face stronger challengers than House incumbents.
-Voters tend to perceive Senate races as national election contests.
What are the two phases of Presidential elections?
-Presidential Nomination Phase
-General Election Phase
Presidential Nomination Phase
Contests in which each candidate competes for his or her party's nomination.
Describe the General Election Phase
The two major party candidates (along with third party candidates) compete to win an Electoral College majority in the November general election.
Describe the Nomination Phase
-In the first phase, each candidate competes for his or her party's nomination.
-Nominations are awarded at a national party convention.
Stages in today's presidential nomination process:
-Positioning Stage
-Early Contests
-Super Tuesday
-Post-Super Tuesday Contests
-The Transition
-The National Party Conventions
Describe the National Party Convention
-Officially nominates the party's presidential candidate
-Introduces the Party Platform
-Selection of Vice-President to Balance the Ticket
Describe the Fall Campaign
-Candidates target large states where the election is expected to be close.
-Full funding is available for the finalists from the Presidential Campaign Fund.
The Electoral College is...
the system established for the indirect election of the president.
Each state has as many Electoral College votes as...
it has Senators and Representatives in Congress.
Winner of the popular vote in each state typically gets...
ALL of the state's Electoral College votes.
If no candidate gets 270 Electoral College votes (majority), then...
House of Representatives vote for president, with each state getting ONE vote.
How does the Electoral College give legitimacy to an election?
-It forces candidates to campaign in all states even where the population is low.
-In a tight race it gives the winner a larger percentage of Electoral College votes than does the popular vote.
Some believe the Electoral College should be disbanded because:
-In order to win, a candidate must have a majority of Electoral College votes - not a majority of popular votes.
-Most Electors vote for the candidate who won his state's popular vote; they don't have to do that in many states.
-If there is no majority in
Political scientists believe that a number of factors determine voter choice. Such factors may include:
-Party Identification
-Issues
-Personal qualities and Image
-Campaigns
-Retrospective and Prospective Voting