Political Science Public Opinion

Public Opinion "the public's capacity to contribute constructively to political decision-making" A public is characterized entirely by its own communicative nature. Political Communication: Freedom of the press is Not just freedom of speech but also actual printing press. Less scientifically rigorous methods are still in use, such as the straw poll mentioned earlier, and exit polls, which are interviews with citizens just after they have voted in an election. Push polls Illegitimate, unscientific polling technique aimed at attacking a candidate or issue for two major reasons. Targeted attacks Democracy is the literal meaning of "rule by the people" the media frame issues by using perspective when reporting stories to the public. How a story is told Gatekeeping is the process of filtering down all of what is happening in a given community into a specific set of news and then transmitting it to an audience. After the gatekeeper determines newsworthiness, it uses agenda setting, priming, and framing to transform the remaining information into news stories. Hard news covers important events involving elected leaders, major domestic or foreign issues, or significant disruptions to daily lives. The aim of soft news is to entertain; often, it includes special news features or human interest stories. Soft news can take the particularly negative tone of critical journalism, featuring embarrassing "gotcha" moments, typically seen in local newscasts, described as "the journalism of outrageousness." Priming is the ability of the media to help shape public opinion respecting an event or a person in the public sphere Deciding what is news is a fundamental function of the media; it is defined as agenda setting. The media evaluate many issues that might go unnoticed and thrust them into the public sphere. Resonance is the reinforcement and magnification of existing beliefs about reality and commonality of events because of the presentation of reality by the media Television, even more than radio, disrupted our relationship with print media and our perceptions of political reality. the most widely circulated newspaper in Texas today is Houston Chronicle. Internet access changed many aspects of Americans lives, and social media have become an important tool for information gathering. They expose many to news outside of mainstream sources. The assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas changed people's perception of the news. They allow citizens to shape the news agenda. They have made people part of the news as it happens. The collection, dissemination, and analysis of news and information by the general public, especially by means of the Internet, is called Citizen journalism. more than two-thirds of all Americans use at least one of social media platform. Candidates use social media sites to advertise their campaigns and have better control at: how a story is covered what is covered who sees the news One manner of free exposure for political campaigns is a newspaper endorsement Selection bias results from several factors that affect media, including time, personnel, and budgetary constraints. The gatekeeping role of media is often what gives particular news sources their "slant." Presentation bias occurs as a result of how a story is written or presented. The tone of a news story is crucial to understanding the framing taking place. Media Bias is The actual or perceived failure of the media to report news objectively Also saves money for campaigns! The 1996 Telecommunications Act relaxed the limit on how many radio and TV s . Consumers are just as important as owners and producers States and Federal Government allowed to regulate some aspects of the Internet.