Unit 3: Media, Political Parties, & Interest Groups
Essential Questions
1. Identify and explain the role of media in the political system.
The role of media is to act as a gatekeeper, scorekeeper, watchdog, and issue framer. The gatekeeper helps influence which subjects are of national importance. The scorekeeper keeps track of, and helps make political reputations. The watchdog scrutinizes people, places, and events. The media affects the political system through issue framing, once an issue is on the national agenda, media provides context for understanding that issue.
2. What is the impact of media on public opinion, voter perceptions, campaign strategies, electoral outcomes, agenda development, and image of officials and candidates?
The media's impact on public opinion is that it highly influences them on which topic is important by using bias commercials, advertising, and more. The media's impact on voter perceptions is that it informs the voters about the candidates, what they stand for, and their personal issues. A campaign strategies' most important element is the media, with television, radio, and social networks becoming more prominent in the lives of the public, candidates would want their campaign to reach out to people through media. The image of officials and candidates is manipulated through the media, for instance, a news channel can interpret a story of them in a negative light, just because they are bias to a certain political party.
3. Identify and describe the symbiotic and frequently conflicting relationship among candidates, elected officials, and the media.
The symbiotic relationship between government officials and the media is that they are highly dependent upon one another. The media needs stories from candidates to report on, while the candidates need the media for news time and coverage for their campaigns. Some consequences are that the media can display the candidate in a negative light.
4. Identify and describe the goals and incentives of the media as an industry and how these goals influence the nature of news coverage.
The goals and incentives of the media is to make a profit, which is based off their ratings. These goals can interfere with the accuracy of the reports. These goals also affect which stories they decide to report on, they choose to air more interesting stories rather than important ones, making the public less informed.
5. Examine and analyze the consequences of the increasing concentration of major media outlets in fewer hands, as well as the growing role of the internet.
The consequences of the increasing concentration of major media outlets in fewer hands is that it decreases the different views on topics. With only one source of information, there wouldn't be fair representation for different groups and topics.
6. Identify and describe the political roles played by a variety of lobbying and interest groups.
The political roles that interest groups and lobbyists play in government is to inform the public about important issues. They bring attention to the issues that need to be changed or that they need to end. Interest groups and lobbyists are groups that target specific issues.
7. Identify and describe interest groups, what do they do, how they do it, and how it affects both the political process and public policy.
Interest groups are an organized group of individuals that seeks to influence public policy, they are also called lobbies. Interest groups represent the public, participate in political events, educate the public on topics, build the agenda, and keeps track of government programs through program monitoring. Interest groups affect public policy by attempting to add, change, or get rid of them if they disagree with them.
8. Discuss why certain segments of the population are able to exert pressure on political institutions and actors in order to obtain favorable policies.
People who have a higher income and higher education are able to exert pressure on political institutions to obtain favorable policies because they are able to gain more for interest groups through advantages. With their high income, they can contribute to campaigns in exchange for support.
9. Identify and describe the mechanisms that allow citizens to organize and communicate their interests and concerns.
Citizens can communicate their interests and concerns through direct lobbies, grassroots mobilization, informational campaigns, litigation, and high tech lobbies. Direct lobbies are when groups send someone to discuss issues to authority figures or officials. Grassroots mobilization provides opportunities for citizens to take action. Informational campaigns are made to inform people on particular issues. Litigation is a group going to court to change things, taking legal action. High-tech lobbies are groups going to social networks and email to reach to citizens and promote change.
10. Examine the significance of the historical evolution of the U .S. party system, the functions and structures of political parties, and the effects they have on the political process.
In the beginning, there weren't any political parties. In 1792, the first party system, two political parties emerged, the federalists and the democratic republicans. In 1828, the second party system began, the democratic republican changed their name to the democrats, their new opponents were the national republicans, or Whigs. The first American third party was the Anti-Masonic Party. In the early 1850's, the current party system began. Former Whigs ans Antislavery Democrats created a new group called the Republican Party and the Democratic Party remained the same. The function of political parties is to nominate candidates, structure the voting choice, propose alternative government programs, and to coordinate the activities of government officials.
11. Examine the issues of party reform and of campaign strategies and how financing in the electronic age provides students with important perspectives.
The electronic age has changed elections a lot. They changed campaigns from making flyers, posters, and pins to promote their campaign to making television advertisements, going on the radio, using the Internet and going on social networks to reach out to the public. They are keeping up with the advancing times in order to increase the amount of supporters that they have.
12. Trace and discuss the development and the role of PACs in elections and the ideological and demographic differences between the two major parties, as well as third parties.
A PAC is an organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation. PACs are perceived as a major force in campaigns. Democrats and Republicans have different ideologies. Democrats are considered more liberal and are willing to use government to promote equality over order, while Republicans are considered more conservative and are willing to use government to promote order over equality. Third parties are formed from people who are discontent with the major party choices, although not successful in claiming office, some third parties have gotten positive recognition.
The role of media is to act as a gatekeeper, scorekeeper, watchdog, and issue framer. The gatekeeper helps influence which subjects are of national importance. The scorekeeper keeps track of, and helps make political reputations. The watchdog scrutinizes people, places, and events. The media affects the political system through issue framing, once an issue is on the national agenda, media provides context for understanding that issue.
2. What is the impact of media on public opinion, voter perceptions, campaign strategies, electoral outcomes, agenda development, and image of officials and candidates?
The media's impact on public opinion is that it highly influences them on which topic is important by using bias commercials, advertising, and more. The media's impact on voter perceptions is that it informs the voters about the candidates, what they stand for, and their personal issues. A campaign strategies' most important element is the media, with television, radio, and social networks becoming more prominent in the lives of the public, candidates would want their campaign to reach out to people through media. The image of officials and candidates is manipulated through the media, for instance, a news channel can interpret a story of them in a negative light, just because they are bias to a certain political party.
3. Identify and describe the symbiotic and frequently conflicting relationship among candidates, elected officials, and the media.
The symbiotic relationship between government officials and the media is that they are highly dependent upon one another. The media needs stories from candidates to report on, while the candidates need the media for news time and coverage for their campaigns. Some consequences are that the media can display the candidate in a negative light.
4. Identify and describe the goals and incentives of the media as an industry and how these goals influence the nature of news coverage.
The goals and incentives of the media is to make a profit, which is based off their ratings. These goals can interfere with the accuracy of the reports. These goals also affect which stories they decide to report on, they choose to air more interesting stories rather than important ones, making the public less informed.
5. Examine and analyze the consequences of the increasing concentration of major media outlets in fewer hands, as well as the growing role of the internet.
The consequences of the increasing concentration of major media outlets in fewer hands is that it decreases the different views on topics. With only one source of information, there wouldn't be fair representation for different groups and topics.
6. Identify and describe the political roles played by a variety of lobbying and interest groups.
The political roles that interest groups and lobbyists play in government is to inform the public about important issues. They bring attention to the issues that need to be changed or that they need to end. Interest groups and lobbyists are groups that target specific issues.
7. Identify and describe interest groups, what do they do, how they do it, and how it affects both the political process and public policy.
Interest groups are an organized group of individuals that seeks to influence public policy, they are also called lobbies. Interest groups represent the public, participate in political events, educate the public on topics, build the agenda, and keeps track of government programs through program monitoring. Interest groups affect public policy by attempting to add, change, or get rid of them if they disagree with them.
8. Discuss why certain segments of the population are able to exert pressure on political institutions and actors in order to obtain favorable policies.
People who have a higher income and higher education are able to exert pressure on political institutions to obtain favorable policies because they are able to gain more for interest groups through advantages. With their high income, they can contribute to campaigns in exchange for support.
9. Identify and describe the mechanisms that allow citizens to organize and communicate their interests and concerns.
Citizens can communicate their interests and concerns through direct lobbies, grassroots mobilization, informational campaigns, litigation, and high tech lobbies. Direct lobbies are when groups send someone to discuss issues to authority figures or officials. Grassroots mobilization provides opportunities for citizens to take action. Informational campaigns are made to inform people on particular issues. Litigation is a group going to court to change things, taking legal action. High-tech lobbies are groups going to social networks and email to reach to citizens and promote change.
10. Examine the significance of the historical evolution of the U .S. party system, the functions and structures of political parties, and the effects they have on the political process.
In the beginning, there weren't any political parties. In 1792, the first party system, two political parties emerged, the federalists and the democratic republicans. In 1828, the second party system began, the democratic republican changed their name to the democrats, their new opponents were the national republicans, or Whigs. The first American third party was the Anti-Masonic Party. In the early 1850's, the current party system began. Former Whigs ans Antislavery Democrats created a new group called the Republican Party and the Democratic Party remained the same. The function of political parties is to nominate candidates, structure the voting choice, propose alternative government programs, and to coordinate the activities of government officials.
11. Examine the issues of party reform and of campaign strategies and how financing in the electronic age provides students with important perspectives.
The electronic age has changed elections a lot. They changed campaigns from making flyers, posters, and pins to promote their campaign to making television advertisements, going on the radio, using the Internet and going on social networks to reach out to the public. They are keeping up with the advancing times in order to increase the amount of supporters that they have.
12. Trace and discuss the development and the role of PACs in elections and the ideological and demographic differences between the two major parties, as well as third parties.
A PAC is an organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation. PACs are perceived as a major force in campaigns. Democrats and Republicans have different ideologies. Democrats are considered more liberal and are willing to use government to promote equality over order, while Republicans are considered more conservative and are willing to use government to promote order over equality. Third parties are formed from people who are discontent with the major party choices, although not successful in claiming office, some third parties have gotten positive recognition.