Political Socialization & Media Study Guide

Mr. Harrington AP US Government Political Socialization & Media Study Guide Chapter 9 Main Ideas Public Opinion Basics  Be able to recite definition of public opinion Be able to reference how public opinion affects our government  Framers o Direct elections of the House of Representatives o Powers of the House (impeach, revenue bills, vote if no candidate receives 270) are all given to enhance public opinion in our government o 2 year terms o Amendment process (Can be initiated by the people) o 10th amendment: Not in the constitution? Power falls to the state  Progressive Era o Initiative, referendum, recall, direct primary  Congressional voting o Delegate: voting on how the people back home would want them to vote Be able to reference how public opinion does not affect our government  Framers o Senators were originally chosen by state legislatures o James Madison’s “Federalist #10” warns against dangerous factions and their threat to our government  Congressional Voting o Partisan: voting with the party The Distribution of Public Opinion  Know the components to conducting a valid poll (how would one know if the poll is trustworthy?  Be familiar with how candidates for political office use public opinion polls  What is a straw poll?  What exactly is the margin of error in regards to polling Political Socialization  Be familiar with the definition of political socialization  Be familiar with the Agents of Early Socialization (strongest to weakest). Two ideas to remember: 1. Political socialization continues throughout life. 2. The extent to which any political socializing agent is influential depends upon: Repetitive behavior, whether or not a person is familiar with the concepts before hearing it, the economic influence of the agent, & whether the family favorably supports the agent.  Why is childhood important for political socialization?  If your parents identify themselves with one political party and you disagree, where would you fall on the political spectrum? Social Groups And Political Ideology Democrat   African Americans Women  East & West Coast  Lower educated  Urban  Blue Collar  Republican   Midwest Evangelical  South  Higher educated (But not elite)  Rural  White Collar  Chapter 5 Vocabulary 1. Public opinion 6. Random sampling 2. Political values 7. Margin of error 3. Socioeconomic status 8. Honeymoon period 4. Gender gap 9. Rally-around-the-flag effect 5. Straw poll 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Chapter 10 Main Ideas 15. Traditional Roles of the Media  Gatekeeper (Decides what is important and what is not)  Scorekeeper (Tracks elections like a horserace)  Watchdog (Role enhanced since Watergate Scandal. Making sure that elected officials are following the law) 16. Does the media display bias?  Overall there is a slant towards liberalism in print sources  However, talk radio displays a conservative bias 17. Functions of the Mass Media 1. Reporting the News 2. Interpreting and Presenting the News 3. Influencing Public Opinion 4. Setting the Public Agenda 5. Socializing the Citizenry 18. The Development of The Mass Media In The United States -Newspapers -Magazines -Radio -Television -The Internet  How has the news media in the United States has been shaped?  What exactly is mass media? 19. Private Ownership of The Media  What are the Consequences of Private Ownership? (Profit motivated, less diversity, more infotainment)  The Concentration of Private Ownership (What is happening today)  How exactly does the media cover elections? (Horserace journalism) 20. Media Influence on Politics 21. Be familiar with the following concepts  Agenda Setting  Priming  Framing  Persuasion 22. Chapter 10 Vocabulary 1. Print media 11. Net neutrality 2. Broadcast media 12. Yellow journalism 3. New media 13. Muckraking 4. Penny Press 14. Agenda Setting 5. Market-driven journalism 15. Priming 6. Soft news 16. Framing 7. Infotainment 17. Watchdogs 8. Libel 18. Paid media 9. Actual malice standard 19. Free media 10. Federal Communications Commission 20. 21. 22.