UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT & POLITICS, AP
Mr. Clark
What role does the media and the power of public opinion have on our Constitutional democracy?
Unit 3: Political Process
Topic: Public Opinion & Political Socialization and the Media:
American Government: And Politics Today: Chapter 4 #1: 180-195
IMPORTANT VOCABULAR: (no particular order)
exit polls
sampling error
public opinion
public opinion polls
intensity
stratified sampling
issue polls
favorability polls
content regulations
deep background
fairness doctrine
media effects
off the record
on background
press conference
press release
seditious libel
gag rule
actual malice
#2 195-205
political socialization
push polls
straw polls
direction
equal time rule
muckraking
on the record
Libel
prior restraint
political ideology
random sampling
tracking polls
stability
censorship
gender gap
press briefing
slander
opinion leaders
Learning Objectives/Questions:
- How do wars and emergencies affect the free press?
- Define public opinion, and identify at least two ways public opinion impacts government action.
- Evaluate the how the political socialization process shapes political attitudes, opinions and behavior.
- Explain the impact of demographic characteristics on political behavior.
- Describe three forms of social media, and explain how social media can shape political decisions.
- Identify three factors that might distort public opinion results.
Supreme Court Cases:
Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC
New York Times Co. v. U.S.
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan
Hustler Magazine v. Falwell
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
Miller v. California