Chapter 10 Public Opinion and the News Media Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 American Government 2006 Edition (to accompany the Essentials Edition) O’Connor

Chapter 10

Public Opinion and the News Media

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006

American Government2006 Edition(to accompany the Essentials Edition)

O’Connor and Sabato


What is Public Opinion?

What the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time

Public opinion polls Interviews or surveys with samples of

citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population


Efforts to Influence Public Opinion

Federalist Papers One of first major attempts to change public

opinion Paine’s Common Sense and The Crisis Uncle Tom’s Cabin WWI

Wilson’s creation of the Committee on Public Information

Lippman’s concern: government could easily manipulate public opinion.

Fahrenheit 911


Early Efforts to Measure Public Opinion

Public opinion polling did not begin to develop until the 1930s. Spurred on by Lippman’s Public Opinion (1922)

Earlier straw polls used Unscientific surveys used to gauge public

opinion on a variety of issues and policies Literary Digest George Gallup


Recent Efforts to Measure Public Opinion

1940s: Polling techniques became more sophisticated. Setback with prediction that Dewey

would defeat Truman in the 1948 general election

Gallup Organization National Election Study Internet


How Political Socialization and other Factors Influence Opinion Formation

Political Socialization The process through which an individual

acquires particular political orientations The learning process by which people

acquire their political beliefs and values


The Ideological Self-Identification of First-Year College Students


Agents of Socialization

Family School and Peers The Mass Media


Social Groups Group effects – certain characteristics that

allow persons to be lumped into categories – also affect the development of political beliefs and opinions. Religion Race and Ethnicity Gender Age Region


The Ideological Self-Identification of Protestants, Catholics, and Jews


Group-identified Voting Patterns in the 2004 Presidential Election


The Impact of Events

Key political events play a very important role in a person’s socialization.

Nixon’s resignation in 1974 Impression on young people Government not always right or honest

Clinton Scandals Impact on Generation Y


Why We Form Political Opinions

Personal Benefits Political Knowledge Cues from Leaders or

Opinion Makers


Personal Benefits Most Americans more “I” centered Attitudes on moral issues are often

based on underlying values. If faced with policies that do not

Affect us personally Are not moral in nature…Then we have difficulty forming an

opinion. Foreign policy is such an example.


Political Knowledge Political knowledge and political

participation have a reciprocal relationship.

High literacy rate Level of knowledge about history and

politics low Hurts American’s understanding of

current political events Geographically illiterate


Cues from Leaders

Low levels of knowledge can lead to rapid opinion shifts on issues.

Political leaders may move these shifts. President is in an important position to

mold public opinion But who is truly leading, public or the

president?


How Public Opinion is Measured Traditional public opinion polls

Determine the content phrasing the questions Selecting the sample

Random sampling: a method of poll selection that gives each person the same chance of being selected.

Stratified sampling: A variation of random sampling; census data are used to divide the country into four sampling regions. Sets of counties and standard metropolitan statistical areas are then randomly selected in proportion to the total national population.

Contacting respondents


Political Polls

Push Polls Polls taken for the purpose of providing

information on an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against that candidate

Tracking Polls Continuous surveys that enable a

campaign to chart its daily rise or fall in support


Political Polls Exit polls

Polls conducted at selected polling places on Election Day

Sample every tenth voter Results of these polls help the news media

predict outcomes of key races. 1980 exit polls led Carter to concede 3 hours

before the polls closed on the West Coast. Networks agreed not to predict the results of

presidential contests until all the polling places were closed.


Shortcomings of Polling Inaccurate results can be dangerous. Voter News Service made errors during the

presidential election of 2000 estimating Florida. Failed to estimate the number of voters accurately Used an inaccurate exit poll model Incorrectly estimated the number of African American

and Cuban voters Results lead to an early calling of the election

VNS disbanded in 2003 Major networks and Associated Press joined together

to form a new polling consortium, the National Election Pool.


A Daily Tracking Poll for the 2004 Presidential Election


Shortcomings of Polling

Sampling Error Sampling error or margin of error

A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll

Limited Respondent Options Lack of Information Intensity


The Evolution of Journalism in the United States First newspapers published in the American

colonies in 1690. Free press is a necessary component of

democratic society. Informs the public Provides information they need to choose their

leaders and influence public policy Washington despised the press Partisan press gave way to penny press Penny press focus on scandal

Cleveland v. Blaine scandals in the election 1884


The Evolution of Journalism in the United States

Yellow journalism Form of newspaper publishing in vogue in the

late-nineteenth century that featured pictures, comics, color, and sensationalized, oversimplified news coverage

Hearst and Pulitzer

Muckrakers Form of journalism, in vogue in the early 20th

century, concerned with reforming government and business conduct


The U.S. Media Today

Print media: traditional form of mass media, comprising newspapers, magazines, and journals.

Electronic media: the broadcast and cable media, including television, radio, and the Internet.


Distribution of News Source Usage by Individuals


The Internet In 2000, 9 percent of Americans claimed to

receive news from the Internet. Today, 13 percent claim to. Major networks and newspapers also offer

their news online. U.S. government provides its own news

online. News available from foreign sources as

well.


How the Media Cover Politicians And Government Communication between elected officials and public figures

and media Press release: document offering an official comment or

position. Press briefing: relatively restricted session between a press

secretary or aide and the press. Press conference: an unrestricted session between an elected

official and the press. On background: information provided to a journalist that will

not be attributed to a named source. Deep background: information provided to a journalist that will

not be attributed to any source. Off the record: information provided to a journalist that will not

be released to the public. On the record: information provided to a journalism that can be

released and attributed by name to the source.


Covering the Presidency President is the focus of the most media coverage.

Can summon the press at will FDR was the first to use the press conference as a

means to shape public opinion and explain his actions.

Press Secretary: existed since Hoover’s administration. President’s main disseminator of information to the

press President gets the most coverage, but much of it is

negative G.W. Bush record low number of press conferences

Strategy to control his image


Covering Congress Size of Congress and its decentralized nature make it

difficult for the media to cover it. Solve this problem by

Giving leaders most attention Key committee chairs command center stage Local newspapers and broadcast stations normally

devote some resources to covering their own representatives

Coverage tends to be negative. Focus on conflict May be part of the reason people view Congress so

negatively Investigative hearings may be televised.

Joseph McCarthy Enron and Worldcom


Investigative Journalism and the Character Issue

Here reporters go beyond headlines and scrutinize public officials and public policy in order to find wrongdoing.

Watergate Woodward and Bernstein

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)


Are the Media Biased? 1980s and 1990s argument that media were liberally biased

because of the sheer number of journalists who leaned to the left.

Another argument focuses on corporate interests and the influence on what is covered.

Recent media bias is intentional and a response to increasing fragmentation and competition among media. Mainstream media losing market share while online, ethnic,

and alternative media are growing. Market position

CNN: 27 percent of Democrats; 20 percent of Republicans Fox News: 29 percent of Republicans; 14 percent of Democrats

Ideological fragmentation is viewed as a negative trend by those who believe that the mass media are essential to providing the facts to educate the public about policies.


The Media’s Influence on the Public Media effects

The influence of news sources on public opinion Reporting can sway people who are uncommitted and

have no strong opinions. Media have a much greater impact on topics far

removed from the lives and experiences of readers and viewers.

News organizations can help tell us what to think about, even if they cannot determine what we think.

Media’s power to shape citizen’s perceptions can influence a politician’s success. Election Night 2000 Increasing use of experts Group media and narrowcasting


The News Generation Gap


The Public’s Perception of the Media Public opinion of media is relatively critical. Perceive media to be

Politically biased Roadblocks to solving problems Inaccurate in their reporting Unwilling to admit mistakes

Most still view the national news media as credible

Terrorist attacks shifted public opinion positively for a period

Value the watchdog role of the news media


Journalists’ Perceptions of Top Problems Facing Journalism


Government Regulation of the Electronic Media

Print media are exempt from most forms of government regulation Excludes obscenity

Why? Airwaves used by electronic media are

considered public property and are leased by the federal government to private broadcasters.

Airwaves are limited in supply. Without regulation, they would interfere with each other.

1996 Telecommunications Act


Content Regulation Government attempts to regulate the electronic

media Equal time rule

Rule that requires broadcast stations to sell air time equally to all candidates in a political campaign if they choose to sell it anyway.

Until 2000, FCC rules required ability to respond to personal attacks or political endorsements by a station. This was found to be unconstitutional.

Fairness Doctrine Rule in effect from 1949 to 1985 requiring

broadcasters to cover events adequately and to present contrasting views on important public issues.


Efforts to Regulate Media Practices

In the U.S., only government officials can be prosecuted for divulging classified information. No such law exists for journalists. Nor can the government, except under

extremely rare circumstances, impose prior restraints on the press.


Efforts to Regulate Media Practices Around the World Media context

Dictatorships: media serve as a carefully controlled outlet for “approved” messages from those in charge to those being governed without consent.

Constitutional monarchies: media cooperate with a monarch in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Great Britain: national’s main electronic medium, the BBC, is owned by the country. Subjected to unusually strict regulation on the

publication of governmental secrets. Official Secrets Act of 1911

Makes it a criminal offense to publish any facts, material, or news collected in that person’s capacity as a public minister or civil servant.


Prior Restraint

New York Times Co. v. U.S. (1971) Pentagon Papers

The war on terrorism reactions renewed questions leaks

Documents

Chapter 10 Public Opinion and the News Media Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 American Government 2006 Edition (to accompany the Essentials Edition) O’Connor