AP Government and Politics › Influence on Public Opinion
The first and most influencing group on one's political socialization is who?
The family
Peers
Teachers
Religious leaders
None of these
As early as 5 years old, young people start to assimilate and have affective feelings on political subjects provided by their interactions with their parents and family. This process continues until they form their own political worldview.
Yellow Journalism is a term used to refer to journalism that
Presents a sensationalized view of events in order to sell more newspapers
Plays on the racial prejudices of its readership to steer debate
Presents only objective facts about events
Offers equal coverage of each side of an issue
Seeks to create a public forum for discussion of political issues
The term "Yellow Journalism" refers to a type of reporting that presents sensationalized (and often inaccurate) accounts of events in order to attract readers and sell more papers. The sensationalized and potentially inaccurate accounts of the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in newspapers published by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer helped to lead to the Spanish-American War at the end of the 19th Century.
Which of these do Americans choose most often as a source of news?
Television
The internet
Radio
Political mailings
Since its invention, the television has become the easiest and most widely available means of acquiring political news and commentary.
A(n) ___________ is a widely-known (generally) individual who has the ability to effect public opinion on a particular matter.
opinion leader
opinion seeker
teacher
community leader
The correct answer is “opinion leader.” Classic examples would be Piers Morgan, Sean Hannity, or anyone similar. Both of these men are widely known individuals who have quite a large effect on public opinion on political matters. Although teacher or community leader may have been tempting, those are technically examples of (possible) opinion leaders—but are not individually the definition.
When the media engage in agenda setting, they are telling us __________.
what to think about
how to think
what position to take
follow popular opinion
who to support
News outlets often choose which stories get the headline or 1st position as well as, how much time is devoted to a subject. This is agenda setting and is the media's most used tool to influence viewers.
In what way has the format of the "big three" news networks changed since the 1960s, making it harder for candidates to get their message across?
These networks have dramatically decreased the length of the average political story
These networks encouraged their anchors to ask harder questions of candidates
Their reporters have become increasingly hostile to political candidates
These networks often pit multiple candidates against each other in debate-style interviews
These networks have become increasingly liberal, putting conservative candidates at a major disadvantage.
Coverage of political candidates on the "big three" networks has been broken up into shorter pieces and as a result is much less in-depth. The average sound bite dropped from 42 seconds in 1968 to 7.3 seconds in 2000. As a result, politicians often turn to cable TV, early morning news shows, prime time "news magazine shows," and other sources to get more extensive coverage.
The overall business of the media, in whatever form, is to __________.
gather mass audiences to sell to advertisers
inform the public
provide jobs for the intellectual elite
convince viewers to vote for certain candidates
educate students
News corporations, like any business, want to make profit. The best way to do that is to ensure you have a large viewing audience that attracts advertisers to sell on their network.
Which of the following statements accurately describes the average American newspaper?
It is primarily oriented to its local market and local audience
It heavily covers all elections
It tends to strongly favor one political candidate over another
They often run detailed coverage of controversial political issues
They are circulated to a national market
In strong contrast to many other countries, American newspapers are primarily oriented to the local market and the local audience, and there is typically more local than national news inside. There are a few widely read national newspapers, such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, but these are the exception rather than the norm.
What is the principal effect of television on public opinion?
Setting the agenda
Telling people what to think
Telling people how to think
Persuading people to take a side on a political issue
Establishing new political ideals
The most important impact of television is the agenda setting. News networks can choose what stories get the top of the hour and how much time to spend on them.
The practice of reporting shocking or abhorrent news stories for the sake of expanding readership is called __________.
yellow journalism
black journalism
white journalism
partisan journalism
red journalism
"Yellow journalism" is the name given to the practice of reporting shocking or abhorrent news stories for the sake of attracting new readers and selling more newspapers. Yellow journalism is generally considered manipulative and bad journalistic practice, but that has not stopped various forms of media throughout American history from participating in it. Yellow journalism is most closely associated with the newspapers of William Randolph Hearst who (some argue) single-handedly dragged the United States into war with Spain by reporting on various news stories inaccurately to characterize the Spanish as violent and barbaric. Partisan journalism is the name given to a media source that serves the interests of a political party above the interests of the general public.