Public Opinion Media Chapter

Political Culture
Political Culture:
Widely shared (throughout the whole community) beliefs, values, and norms concerning the relationship of citizens to the government and to one another
Answers: “What is?”
Proposes: “What ought to be.”
Provides: Emotional connections, symbols, etc.

Political Culture
Political Ideology:
Beliefs, values and norms concerning the relationship of citizens to the government and to one another
shared by members of a political movement or sub-group, but not by the whole society
Examples: Republican Party, Democratic Party, Arian Nations, Green Peace, etc.

Political Culture
Political Socialization
The process of developing political attitudes, values and beliefs
Institutions of Socialization
The groups, practices, and systems that convey and inculcate the values of political culture to rising generations and new members
Examples: FAMILY, friends, school, churches, media, Boy Scouts, Job’s Daughters, soccer leagues, service clubs, etc.

Public Opinion
Public Opinion: attitudes of the population towards public institutions, public figures, and current events
Formation of Individual Opinions
Drawn from life experiences
Education, wealth, race, geography, gender, etc.
Built through socialization
Family, school, friends, media, political parties, churches, service clubs, etc.

Public Opinion
Cleavages
We can generally predict how most individuals in broad categories will view issues
Influenced by:
Race
Age
Geography
Education
Religion
Occupation
Etc.

Public Opinion
Cleavages
Cross-Cutting Cleavage
When a person’s background puts them in different camps depending on the issue
Mutually Reinforcing Cleavage
When a person’s background puts them in the same camp with the same friends and enemies over all or most issues

Public Opinion
Cleavages
Cross-Cutting Cleavage
Tempers conflict
Engenders compromise
Enables stable democratic decision-making
Common in US and most advanced industrial societies

Public Opinion
Cleavages
Mutually Reinforcing Cleavage
Strengthens political differences
Reduces the incentive to compromise
Leaves people seeing all-or-none outcomes
May lead to political violence
Makes democracy difficult
Race in America, esp.
Black, urban, poor
Hispanic, rural farm-working poor?

Media
American Media:
Make-up
TV
Radio
Newsprint / mainstream web-based news
Blogs, fringe media, etc.
Is Print Preferable?

Media
Is Print Preferable?
Less Bias??
More accurate??
Who decides what to read and how much??
Time to analyze and question?
Who is in the driver’s seat?

Media
Historical press role
1790s Party Papers
Technological/economic reasons
Development of professional media
Penny Press
Advertising
Unbiased media
Professional reporters / editors
Professional standards

Media
Media Bias v Professional, Unbiased Media
Media self-perception
Unbiased watchdog
Fair
Reporting just facts
Is this realistic?
What about their intentions?

Media
Media Incentive: the Profit Motive
What drives reporting choices?
What drives style?
Results:
Horse Race
Scandal
Sound bites
Exit polls

Media
Media Bias?
Liberal Press?
“Content analysis shows liberal bias”
“Liberal media and academic conspiracy”
Reporters are “all liberals”
Corporate Press?
“Content analysis shows conservative (pro-business) bias”
All major media owned by large corporations
Never offend advertisers
“Vast right-wing conspiracy”

Media
Media Bias?
From the Right: Liberal Press!!
From the Left: Corporate, Conservative Press!!
Reality?
Both exist, some liberal, some conservative, some centrist…
You chose where you get your info…

Media’s Impact on
Public Opinion
Does media determine how you think?
How others think?
Partly:
Media as Gatekeeper
Media as Watchdog
Media as Institution of Socialization