Public Opinion
Name two factors that may influence a person's opinion on an issue or candidate.
Answers may include: Age, Gender, Race, Religion, Income Level, Experiences, Where You Live, Interest Groups, Personal Background, Occupation/Job, Mass Media
When the media has a larger audience, they earn more money from who?
Advertisers
Which Amendment states that Congress cannot interfere with the freedom of the press?
The First Amendment
Which Amendment protects the rights of people to gather together and to petition the government?
What is the name for someone who conducts public opinion polls?
What is the name for a mechanism of communication that can reach large numbers of people?
Mass Media
What is the name for issues that are considered most significant/important by government officials?
The Public Agenda
What is the term used to describe the act of stopping information from being known by blocking the media from publishing it?
Prior Restraint
What type of interest group works to promote the interests of its members?
Private Interest Groups
What term is used to describe the ideas and attitudes that people hold about political issues?
Public Opinion
Which of the three features of public opinion refers to whether public opinion on a topic is positive or negative?
Direction
Name one reason why leaked stories benefit reporters.
Answers may include: They get to report news before other reporters or their status improves.
What is the term used to describe written lies that are published about a person and harmful to their reputation?
Libel
What type of interest group works to support causes that affect the lives of most/many Americans?
Public Interest Groups
Nonpartisan
When pollsters choose people to answer their surveys, what type of sample should they choose so that the answers are likely to represent the viewpoints of the entire population?
A random sample
When the media publishes/presents stories that expose government wrongdoing, in what role are they acting?
They are acting in their role as watchdog.
Which government organization is allowed to regulate the media but cannot censor broadcasts?
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
What is the name for a representative of an interest group who contacts lawmakers to influence their policy making?
A Lobbyist
Is the National Rifle Association (NRA) a public or private interest group?
A private interest group
What type of polls use questions that are carefully worded to get a certain response and are criticized for being biased and unfair?
Push Polls
What is the main reason why the government classifies some information as secret?
To protect national security
What is the name for a law that protects the press from having to reveal its sources of information?
Shield Law
What is the term used to describe information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view?
Hint: It is a way that interest groups try to sway public opinion.
Propaganda
Which of the following is a reason politicians leak information about proposed plans to the press?
A. to hide corruption
B. to hurt the news media
C. to protect national security
D. to test public reaction to an idea
D. to test public reaction to an idea