Political Communication Vocabulary
Fake News
Is a type of yellow journalism or propaganda that consists of deliberate misinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional print, broadcast news, or the Internet
Electoral College
Group of 538 people, called electors.
The number of electors equals the number of representatives and senators in Congress, plus 3 electoral votes for Washington, D.C.
They cast the official electoral votes to elect the president and vice president.
The media tell people WHAT to think about, not what to think.
True - The media shows the people what are important topics to focus on when looking at topics up for vote or topics focused on in an election.
How to Understand Political Cartoons
TACOS:
T - Time: When does the cartoon take place?
A - Action: What are the characters doing in the cartoon?
C - Caption: What are the characters saying, and what does the caption say?
O - Object: What objects are in the cartoon that you recognize? Are any objects overdone (too big, too small, etc.)?
S - Summary: What is the overall meaning or symbolism of the cartoon?
Even if you personally may not care about Civil Responsibilities, how do those influence the Public Agenda?
Civil responsibilities deal with taxes, military action and spending, and the legal system. These all often have an issue up for vote yearly in the country, so these responsibilities will bring your attention to these issues where you will form your own opinion. This makes an individual try to find someone to vote for that aligns with their opinions so that they will be represented.
Bias
Are personal prejudices in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way that's considered to be unfair. These are learned behavior from external influences.
Popular Votes
The total sum of all votes cast by the American people
When you vote in the Presidential Election, you are voting EXPLICITLY for the candidate of your choosing.
False - A popular voters vote is listed for a candidate, but the vote counts for representation of electors, of the same party as the candidate selected by the individual, in the electoral college.
The history of the Electoral College, and the pros and cons of the Electoral College today.
The Framers wrote the Electoral College into the Constitution.
They expected electors to use their own judgment when choosing the president.
Designed as a buffer to prevent the election of a poorly qualified president.
________
Pros:
Small states have a greater voice with the Electoral College- guaranteed 3 electoral votes.
Allows for an efficient counting of the votes- quick results on election night.
It’s a familiar system. Reform may be confusing.
Cons:
Certain states receive more attention due to their status as large states or swing states.
If you live in a solid state, but align with the opposite party, you feel like your voice isn’t heard. (i.e. A Republican in New York)
Its original purpose doesn’t apply today as electors just echo the popular vote of their state.
When and how does the Electoral College official vote for the President? Could this cause an issue for the legitimacy of a new President?
The Electoral College gathers to cast its votes in December, after the popular vote has been collected, counted, and a winner declared from this vote in November. An issue could arise when the electoral vote does not align with the popular vote.
Propaganda
Types of advertisements, images, or articles intended to influence opinion, or get a specific reaction out of its viewers.
Swing States
States that could go Democratic or Republican in an election.
The types of media used in mass media are television, newspaper, magazines, radio, and social media platforms.
False - all of the above EXCEPT social media platforms.
General Voter Qualification and Civil Responsibilities
Must be 18 (in most states)
Must be a resident of the state you are voting in.
If a felon, must be 2 years outside of all requirements by the court (parole etc.)
You must vote at your precinct (you can look this up) or designated early voting precincts, or in Florida you can vote by mail.
To vote in a Primary Election, you MUST be registered as a Democrat or Republican
___________
Paying Taxes
Jury Duty
The Military Draft - Men must sign up for Selective Service (the military draft) within 30 days after their 18th birthday.
Voting is a Voluntary Responsibility
Explain how Bias (personal and media), Propaganda, and Fake News may, or may not, influence Public Opinion and the Public Agenda.
Explanation of how the effects of all four types of information input will have an effect on the public aspects of a topic. The answer can be positive or negative, but the inputs will have an effect on the public (may not affect a personal view of the topic).
Public Opinion
The combination of the desires, wants, and thinking of the majority of the people (or the collective opinion of the people) of a society or state on an issue or problem.
Winner-take-all system
The candidate who wins the majority in each state wins ALL of that state’s electoral votes. (Except for Maine and Nebraska)
The House of Representatives has picked the President 3 times.
False - this has only happened twice.
How and when the House of Representatives gets to pick the President.
This happens when no candidate receives 270 electoral votes. The House picks from the top 3 candidates, while the Senate picks the Vice-President.
Explain how one of the 6 types of media bias (or a combination of them) can influence personal bias. What effect does it have on the public agenda? Explain how to best negate media bias.
The correct answer is an explanation of how media bias can influence personal bias depending on the person and how much the person or persons are influenced by confirmation bias. Negated by exploring new information for yourself and basing an opinion on facts.
Public Agenda
Comprised of the societal problems that political leaders and citizens agree need government attention.
"Faithless" Electors
Electors that vote against the candidate of the party that they are a part of. (ex: a Democrat elector voting Independent or Republican.)
A candidate does not need to win the popular vote to win the Presidential election.
True - Only 270 electoral votes are needed to win.
The six types of media bias, and how media bias and propaganda differ from one another.
Omission Bias - Leaving information out
Source selection Bias - Include more sources that support one view over another
Story selection bias - Stories that coincide with one another and ignore opposing studies
Placement Bias - Placement is a measure of how important the editor considers the story.
Labeling Bias - Labeling one group with an extreme label and giving the opposition a mild label.
Spin - Emphasizing certain aspects of a news story in the hope that other aspects will be ignored.
_______
Media bias spins an impartial story to align with a specific narrative pushed by the media group for its target audience, propaganda is organically created by those in favor of an opinion or to elicit a reaction from its viewers.
Voting Trends. Do you think that the decline of young voters is caused by the electoral college or by something else? What is your reason for thinking this? (Sources or where observations are made from.)
The correct answer is subjective as to the cause, as a poll about this would be too extensive to undergo, but the data is there to show the decline. As long as a credible source can be given for opinion or observations made on the topic, the answer is correct.
(more an exercise on cutting through false information.)