When most people think of government and changes in policies they think institutions or branches of the government. however these are only the final stages in the process. There are many other factors the influence the government and the way in which it functions. Many other factors influence and help to bring about these changes. Some of these are other factors are the media, interest groups, and public opinion.
The media in America has evolved since the founding of the country. In the beginning there was only one form of media available, that of newspapers and other print material. As the country has grown so has the amount and different forms of media. In addition to print, there are now radio, television, and recently the Internet. All of these are forms of entertainment, but it can and should also serve other functions more iatrical to the lives of a given population. When it comes to the government, the media is supposed to function in three roles. James Wilson describes these as the roles, "of gatekeeper, scorekeeper, and watchdog for the federal government." The gatekeeper role is that of introducing or keeping a topic in the national mindset. Recently global warming has become a topic of great discussion. This can be found in all aspects of the media: movies, news, books, bogs, topics of talk radio, and others. By bringing these issues to the public the media hopes to initiate or reform policy and legislation, but bringing these issues to the public does not ensure action will be taken. It is up to the public to take interest and do something about it.
Another function the media has is that of the scorekeeper. This function is that of making or breaking politicians depending on the coverage given to them. If ...
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... which the questions are asked, the words used showing bias within a question, and the kinds of answers provided for the question can all have an effect on the results and therefore on the perceived public opinion.
As we have seen the media has three functions when it come to the government. These functions or roles are gatekeeper, scorekeeper, and watchdog. These roles help to change policy, help politicians win or lose elections, and keep a check on the government. Interest groups are people joined together by a common cause who wish to change policy. Sometimes the can be use for the wrong ends, but they are still a vital part of the system. True public opinion can never be certain. Though many seek this out; it is always just out of reach. It is only when these opinions are evident in interest groups and the media that it can help shape governmental policy.
Over the course of the semester, we have learned about the informal process of the government. In our first paper of the semester, we analyzed how the news media coverage’s role of acting as the fourth branch of the government and its effectiveness in educating the public. The second paper involved the informal workings and strategies of an interest group, but also focused on an interest group’s structure and membership. Finally, we read several political novels to see their role and political impact on the mass public.
We elect politicians on the basis on the issues by which they stand, and these issues are either held up or weakened by the numerous interest groups that exist today. Interest groups target both major and minor issues, using all of their resources to sponsor or overpower the groups’ concern. Interest groups are composed of a limited range of the body of voters who have a great stake in the issues their group support. They make evident the issues their group supports. Their resources are used in an attempt to make their issue public policy. Interest groups are persistent; they do not give up until they succeed. They lobby congress, take legal action, and attempt to influence election results in order to benefit their cause. ”The AARP monitors local and national legislation of interest to its members.”1 The AARP, an example of a non-PAC interest group, focus their efforts to electioneering and media. They influence the elections through their voter guides, election forums and the large senior voting population. Through television, radio, and periodicals the AARP is able to achieve many of their goals to aid retired persons.
Do they play an important role in our democracy since they claim that they represent many people? There has been a continuing debate over the proper role of interest groups in the United States democracy. Interest groups are organized group of individuals who share the same ideas and their main goal is to influence media, lawmakers, and people with their ideas. On one hand, interest groups members and their leaders assert that they offer crucial information and services to the lawmakers and that lawmakers aren’t experts regarding every bill proposed
For an example of the authors use of specific examples while describing what the media decides as news worthy the author writes, “The public rarely hears about the routine ceremonies at state dinners, but when President George Bush threw up all over the Japanese prime minister in 1992, the world’s media jumped on the story” (Edwards, Wattenberg, Lineberry, 2015, p. 398). This is an indication of how the media decides what is newsworthy. This quote demonstrates some of the strengths of the article because, not only does the quote support how the media decides what is news worthy, but it also shows no bias and is a factual, specific example. Another quote that demonstrates the strengths of the article is “Journalists and politicians have a symbiotic relationship, with politicians relying on journalists to get their message out and journalists relying on politicians to keep them in the know”. (p.400). this quote demonstrates the strengths of the article because, it shows how the media gets its news, how politicians gains their influence, and shows no bias. One last quote that emphasizes the strengths of this excerpt is “The media can even have a dramatic effect on how the public evaluates specific events by emphasizing one event over others. When during a 1976 presidential debate, President Ford incorrectly stated that the Soviet Union did
In today’s politics, interest groups play a large role in the government system. An interest Group is defined as 'an organized body of individuals who try to influence public policy.' This system is designed so that interest groups would be an instrument of public influence on politics to create changes, but would not threaten the government much. These organizations are either made up of people who represent a different organization or people who represent themselves. Interest groups represent the citizens’ interests and views, while expressing their own needs as well. They are the link between people and politics, giving a way for the public to voice their opinions. Members of interest groups use different tactics to basically impose their wants or needs onto the government by lobbying, educating, and campaigning.
Essentially, interest groups use many different tactics to accomplish their central goals but this paper will detail 2 of them. The first being lobbying, which is the act of persuading businesses as well as government leaders to help a specific organization by changing laws or creating events in favor of that group. Interest groups use this technique by hiring someone to represent them and advocate their cause to on the behalf of the entire group. These hired representatives usually have more than enough experience within the political field and are able to persuade connections within the government for help with their concerns. This method gets a lot of criticism because although lobbyist offer their input to government officials on pending laws, they only look at what is favorable for their cause. When trying to make a difference you have to not only reflect on your argument but on the side affects of that argument as
The “advocacy explosion” in the United States in the 20th century has been caused by the extreme increase in the number of interest groups in the United States. The general public views the increase and the groups themselves as a cancer that has come to the body of American politics and is spreading. The explosion in the number of interest groups and interest group members and finances has had an effect on the decline of the American political party and partisanship, the effect on democracy and the public interest, and the bias that has come with interest group competition.
First, the role of the media is to represent the public and intervene between the public and the government. The media is a mirror, which re...
Interest groups are an interesting part of politics that usually gets overlooked. The term interest group is self-explanatory but the definition can be a bit more politically thorough: An organized group that tries to influence the government to adopt certain interests, policies, or measures also called pressure group. Interest group refers to virtually any voluntary association that seeks to publicly promote and create advantages for its cause. America is a melting-pot of races, religions, languages, cultures, beliefs, and ideas, yet it only
Government effects my life everyday in a vast variety of ways. From the quality of the milk that I drink in the morning, to the license and Insurance I need to drive my vehicle to school and work. Government also effects the taxes that are deducted from my salary. The government uses this money to protect consumers and provide services for the public amongst many other things.
One way in which government achieves this objective, is by its ability to misuse the media’s ability to set the agenda. Contrary to popular belief, media is in fact an enormous hegemony. In fact, separate independent news organizations do not exist. Rather than creating an independent structured agenda of their own, generally lesser smaller news organizations adapt to a prepared agenda, previously constructed by a higher medium. Based upon this information alone, it is quite apparent that media functions in adherence to the characteristics of a hierarchy.
The media landscape has evolved tremendously over the decades. It was initially sought by the framers as a mechanism for political leaders to communicate with each other. Now, media is seen as a means of entertainment and for people to know what is going on around them. The basic roles of the media are; being a watchdog; where the media examines thoroughly government actions, informs the majority of any issues in electoral choices and any public policies. Infotainment is a mixture of informational, news surrounded with entertainment. Narrowcasting refers to targeting only certain ideologies and culture. While some critics may state the positive or negative side to Infotainment and Narrowcasting, both have served their purpose in keeping citizens
This concept, being the media’s primary role, allows the policies and policymakers to be publicized and their ideas to be communicated to the public. Without this connection, the mass population would have no input or voice in the very policies that impact them. Media simultaneously establishes the scope of policy issues through its interpretation of different issues.
The current role of mass media in politics has definitely played a significant role in how view and react to certain events and issues of the nation. Newspapers, magazines, television and radio are some of the ways information is passed onto many of the citizens. The World Wide Web is also an information superhighway, but not all of the sources on the Internet are credible. Therefore, I will only focus on the main three types of media: written, viewed, and audible, and how they affect whether or not democracy is being upheld in the land of the free. The media includes several different outlets through which people can receive information on politics, such as radio, television, advertising and mailings. When campaigning, politicians spend large quantities of money on media to reach voters, concentrating on voters who are undecided. Politicians may use television commercials, advertisements or mailings to point out potentially negative qualities in their opponents while extolling their own virtues. The media can also influence politics by deciding what news the public needs to hear. Often, there are more potential news stories available to the media than time or space to devote to them, so the media chooses the stories that are the most important and the most sensational for the public to hear. This choice can often be shaped,