Chapter 10
Public Opinion and the News Media
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
American Government2006 Edition(to accompany the Essentials Edition)
O’Connor and Sabato
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
What is Public Opinion?
What the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time
Public opinion polls Interviews or surveys with samples of
citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Efforts to Influence Public Opinion
Federalist Papers One of first major attempts to change public
opinion Paine’s Common Sense and The Crisis Uncle Tom’s Cabin WWI
Wilson’s creation of the Committee on Public Information
Lippman’s concern: government could easily manipulate public opinion.
Fahrenheit 911
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Early Efforts to Measure Public Opinion
Public opinion polling did not begin to develop until the 1930s. Spurred on by Lippman’s Public Opinion (1922)
Earlier straw polls used Unscientific surveys used to gauge public
opinion on a variety of issues and policies Literary Digest George Gallup
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Recent Efforts to Measure Public Opinion
1940s: Polling techniques became more sophisticated. Setback with prediction that Dewey
would defeat Truman in the 1948 general election
Gallup Organization National Election Study Internet
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
How Political Socialization and other Factors Influence Opinion Formation
Political Socialization The process through which an individual
acquires particular political orientations The learning process by which people
acquire their political beliefs and values
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
The Ideological Self-Identification of First-Year College Students
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Agents of Socialization
Family School and Peers The Mass Media
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Social Groups Group effects – certain characteristics that
allow persons to be lumped into categories – also affect the development of political beliefs and opinions. Religion Race and Ethnicity Gender Age Region
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
The Ideological Self-Identification of Protestants, Catholics, and Jews
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Group-identified Voting Patterns in the 2004 Presidential Election
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
The Impact of Events
Key political events play a very important role in a person’s socialization.
Nixon’s resignation in 1974 Impression on young people Government not always right or honest
Clinton Scandals Impact on Generation Y
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Why We Form Political Opinions
Personal Benefits Political Knowledge Cues from Leaders or
Opinion Makers
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Personal Benefits Most Americans more “I” centered Attitudes on moral issues are often
based on underlying values. If faced with policies that do not
Affect us personally Are not moral in nature…Then we have difficulty forming an
opinion. Foreign policy is such an example.
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Political Knowledge Political knowledge and political
participation have a reciprocal relationship.
High literacy rate Level of knowledge about history and
politics low Hurts American’s understanding of
current political events Geographically illiterate
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Cues from Leaders
Low levels of knowledge can lead to rapid opinion shifts on issues.
Political leaders may move these shifts. President is in an important position to
mold public opinion But who is truly leading, public or the
president?
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
How Public Opinion is Measured Traditional public opinion polls
Determine the content phrasing the questions Selecting the sample
Random sampling: a method of poll selection that gives each person the same chance of being selected.
Stratified sampling: A variation of random sampling; census data are used to divide the country into four sampling regions. Sets of counties and standard metropolitan statistical areas are then randomly selected in proportion to the total national population.
Contacting respondents
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Political Polls
Push Polls Polls taken for the purpose of providing
information on an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against that candidate
Tracking Polls Continuous surveys that enable a
campaign to chart its daily rise or fall in support
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Political Polls Exit polls
Polls conducted at selected polling places on Election Day
Sample every tenth voter Results of these polls help the news media
predict outcomes of key races. 1980 exit polls led Carter to concede 3 hours
before the polls closed on the West Coast. Networks agreed not to predict the results of
presidential contests until all the polling places were closed.
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Shortcomings of Polling Inaccurate results can be dangerous. Voter News Service made errors during the
presidential election of 2000 estimating Florida. Failed to estimate the number of voters accurately Used an inaccurate exit poll model Incorrectly estimated the number of African American
and Cuban voters Results lead to an early calling of the election
VNS disbanded in 2003 Major networks and Associated Press joined together
to form a new polling consortium, the National Election Pool.
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
A Daily Tracking Poll for the 2004 Presidential Election
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Shortcomings of Polling
Sampling Error Sampling error or margin of error
A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll
Limited Respondent Options Lack of Information Intensity
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
The Evolution of Journalism in the United States First newspapers published in the American
colonies in 1690. Free press is a necessary component of
democratic society. Informs the public Provides information they need to choose their
leaders and influence public policy Washington despised the press Partisan press gave way to penny press Penny press focus on scandal
Cleveland v. Blaine scandals in the election 1884
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
The Evolution of Journalism in the United States
Yellow journalism Form of newspaper publishing in vogue in the
late-nineteenth century that featured pictures, comics, color, and sensationalized, oversimplified news coverage
Hearst and Pulitzer
Muckrakers Form of journalism, in vogue in the early 20th
century, concerned with reforming government and business conduct
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
The U.S. Media Today
Print media: traditional form of mass media, comprising newspapers, magazines, and journals.
Electronic media: the broadcast and cable media, including television, radio, and the Internet.
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Distribution of News Source Usage by Individuals
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
The Internet In 2000, 9 percent of Americans claimed to
receive news from the Internet. Today, 13 percent claim to. Major networks and newspapers also offer
their news online. U.S. government provides its own news
online. News available from foreign sources as
well.
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
How the Media Cover Politicians And Government Communication between elected officials and public figures
and media Press release: document offering an official comment or
position. Press briefing: relatively restricted session between a press
secretary or aide and the press. Press conference: an unrestricted session between an elected
official and the press. On background: information provided to a journalist that will
not be attributed to a named source. Deep background: information provided to a journalist that will
not be attributed to any source. Off the record: information provided to a journalist that will not
be released to the public. On the record: information provided to a journalism that can be
released and attributed by name to the source.
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Covering the Presidency President is the focus of the most media coverage.
Can summon the press at will FDR was the first to use the press conference as a
means to shape public opinion and explain his actions.
Press Secretary: existed since Hoover’s administration. President’s main disseminator of information to the
press President gets the most coverage, but much of it is
negative G.W. Bush record low number of press conferences
Strategy to control his image
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Covering Congress Size of Congress and its decentralized nature make it
difficult for the media to cover it. Solve this problem by
Giving leaders most attention Key committee chairs command center stage Local newspapers and broadcast stations normally
devote some resources to covering their own representatives
Coverage tends to be negative. Focus on conflict May be part of the reason people view Congress so
negatively Investigative hearings may be televised.
Joseph McCarthy Enron and Worldcom
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Investigative Journalism and the Character Issue
Here reporters go beyond headlines and scrutinize public officials and public policy in order to find wrongdoing.
Watergate Woodward and Bernstein
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Are the Media Biased? 1980s and 1990s argument that media were liberally biased
because of the sheer number of journalists who leaned to the left.
Another argument focuses on corporate interests and the influence on what is covered.
Recent media bias is intentional and a response to increasing fragmentation and competition among media. Mainstream media losing market share while online, ethnic,
and alternative media are growing. Market position
CNN: 27 percent of Democrats; 20 percent of Republicans Fox News: 29 percent of Republicans; 14 percent of Democrats
Ideological fragmentation is viewed as a negative trend by those who believe that the mass media are essential to providing the facts to educate the public about policies.
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
The Media’s Influence on the Public Media effects
The influence of news sources on public opinion Reporting can sway people who are uncommitted and
have no strong opinions. Media have a much greater impact on topics far
removed from the lives and experiences of readers and viewers.
News organizations can help tell us what to think about, even if they cannot determine what we think.
Media’s power to shape citizen’s perceptions can influence a politician’s success. Election Night 2000 Increasing use of experts Group media and narrowcasting
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
The News Generation Gap
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
The Public’s Perception of the Media Public opinion of media is relatively critical. Perceive media to be
Politically biased Roadblocks to solving problems Inaccurate in their reporting Unwilling to admit mistakes
Most still view the national news media as credible
Terrorist attacks shifted public opinion positively for a period
Value the watchdog role of the news media
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Journalists’ Perceptions of Top Problems Facing Journalism
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Government Regulation of the Electronic Media
Print media are exempt from most forms of government regulation Excludes obscenity
Why? Airwaves used by electronic media are
considered public property and are leased by the federal government to private broadcasters.
Airwaves are limited in supply. Without regulation, they would interfere with each other.
1996 Telecommunications Act
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Content Regulation Government attempts to regulate the electronic
media Equal time rule
Rule that requires broadcast stations to sell air time equally to all candidates in a political campaign if they choose to sell it anyway.
Until 2000, FCC rules required ability to respond to personal attacks or political endorsements by a station. This was found to be unconstitutional.
Fairness Doctrine Rule in effect from 1949 to 1985 requiring
broadcasters to cover events adequately and to present contrasting views on important public issues.
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Efforts to Regulate Media Practices
In the U.S., only government officials can be prosecuted for divulging classified information. No such law exists for journalists. Nor can the government, except under
extremely rare circumstances, impose prior restraints on the press.
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Efforts to Regulate Media Practices Around the World Media context
Dictatorships: media serve as a carefully controlled outlet for “approved” messages from those in charge to those being governed without consent.
Constitutional monarchies: media cooperate with a monarch in a mutually beneficial relationship.
Great Britain: national’s main electronic medium, the BBC, is owned by the country. Subjected to unusually strict regulation on the
publication of governmental secrets. Official Secrets Act of 1911
Makes it a criminal offense to publish any facts, material, or news collected in that person’s capacity as a public minister or civil servant.
Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006
Prior Restraint
New York Times Co. v. U.S. (1971) Pentagon Papers
The war on terrorism reactions renewed questions leaks