Magruder's American Government.
C H A P T E R 8: Mass Media and Public Opinion.
SECTION 1 The Formation of Public Opinion.
SECTION 2 Measuring Public Opinion.
SECTION 3 The Mass Media.
S E C T I O N 1: The Formation of Public Opinion.
What is public opinion and why is it so difficult to define?.
How do family and education shape public opinion?.
What additional factors shape public opinion?.
What is Public Opinion?.
Different Publics.
The United States is made up of many groups, or publics, who share common news. .
Public Affairs.
Public affairs are those events and issues that concern the public at large. In its proper sense, public opinion includes only those views that relate to public affairs.
Public Opinions.
More than one public opinion can exist at the same time, because there are many publics. A view or position must be expressed in the open in order to be a public opinion. .
The Political Spectrum.
Family and Education.
The Family.
Children first see the political world from within the family and through the family's eyes.
The strong influence the family has on the development of political opinions is due to the large amount of time children spend with the family.
The Schools.
Children acquire political knowledge throughout their time in the classroom. .
Students are taught about political systems, patriotism, and great Americans. Some are even required to take a course on government in high school.
Other Factors Influencing Public Opinion.
Mass Media.
The mass media include those means of communication that reach large, widely dispersed audiences (masses of people) simultaneously. The mass media has a huge effect on the formation of public opinion.
Peer Groups.
Peer groups are made up of the people with whom one regularly associates, including friends, classmates, neighbors, and co-workers.
Opinion Leaders.
An opinion leader is any person who, for any reason, has an unusually strong influence on the views of others.
Background Having completed high school graduation I decided to study Mass Media Communication. Media exerts great control on public opinion. The concept of Mass Media has evolved over the years. ... It is obvious from this study that mass media impacts social behavior. ... Srygley (1978) contends that there is a growing concern about the influence of mass media on the youth. ...
Today's society is one that is shaped and molded by the mass media. ... Basically, American culture is nothing more than a product of the mass media. ... One of the biggest problems associated with mass media, in my opinion, is the coverage of the Presidential elections. ... Even if another candidate had a better platform, the mass media would not allow their ide! ... During the Presidential elections people are not confined to only two candidates, however, it is easier for the public to find out about different candidates through the mass media. ...
When dealing with the mass media which refers to the technologies employed in mass communications there are two major areas, print media and broadcast media. ... Once the media goes through the first two functions it should then come up with the third, influencing the public opinion. Once the media interprets the news and then reports it the public will start to form an opinion. ... This shapes the public opinion on what issues they should be more concerned about. ... All of these functions easily explain how the mass media does its job. ...
Question In what ways can Australia's mass media be considered as an 'Industry'? ... Australia's Mass Media This essay will address the fact that Australia's mass media is indeed an industry by the very nature of its existence. ... Yes the Media is an industry, and it does sell a product, but as Cunningham and Turner point out, the mass media is an industry dealing in consciousness. ... Protecting Popular Culture The mass media also deals with how popular culture is interpreted. ... It is through these characteristics, that the mass media gains such enormou...
Introduction: An overview of how the American public experiences the Presidential campaign and politics in general through the lens of the mass media. ... How did the mass media shape the public opinion of these two candidates? ... (Postman) The public gets most of its information and facts regarding politicians from media coverage, since most people are not personally involved in politics, thus the mass media shaped public opinion. ... Public can become more politically involved by lobbying instead of merely relying on the mass media. ... Judgments (Conclusion): Media has a tremen...
This appears to occur due to the desire of public officials to reflect what they believe to be public opinion in regards to criminal crimes. ... Crime, and Justice in the Media Most of the common misperceptions about crimes are portrayed in the mass media. There is probably no issue that more consistently, over a longer period and with greater emotion, influences, and public opinion than crime. ... Mass media devote a disproportionate amount of coverage to crime, but it organizes that coverage in a way that seriously distorts the reality of crime. ... The mass media tends to avoid unpopu...
The Mass Media has control over what becomes news and for how long. The media can reach to large groups of people and eventually swaying the opinions of potential voters. ... Information is presented through various media and the public can generally choose to read, listen, view or disregard the material offered. ... The primary presidential campaigns can are very competitive so the media plays a big role of deciding what goes on to being news to the public. ... The mass media have become dominant in many presidential elections and other political affairs The major effects of the media has le...
Mass Media and the Effects on Public Perspective Over the past century, mass media has evolved from informational for the public to a monopolistic situation where the public has lost its say in what is aired. Back in early 1900s, newspapers had entertainment, news, information, and public views which in turn earned the public's interest. ... Effects and Changes in Mass Media A description of mass media in the United States can help to explain much of why they do what they do. ... Do they influence people's opinions? ... America was expected to be a diverse society, in...