Interest Groups and the Mass Media

1. Interest Groups and the Mass Media

2. Interest Groups • Interest groups are private organizations that try to persuade public officials to respond to the shared attitudes of their members • Interest groups have been viewed with suspicion • James Madison warned against the dangers of “factions” in Federalist # 10 • Interest groups raise awareness in public affairs and allow members to achieve a common goal • Represent their members • Provide information to government

3. Types of Interest Groups • Economic Interest Groups – business groups, trade associations, labor groups, agricultural groups, professional groups • Groups that promote causes – ACLU, National Right to Life Committee, National Rifle Association, Sierra Club • Groups that promote the welfare of certain groups – AARP, NAACP, Christian Coalition • Public Interest Groups – League of Women Voters, Common Cause, MADD

4. Techniques of Interest Groups • Influencing public opinion • Propaganda • Lobbying • Influencing elections – campaigning and contributing money through PACs • Litigation

5. The Media • Print – magazines, newspapers; early newspapers were often financed by political groups • Electronic – cable, satellite, network (“free”), radio, internet • Mass Media v. Group Media

6. Roles of the Media • Reporting the news • Interpreting the news • Influencing public opinion • Setting the political agenda • Socialization • Providing a link between citizens and government

7. Who Controls the Media? • Media is driven by the “profit motive” and audience ratings • Protected by the First Amendment • Networks are owned by large corporations • News departments can be affected by who owns the media

8. Use of the Media • Use of the media by the President in news conferences and speeches • Photo Opportunities • Spin doctors and talking heads • Free media coverage for making news • Use of “leaks” • Love/Hate relationship between the press and politicians • White House press corps, press conferences

9. Media Influence • News filtering (accidental and intentional): time slots, lead stories, story lines • Media as Gatekeeper, Scorekeeper, Watchdog

10. Print Media • Usually owned by conservatives • Has less and less affect – more than 50% of the population gets 100% of their news from TV; internet based news continues to grow in influence • Had an anti-middle class bias because of the higher education of the reporters • Reporters are usually personally liberal, but try to be neutral in their reporting

11. TV News • Cuts across age groups, social groups, economic groups • Captive audiences • Vivid, emotion, dramatic • Has contributed to distrust of all institutions including the media itself through investigative reports • C-Span • Political Satire

12. Rules Governing the Media • The Federal Communications Commission was established in 1934 • Rules relating to ownership, equal access air time, libel, slander • First Amendment protects freedom of the press • The Telecommunications Act of 1996 deregulated the media • “self” censorship