Unit 4: Interest Groups and Media (First Semester Review Project)

1. Unit 4: Interest Groups and Media (First Semester Review Project) AP Gov/Econ, Period 1, Kalb Talia, Sarah, Brenna, Brij, Maddy, Henry

2. Chapter 9: Interest Groups

3. Explaining Proliferation • Three main reasons why interest groups are so common in America • 1. The more cleavages there are in society, the greater the variety of interests that will exist ex: differences in income, religion, occupation • 2. The constitutional system helps the interest groups gain access to the government ex: more opportunity because of the multiple levels of government that can be reached and affected • 3. The weakness of political parties gives strength to the groups ex: since the parties are weak the groups operate directly on the government

4. The Birth of Interest Groups • Interest Group- an organization of people sharing a common interest group that seeks to influence the making of public policy • Era of organization building first two decades of twentieth century huge organizations were formed that are still used today ex: Chamber of Commerce, NAACP, American Farm Bureau Ralph Nader became important from interest groups involving political reform, environmental, and consumer • How interest groups rise up 1. Broad economic developments that create new interests and redefine old ones 2. Government Policy 3. Organizational Entrepreneur Leadership 4. The more activities taken up by the government leaves room for more groups to be interested in those activities

5. Kinds of Organizations • Institutional Interests- Individuals or organizations representing other organizations. tend to be interested in the bread-and-butter issues ex: General Motors has a Washington representative • Membership Interests- organizations supported by the activities and contributions of individual citizens • Solidary Incentives- sense of pleasure, status, or companionship that arises out of meeting together in small groups ex: NAACP, PTA, League of Women Voters • Material Incentives- money, or things, and services readily valued in monetary terms ex: discounts, free things, • Purposive Incentives- the appeal of their stated goals to recruit members ideological interests groups- organizations that attract members by appealing to their interest in a coherent set of controversial principles public-interest lobby- when the purpose of the organization will principally benefit non members

6. Interest Groups & Social Movements • Interest Groups tend to come from Social Movements • A Social Movement is a shared desire for change • Within a Social Movement, • The most extreme wing of the movement has the smallest number of people but the most passionate • The more moderate wing has the majority of people who are less passionate than the extreme • Examples • Environmental movement • Feminist Movement • Unions

7. Funds for Interest Groups • Foundation Grants (Given by a foundation) • Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Family Fund, Annenberg Foundation • Federal Grants (Given by the government) • Usually don’t (and can’t) directly endorse lobbies • Given through indirect means (donating to a specific program, event, etc) • Direct Mail • Computers are responsible for this type of funding’s rise, making it a more modern technique • Expensive to run • Usually only 2% of the people reached need to contribute in order for it to be a success

8. The Problem of Bias • Power in Washington through interest groups is more indicative of the upper class • Most of Washington’s interest groups represent corporations, professionals, and trade organizations; among the least represented are minority and civil rights activists • Input= the advocates or opposers voice • Output= the actual result, regardless of both sides wants • Business interest groups are often fractured to such great extents that they are powerless • Most conflict stems from internal upper class friction

9. Activities of Interest Groups • Interest groups have utilized the media as its greatest tool recently • Lobbyists must relay credible information as legislatures depend upon it to appear well informed • Lobbyists mostly highlight a beneficial, biased point of view while remaining truthful, avoiding appearing untruthful or shady • Political cue is a signal telling the official what values are at stake over an issue and how that fits into their own beliefs • Ratings, moderated by various organizations, serve to give legislatures an idea of where public support lies • Insider strategy = working with a few, key individuals in exchange for favors • Outside strategy = gaining public support to court officials • Money is not necessarily the biggest motivator; there is money on all sides of the issue • Political Action Committees (PACs) are often utilized to try and form alliances with those in Congress, however they are not as successful as one might assume • Making trouble is a form of political activity; examples include marches, sit-ins, and violence • This is often used by the lower/ middle classes as they do not possess the same level of power

10. Regulating Interest Groups • All groups that seek to influence legislation must register with the Senate and House of Reps. and provide quarterly financial reports • The following groups qualify: • Those who spend 20% of their time lobbying • Those paid $5000 or more during any six months to lobby • Corporations that spend over $20000 over any six months • Lobbyists must report: • The names of their clients • Their income and expenses • The issues they worked on • Fines for breaking that law are severe • Grassroot Organizations are tax exempt, but if they begin to lobby, this excludes them from that, and they are seen as interest groups

11. Chapter 10: Media

12. Journalism in American Political History • Party leaders, such as Jefferson and Hamilton, used newspapers to spread their ideas and platforms to the public • In the mid- 1800s, telegraphs made communication faster • Muckrakers and Yellow Journalism were used to attract readers through the fabrications of events and releasing scandalous information • Radio and Television: opened a direct connection to their audience by the media • Politician’s appearance and public speaking skills started to matter • Internet: Allows for 24/7 access to news online • Competition began to increase between the Big 3

13. The Structure of the Media • The relationship between politicians and the media is to entertain the audience while accurately portraying the concepts • Newspaper and magazine sales have rapidly declined due to television, internet, and radio • National Press: • Important for two reasons • Government officials follow it to see information on themselves • More accurate because they are highly educated and paid a lot more • Plays three roles • Gatekeeper: influence subjects in media • Scorekeeper: track reputations of the press • Watchdog: monitor and protect integrity

14. Rules Governing the Media • Less competitive media outlets = LESS regulated • More competitive media outlets = MORE regulated • Newspapers/magazines/etc. can be sued if their material islibelous (act of publishing false statement) or obscene (however, there are many restrictions that make it difficult to sue) • There’s often conflict among reporters, states, and Supreme Court about confidentiality of sources (fed. govt. often upholds right for police to demand source from reporters even if they refuse) • Newspapers/mags are not really regulated, but broadcasting is • Ex: Radio/TV stations need a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license Know the following words and how they relate to political campaigning: • Equal time rule • Right-of-reply rule • Political editorializing rule • Fairness doctrine • Market

15. The Effects of the Media on Politics • Selective attention hurts TV/radio because people hear/see what they want to hear/see • Mental tune-out occurs when people blatantly ignore/get irritated by what they don’t like • Voters turn to media for info about political unknowns(primaries) or low-visibility offices (general elections)... in this case, media can be influential • Media’s biggest effect is not with voting, but with how politics work, how candidates are seen, and policy formation • TV viewers and newspaper readers view issues differently • TV political commentary carries power in the short run

16. Government and the News • Government MUST shape public opinion in order to gain support • Theodore Roosevelt= first president to use the press to his advantage • Even created the reporters’ room • White House Press Corps= men/women close to the president and always there whenever anything newsworthy occurs (unlike any other nation) • Congress=Jealous of Presidents’ face time in the media • C-SPAN covers House events • Senate>House→ when it comes to using TV more effectively

17. Interpreting Political News • Over time, Americans believe the press: In favor of one side In inaccuracy • Journalists= more liberal than the population as a whole • American government=leaks the most in the world Why? 1. Favorable to their interests 2. The CONSTITUTION (competition of power-unlike other centralized nations) • Adversarial Press= suspicious of officialdom and eager to break an embarrassing story that will win for its author honor, prestige and often $$ ** This leads to attack Journalism** • Adversarial Media→ Candidates personally attacking each other→ Decrease in voter turnout • Background Story= A story that is given on condition that the source may not be identified by name

18. Interpreting Political News Cont’d • Routine Story: regularly covered ex. a bill was passed • Feature Story: not routinely covered and reporters must take the initiative ex. interest group works for the passage of a bill • Insider Story: not usually made public but an insider spills or “leaks” the information ex. A congressman tells confidential information to a reporter