AP UNIT V - 10 & 12
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58 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 *adversarial press | The suspicious attitude of the national press toward public officials. |
| attack journalism | The current era of media coverage that seizes upon any bit of information that might raise doubts about the qualifications or character of a public official. |
| *background story (news) | A tactic by government officials to win journalistic friends. The official discusses current policy on condition that the source of the information not be identified by name. |
| confidentiality | Reporters' keeping sources of their stories secret.. |
| *equal time rule | An FCC regulation requiring that if a station sells time to one candidate seeking an office, it must sell time to the opposing candidate as well. |
| *fairness doctrine | An FCC rule, abolished in 1987, that required broadcasters to give time to opposing views if they broadcast one side of a controversial issue. |
| *feature stories | A type of news story that involves a public event not routinely covered by reporters and that requires a reporter to take initiative to select the story and persuade an editor to run it. |
| Federal Communications Commission | An agency of the federal government with authority to develop regulations for the broadcast media. |
| gatekeeper | The role played by the media in influencing what subjects become national political issues and for how long. |
| *insider stories | A type of news story that involves information not usually made public which requires investigative work on the part of a reporter or a leak by some public official. |
| *loaded language | The use of words to persuade people of something without actually making a clear argument for it. |
| *market (television) | The area reached by a station's television signal. |
| mental tune-out | The attitude of a person who ignores messages from radio or television which do not agree with his or her existing beliefs. |
| *muckracker | A journalist who investigates the activities of public officials and organizations, especially business firms, seeking to expose and publicize misconduct or corruption. |
| party press | Newspapers created, sponsored, and controlled by political parties to further their interests. |
| *political editorializing rule | A regulation of the FCC providing a candidate with the right to respond if a broadcaster endorses the opposing candidate. |
| popular press | Self-supporting daily newspapers aimed at a mass readership. |
| prior restraint | Government censorship by forbidding publication of the information. |
| *right-of-reply rule | A regulation by the FCC permitting a person the right to respond if attacked on a broadcast other than a regular news program. |
| *routine stories | A type of news story that involves a public event regularly covered by reporters. |
| scorekeeper | The role played by the national media in keeping track of and helping make political reputations. |
| *selective attention | Perceiving only what one wants to perceive from television or radio reporting. |
| *sound bite | A video clip used on nightly newscasts. The average length of such clips has decreased, making it harder for candidates to get their message across. |
| *trial balloon | A tactic by an anonymous source to float a policy to ascertain public reaction before the policy is actually proposed. |
| watchdog | The role played by the national media in investigating political personalities and exposing scandals. |
| yellow journalism | The use of sensationalism to attract a large readership for a newspaper. |
| *ad hoc structure | A method in which the president organizes the White House staff by employing task forces, committees, and informal groups of friends. All have direct access to the president. |
| Budget Reform Act of 1974 | A congressional effort to control presidential impoundments. It requires, among other things, that the president spend all appropriated funds. |
| *cabinet | The heads of the fourteen major executive departments who meet to discuss matters with the president. |
| *circular structure | A method in which the president organizes the White House staff so that they reporting directly to the president. |
| delegate representation | The representative is expected to act in accord with the preferences of her/his constituents. |
| *direct democracy | A form of democracy in which the people legislate for themselves. |
| *divided government | A government in which one party controls the presidency and a different party controls one or both houses of Congress. |
| Electoral College | Formally selects the President based on who has the most votes and is decided per-state based on that state's Senators and Representatives. |
| executive agencies | Federal agencies inside the executive branch but not in the cabinet. |
| Executive Office of the President | Executive agencies that report directly to the president and whose purpose is to perform staff services for the president. |
| executive privilege | A claim by the president that consultations with advisers are confidential and need not be disclosed to the courts or Congress. |
| *impeachment | A form of indictment voted by the House of Representatives, requires 2/3'rds vote from the Senate. |
| implied powers | Powers not specified in the Constitution which the president claims. These powers are asserted by virtue of office. |
| Impoundment | The refusal of the president to spend money appropriated by Congress. |
| independent agencies | Federal agencies that are part of the executive branch but outside the structure of cabinet departments. |
| *lame duck | A politician whose power has been diminished because he or she is about to leave office as a result of electoral defeat or statutory limitation. |
| *legislative veto | A method by which Congress delegates authority to the executive branch while retaining oversight power. |
| *line-item veto | This allows the president to approve some provisions of a bill and disapprove others. |
| Office of Management and Budget (OMB) | Assembles and analyzes the national budget submitted to Congress by the president. |
| *perks | A short form of the term "perquisites," meaning the fringe benefits of office. |
| *pocket veto | A way for the POTUS to disprove congressional bills by not signing the bill while Congress has adjourned. |
| presidential coattails | The charismatic power of a president which enables congressional candidates of the same party to ride into office on the strength of the president's popularity. This influence has declined in recent elections. |
| prime minister | The head of government in a parliamentary system, chosen by the legislature. |
| *pyramid structure | A method in which the president organizes the White House staff so that assistants report through a hierarchy to a chief of staff. |
| *representative democracy | A form of government in which the people elect representatives to act on their behalf. |
| rescissions | Presidential recommendations to cut parts of appropriations bills. |
| trustee representation | The representative acts on his or her judgment, and then explains those judgments to the people. |
| Twenty-fifth Amendment | 1967 Amendment stating the vice president is to become president whenever the current president declares himself unable to fulfill his duties. |
| Twenty-second Amendment | A constitutional amendment ratified in 1951 which limits presidents to two terms of office. |
| *unified government | A government in which the same party controls the presidency and both houses of Congress. |
| *veto message | A statement the president sends to Congress accompanying a refusal to sign a bill passed by both houses. |
| White House Office | Personal assistants to the president with offices in the White House. |
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