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Media & Interest Groups

Terms in this set (20)

Interest groups
An organization of people sharing common objectives who actively attempt to influence government policy makers through direct and indirect methods. Voluntary organizations that share a common belief and want to influence the government.
Functions of Interest groups
1. Represent constituents
2. Provide a means of participation
3. Educate the public
4. Influence policy makers
Types of Interest groups
Economic interest groups, Professional Associations, Educator Interest groups, Public interest groups, Single issue interest groups, Multi-issue interest groups
Economic interest groups
Include trade associations, such as Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association and Good Roads Association, labor unions, and professional associations such as the Texas Farm Bureau.
Professional associations
Represent people generally well-paid and highly educated ones in a specific profession who generally hold a professional license by state (Texas Medical Association, Texas Trial lawyers Association)
Educator Interest groups
Groups such as the Texas State Teachers Association and the Texas Community College Teachers Association
Public interest groups
Groups that form in the pursuit of a collective good which will materially benefit membership of the whole groups, such as NAACP, NRA, AARP, LULAC, NOW (National Organization for Women
Single issue interest groups
Focus primarily or exclusively on one issue: abortion, environment, peace
Multi issue interest groups
Have a broader range of issues grouped around a central theme, such as the Christian Coalition, they attempt to promote anti-abortion campaigns, abstinence based sex education, home schooling, prayer in schools, school book selection.
Right to work
Legislation stipulating that a person cannot be denied employment because of membership or non-membership in a labor union or other labor organization
Free rider problem
Difficulty that exits when individuals can enjoy the outcome of an interest group without having to contribute, such as becoming a member of the group.
Lobbying
A strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of the legislature. Openly appealing to a member in the legislature, originally by catching members in the lobby of the capital, funding for reelection is often an incentive offered.
Grassroots lobbying
Influencing decision makers indirectly, by influencing the public
Collective Bargaining
Negotiations between an employer and a group of employees to determine employment conditions, such as those related to wages, working hours, and safety.
Electioneering
Various activities in which interest groups engage to try to influence the outcome of elections
Mass Media
TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and other means of popular communication.
Yellow Journalism
Journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers.
Digital Divide
A term used to describe the discrepancy between people who have access to and the resources to use new information and communication tools, such as the internet, and people who do not have the resources and access to the technology.
Functions of the Media
Entertainment, socialization, investigative reporting, soft news, hard news.
Muckraking
Journalism exposing economic, social, and political evils. Journalists began publishing investigations of business abuses, dangerous working conditions, and the miseries of slum life that aroused indignant public demands for reform.
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