o Political Science notes 3

o The News Media and The Internet

o Learning Objectives
Determine why the media are important in a
democracy
Analyze how the law protects the press
Define trends in the history of the press
Explain how changes in the mass media have
changed the information environment
Asses how the new media affect public opinion
Evaluate the news media
o What are mass media?
Newspapers, television, online streaming, radio
blogs, social networks, and cell phones
News media
Soft v. hard news
o What is their purpose?
Informing
Investigating
`watchdog role
interpreting
st
o 1 Amendment Protection
not absolute
o When is it acceptable to censor freedom of the press?
New York Times v. Sullivan
New York Times v. United States
o Federal Communications Commission
Oversight
Monitors media ownership
o The colonial Era
Seditious libel
o The Founding Era
Common sense
The federalist papers
o The partisan Era
Sedition act
Penny press
Yellow journalism
2. Political Parties
o Learning Objectives
o `describe what political paties are
o outline how political parties evolved in American politics

o identify which issues divided the first political parties

o explain why two parties dominate the U.S political System
o define partisan affiliation and ideology as they relate to the
two-party system in the U.S
3. Political Parties
o Broad coalitions of interests organized to win elections in
order to enact a commonly supported set of public policies
o Provide a party platform
A document that lays out for each presidential
election
4. Party Functions
o Organize the election process
o Provide loyal opposition
o Provide a platform and resources
o Recruit candidates for public offices
Ensure candidate quality
Provide help in various forms
o Inspire and inform the electorate
Provide a voting shortcut
o Translate preferences into policy
o Provide a mechanism for accountability
5. Party-in-the-Electorate
o People who identify with the party and participate in
various ways
Formal registration, voting, volunteering, donating
money, running for office, etc
o Self-identification v. behavioral identification
6. Party-in-government
o Candidates and leaders in office at all levels
o Party caucuses
o Control of legislative bodies
o Party unity
7. Party-as-organization
o The structure
Federal, state, and local
National committees at the highest level
o Raise money
8. Federalists and anti federalists
9. Federalists and democratic repiublicans
10.
Democratic and whig
11.
The electoral college
o Winner-take-all
270/538 necessary to win
house of representatives are the tie breaker

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problems with the electoral college

has never worked as framers envisioned
need for the 12th amendment
lack of uniformity
electoral college reform
is it possible for a candidate to win the popular vote but
not the election?
Yes
Should the electoral college be removed? What are the
consequences?
Presidential Campaign
Evolution of the Modern Campaign
Washington didnt want to be seen as a monarch
Let others work on his behalf
Early candidates followed suit and were very
passive in their efforts
Fundraising and Money
Cost of campaigns
Swing States
Important to overall outcome, so candidates spend more
time, money and effort in these states
Microtargetting
Specifically tailoring messages to candidates
The Denial of African American Suffrage, 1870 to 1965
Jim Crow Laws
Literacy Tests
Poll Tax
Grandfather