Reading p.1

SS.7.C.2.10 Examine the impact of media, individuals, and interest groups on monitoring and influencing government.

Essential Questions: What methods do individuals, the media, and interest groups use to monitor the government? What methods do they use to influence the government?

The Constitutional Basis for Monitoring and Influencing Government

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press. The Bill of Rights, which includes the First Amendment, was added to the U.S. Constitution in order to protect individuals from the federal government infringing on their rights.

Several of the rights included in the First Amendment allow media, individuals and interest groups to monitor and influence government. The rights that facilitate monitoring and influencing government include freedom of speech, the press, assembly and petitioning the government “for redress of grievances”. In protecting these freedoms, the Bill of Rights extends to the media, individuals and interest groups the right to interact with the government in ways that bring criticism about the government to the people (the watchdog role) and directly to the government (lobbying/lobbyists, special interests). Freedom of the press allows it to serve in a watchdog role as one means to protect individuals from the government infringing on their rights.

First Amendment freedoms also extend to political campaigns where individuals, candidates, special interests and political parties use the media to disseminate political messages.

SS.7.C.2.10 Benchmark Clarification 1: Students will identify the methods used by interest groups to monitor and/or influence the government.

Interest groups use their First Amendment rights to peaceable assembly, free speech and petition to monitor and influence the government. Interest groups are groups that form because of a common interest or goal and attempt to influence people by working together in support of that goal or cause. Political Action Committees, which are often connected to interest groups, can raise money and contribute to the campaigns of candidates that they support. Interest groups can work with members of Congress or with other elected legislators to get laws passed (this is usually referred to as lobbying), and can educate members of their interest group on key issues and causes that they wish those members to support. For example, interest groups will ask their members to vote and give campaign donations to candidates that the interest group supports.

SS.7.C.2.10 Benchmark Clarification 2: Students will identify the methods used by the media to monitor and/or influence the government.

The media uses their right to freedom of the press, granted to them by the First Amendment, to monitor and influence the government. The media, which consists of print (newspaper, magazine), broadcast (television, radio) and Internet (social media) sources can produce stories about public officials, distribute information online about the government, or broadcast information and news reports through the radio or television programs. The media is a major player in both monitoring and influencing the government.

SS.7.C.2.10 Benchmark Clarification 3: Students will evaluate the impact of media, individuals and interest groups on the government.

The media has a major impact on influencing and monitoring the government. In most instances, the media serves in a watchdog role, keeping their eye on the government and reporting government happenings to the public.

Interest groups have a major impact on influencing the government as well. These groups form to support a specific cause or special interest and work in large numbers to get their cause recognized by the government. Political Action Committees (PACs) is one type of interest group that works to raise money for a particular candidate that supports an issue that they favor. Additionally, interest groups may hire lobbyists whose job it is to meet with lawmakers in hopes of gaining their support of a bill that would benefit the cause/issue they support.

Finally, individual citizens impact the government. Simply by performing one of their most important civic responsibilities, individuals play a major role and impact in changing the government. Voting is one of the most important ways that American citizens can impact the government. Whether it is voting a candidate in or out of office, or voting in favor of or against an amendment to the Florida Constitution, citizens change the government during every election. Voting is one of the most important parts of a democracy.

SS.7.C.2.10 Benchmark Clarification 4: Students will identify and evaluate methods of influencing and/or monitoring the government.

There are several different methods that individuals, the media and interest groups use to influence and/or monitor the government. Individuals can use their right to vote to change the government, the media can act as a watchdog to investigate and report on happenings related to the government and interest groups can hold meetings and write petitions in an attempt to

Reading p.2

make changes or influence the government. All of these groups: individual citizens, the media and interest groups are important members of a democratic society and they work together to keep the American government accountable.

The effectiveness of each method is difficult to determine. This is because individuals, the media and interest groups affect each other in their efforts to monitor and influence the government. The media may focus their attention on a specific issue or campaign, which will attract public attention and may impact how individuals vote. Interest groups may spend money on an expensive public information campaign which also may influence how individuals vote and whether they will contribute money to the interest group. Still, government tends to pay more attention to groups with a higher rate of voting compared with groups that do not vote in large numbers. Interest groups that spend more money through their political action committees also tend to have a stronger influence on who gets elected as well.

Word/Term Definition

citizens A legal member of a state and/or country.

Congress The national legislative body of the U.S., consisting of the Senate, or upper house, and the House of representatives, or lower house.

democracy A system of government in which political power resides with the people.

First Amendment An amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibiting Congress from establishing a religion, and from interfering with freedom of religious exercise, press, speech, assembly, or petition.

freedom of the press

The right of the press to write and print news and information free from government involvement; guaranteed in the First Amendment.

impact to have a strong effect on something or someone

influence having an effect or impact on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others

interest group people who are concerned with some particular issue or part of the government and who try to influence legislators or to act in their favor, also known as a special interest group

lobbying to conduct activities in order to influence public officials

lobbyist a person who conducts activities in order to influence public officials

media plural form of the word “medium,” refers to various means of communication. For example, television, radio, newspapers and the Internet (web) are different types of media. The term can also be used as a collective noun for the press or news reporting agencies.

monitor to watch, keep track of, or check usually for a special purpose

petitioning the government

any nonviolent, legal means of encouraging or disapproving government action, directed to the judicial, executive or legislative branch

political action committee (PAC)

an independent political organization that seeks to promote the cause of a particular interest group, usually through raising money and campaigning to elect candidates who support the group's views

public agenda a list of issues that much of society agrees are a priority

public policy government actions in the form of laws

public sphere a place where society discuses the issues that affect everyone

watchdog a person or group who acts as a protector or guardian

Reading p.3

The Role of MediaWhat is “The Media?”The word media means different things depending on how it is used. Media is the plural form of the word medium. A medium is a method of communicating information, entertainment, or other messages. Television is one popular medium. Radio, the internet, and cell phones are all examples of commonly used media. The term mass media refers to methods of communicating with large numbers of people. A lot of media exists purely for entertainment, such as movies and television sitcoms.But when you hear the phrase “the media,” usually it is referring to the sources of our news and information about current events. Paying attention to the media is how we stay informed about what’s going on in the world around us and what our government is doing.

The Media as GatekeeperA gatekeeper stands guard at a gate and decides who gets to pass through and who doesn’t. In its role as gatekeeper, the media decides which stories and issues are important enough to receive public attention—and which aren’t. As a citizen, it is important for you to realize there are many serious events and issues you will never hear about on th e evening news. Each news outlet has its own criteria for deciding w h i c h stories get through the gate and into the public eye. To understand why, you need to understand two things: the media is a business, and the media is almost always biased.

Gatekeeper: “B” is for BusinessMost people get their news from television, radio, or a newspaper (either print or online). With the exception of PBS, the Public Broadcasting System, most are commercial or for-profit sources. They make money by selling time or space to advertisers. But advertisers won’t pay for ads nobody will see, so for-profit media must make the news as exciting as possible to attract lots of viewers.But let’s face it: News programs are not always as exciting as, say, action films.In order to survive in today’s culture, television news must keep things short, fast paced, and exciting. On-the-hour radio news is even shorter. Stories most likely to get through the gate are those that are the most gripping (ever wonder why the “news” is full of car crashes and house fires?) or that affect the most number of people. If a story can’t be told in a quick, 15-second sound bite, it’s likely to be left outside the gate.

Gatekeeper: “B” is for BiasedBiased means favoring one view over another. As a human being, it is impossible to be completely unbiased even if you try. The media is made up of human beings; therefore, even when media outlets try to be unbiased, they’re not always successful. Bias may cause the media to open the gate to some stories instead of others or to report stories

Reading p.4

in a way that is weighted toward one side. There are many causes of bias. The most common among media sources is being more politically liberal (leaning toward the Democrats) or conservative (leaning toward the Republicans).

Reading p.5

The Media as Agenda-SetterBecause of its role as gatekeeper, the media is largely responsible for deciding what issues society discusses in the public sphere. That means the media also determines which issues are on the public agenda, which is the to-do list of issues the public agrees are a priority. An issue won’t get on the public agenda unless it is being discussed in the public sphere, and it won’t be discussed in the public sphere if nobody has heard about it.

Public Agenda

The media’s role as agenda-setter is controversial. Some people don’t think for-profit corporations should set our public agenda. They worry that many important issues will never get public attention. Some issues just aren’t exciting enough to compete with entertainment. Others are too complex to fit into a short sound bite. Although the public decides which issues to care about, the media only tells the public about a few of the issues that exist. Therefore, people worry that the public does not really have much of a choice about what issues are important.People also worry that a biased media influences the public agenda toward one way of thinking over another.

The Media as WatchdogA real watchdog stands as a guard and barks loudly to alert the owner if there is something wrong. In its role as watchdog, the media keeps watch on the government and others in power. It speaks out to alert the public if something happens that shouldn’t. Local news stations often have a segment in which they investigate problems for people. Entire, hour-long news shows are devoted to exposés, which are stories designed to expose wrongdoing. Government officials who engage in bad behavior know they will be on every news show and newspaper in the country if they are caught.Although a watchdog will bark when there is something wrong, most of the time the watchdog just watches. Thanks to the media, we live in a world where we can turn on the television and watch our government in action at any given moment. Stations such as C-SPAN broadcast activity directly from the floor of Congress for everyone to see. Simply reporting information is playing watchdog, too. Without the media, we would not know what is happening behind closed doors.

The Media’s Audience: You

A watchdog doesn’t do any good if nobody is paying attention. The public sphere and the public agenda both depend on the same thing— the public, which is made up of people like you. If the media reported an event and nobody watched or responded, it would have no influence at all. In the same way, the public influences the media because the media can’t function without peoples’ attention. How people respond to the media’s reporting can affect which stories get through the gate.

Public Agenda:Fix healthcareMore solar powerLower taxes

Public

!??

Public Agenda:Fix healthcareMore solar powerLower taxes

Public Agenda:Fix healthcareMore solar powerLower taxes

Public Agenda:Fix healthcareMore solar powerLower taxes