Showing posts sorted by date for query media bias. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query media bias. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
From AI Overview: What is Propaganda?
Propaganda is the strategic spread of biased or misleading information to manipulate public opinion and achieve a specific goal. While the term often has a negative connotation in Western countries, referring to deceptive tactics, the core concept is the purposeful dissemination of information to influence people's thoughts and actions. Propaganda is distinct from general persuasion because it relies on emotional manipulation and appeals rather than rational debate.
Types and techniques of propaganda
Modern propaganda uses many different techniques, often in combination, to achieve its objectives. - Name-calling: Discredits an opponent by associating them with negative symbols or derogatory words.
Glittering generalities: Uses vague, emotionally appealing phrases or slogans that lack specific detail, such as "Make America Great Again" or "Build Back Better".
- Bandwagon: Creates a sense of widespread support to pressure people into conforming with the majority opinion out of a fear of missing out.
- Testimonial: Uses a celebrity, expert, or respected figure to endorse a particular product, person, or idea.
- Plain folks: Aims to persuade an audience by projecting the image that the communicator is a "regular person" who shares their values.
- Transfer: Associates the positive or negative qualities of one thing (like a respected symbol or a disliked group) with another.
- Card stacking: Selectively presents information to emphasize positive aspects while omitting any negative or contradictory facts.
- Appeal to fear: Exploits existing fears and anxieties to persuade an audience.
- Ad nauseam: Repeats an idea or slogan so frequently that the audience becomes accustomed to it and begins to accept it.
- Scapegoating: Blames a particular person or group for complex problems to divert public attention and outrage.
Modern propaganda in the digital age
New technologies have enabled more sophisticated and rapid dissemination of propaganda.
- Bots and algorithms: Social media bots are used to automatically spread biased information, create fake news, and manipulate online discussions.
- Deepfakes: Highly realistic manipulated videos and audio blur the line between reality and fiction, making it difficult to distinguish real content from falsehoods.
- Micro-targeting: Algorithms and big data allow propagandists to target individuals with tailored messages based on their personal information, beliefs, and online behavior.
- Echo chambers: Personalized content and social media algorithms can reinforce existing beliefs by showing users only content that aligns with their views, limiting their exposure to opposing perspectives.
- Computational propaganda: This strategy involves broadcasting a massive number of messages rapidly and repetitively over multiple channels to overwhelm people with one-sided information.
Examples of modern propaganda
Propaganda exists in many forms, from political messaging to commercial advertising.
- Political advertising: Campaigns use emotional appeals, slogans, and targeted ads to sway voters. For example, the 2016 U.S. presidential election saw disinformation campaigns orchestrated by Russia to spread political rumors on social media.
- State-sponsored campaigns: Governments use propaganda to shape public opinion both domestically and abroad. Examples include the Chinese government's use of media to promote its ideology and terrorist organizations like ISIS using social media to recruit and promote their message.
- Corporate "greenwashing": Companies engage in a form of corporate propaganda by presenting themselves as environmentally friendly through public relations campaigns, despite unsustainable business practices.
- Public health campaigns: Some propaganda can be used for positive ends, such as the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign, which uses emotional appeals to promote a responsible public good.
- Media bias: Paid articles or broadcast segments disguised as objective news are a form of covert propaganda designed to persuade rather than inform.
Types and techniques of propaganda
Modern propaganda uses many different techniques, often in combination, to achieve its objectives. - Name-calling: Discredits an opponent by associating them with negative symbols or derogatory words.
Glittering generalities: Uses vague, emotionally appealing phrases or slogans that lack specific detail, such as "Make America Great Again" or "Build Back Better".
- Bandwagon: Creates a sense of widespread support to pressure people into conforming with the majority opinion out of a fear of missing out.
- Testimonial: Uses a celebrity, expert, or respected figure to endorse a particular product, person, or idea.
- Plain folks: Aims to persuade an audience by projecting the image that the communicator is a "regular person" who shares their values.
- Transfer: Associates the positive or negative qualities of one thing (like a respected symbol or a disliked group) with another.
- Card stacking: Selectively presents information to emphasize positive aspects while omitting any negative or contradictory facts.
- Appeal to fear: Exploits existing fears and anxieties to persuade an audience.
- Ad nauseam: Repeats an idea or slogan so frequently that the audience becomes accustomed to it and begins to accept it.
- Scapegoating: Blames a particular person or group for complex problems to divert public attention and outrage.
Modern propaganda in the digital age
New technologies have enabled more sophisticated and rapid dissemination of propaganda.
- Bots and algorithms: Social media bots are used to automatically spread biased information, create fake news, and manipulate online discussions.
- Deepfakes: Highly realistic manipulated videos and audio blur the line between reality and fiction, making it difficult to distinguish real content from falsehoods.
- Micro-targeting: Algorithms and big data allow propagandists to target individuals with tailored messages based on their personal information, beliefs, and online behavior.
- Echo chambers: Personalized content and social media algorithms can reinforce existing beliefs by showing users only content that aligns with their views, limiting their exposure to opposing perspectives.
- Computational propaganda: This strategy involves broadcasting a massive number of messages rapidly and repetitively over multiple channels to overwhelm people with one-sided information.
Examples of modern propaganda
Propaganda exists in many forms, from political messaging to commercial advertising.
- Political advertising: Campaigns use emotional appeals, slogans, and targeted ads to sway voters. For example, the 2016 U.S. presidential election saw disinformation campaigns orchestrated by Russia to spread political rumors on social media.
- State-sponsored campaigns: Governments use propaganda to shape public opinion both domestically and abroad. Examples include the Chinese government's use of media to promote its ideology and terrorist organizations like ISIS using social media to recruit and promote their message.
- Corporate "greenwashing": Companies engage in a form of corporate propaganda by presenting themselves as environmentally friendly through public relations campaigns, despite unsustainable business practices.
- Public health campaigns: Some propaganda can be used for positive ends, such as the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign, which uses emotional appeals to promote a responsible public good.
- Media bias: Paid articles or broadcast segments disguised as objective news are a form of covert propaganda designed to persuade rather than inform.
Monday, September 1, 2025
Dear ChatGPT: Why do people think crime is increasing while crime rates indicate that they are decreasing?
A nice look at the factors which help shape public opinion.
That’s a really good question, and it touches on the gap between perception of crime and measured crime rates. People often believe crime is rising even when statistics show it’s falling, and researchers point to several reasons:
1. Media Coverage
- News outlets tend to highlight violent or unusual crimes because they grab attention.
- Social media spreads local incidents widely, making isolated crimes feel more frequent.
- The saying “if it bleeds, it leads” reflects how crime stories dominate headlines.
2. Cognitive Biases
- Availability heuristic: People judge how common something is by how easily they can recall examples. If you’ve recently seen or read about a crime, you assume it’s happening more often.
- Negativity bias: Bad news tends to stick more strongly in memory than good news.
3. Politics and Public Debate
- Crime is often used as a campaign issue. Politicians may emphasize rising crime (or the fear of it) to push for certain policies, regardless of long-term trends.
- Talking points about being "tough on crime" reinforce the idea that crime is getting worse.
4. Personal Experience and Community Factors
- Even if national crime rates drop, certain neighborhoods may see local spikes. People generalize from their immediate surroundings.
- Property crimes like theft or vandalism, which are more visible to individuals, can shape perception more than official statistics.
5. Mistrust of Statistics
- Some believe crime data underreports reality, since not all crimes are reported to police.
- When people hear “crime is down,” they may feel it contradicts their lived experience.
6. Long-Term vs. Short-Term Trends
- Violent crime in the U.S., for example, dropped dramatically from the 1990s to the mid-2010s. But small recent increases (e.g., during 2020–2021) can feel large in the short term, even though overall levels remain much lower than decades ago.
In short: crime feels like it’s increasing because of media, psychology, politics, and local experiences, even though measured rates often show long-term declines.
That’s a really good question, and it touches on the gap between perception of crime and measured crime rates. People often believe crime is rising even when statistics show it’s falling, and researchers point to several reasons:
1. Media Coverage
- News outlets tend to highlight violent or unusual crimes because they grab attention.
- Social media spreads local incidents widely, making isolated crimes feel more frequent.
- The saying “if it bleeds, it leads” reflects how crime stories dominate headlines.
2. Cognitive Biases
- Availability heuristic: People judge how common something is by how easily they can recall examples. If you’ve recently seen or read about a crime, you assume it’s happening more often.
- Negativity bias: Bad news tends to stick more strongly in memory than good news.
3. Politics and Public Debate
- Crime is often used as a campaign issue. Politicians may emphasize rising crime (or the fear of it) to push for certain policies, regardless of long-term trends.
- Talking points about being "tough on crime" reinforce the idea that crime is getting worse.
4. Personal Experience and Community Factors
- Even if national crime rates drop, certain neighborhoods may see local spikes. People generalize from their immediate surroundings.
- Property crimes like theft or vandalism, which are more visible to individuals, can shape perception more than official statistics.
5. Mistrust of Statistics
- Some believe crime data underreports reality, since not all crimes are reported to police.
- When people hear “crime is down,” they may feel it contradicts their lived experience.
6. Long-Term vs. Short-Term Trends
- Violent crime in the U.S., for example, dropped dramatically from the 1990s to the mid-2010s. But small recent increases (e.g., during 2020–2021) can feel large in the short term, even though overall levels remain much lower than decades ago.
In short: crime feels like it’s increasing because of media, psychology, politics, and local experiences, even though measured rates often show long-term declines.
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
About Ad Fontes - to the source - Media
Since I use their media bias chart, it's useful to dig into their methodology. How do they determine if something is on the left or right? And how to they determine the quality of the a media source.
- For a full look at it, click here.
These are the issues used to decide ideology:
Question: which position is left and which position is right?
- Abortion-related policy
- Race-related policy
- Campaign finance
- Climate-related policy
- Criminal justice reform
- Defense/military budget
- Subsidized food and housing
- Gun-related policy
- Higher education policy
- Immigration
- International affairs
- K-12 education policy
- LGBTQ-related policies
- Marijuana policy
- Private/public health care funding
- Regulation of corporations
- Social security
- Tax-related policies
For each of the issues above, we request that each analyst identify their perspective as:
“Decidedly to the left”
“Moderately to the left”
“Centrist or undecided”
“Moderately to the right”
“Decidedly to the right”
Sunday, February 2, 2025
ChatGPT's "thoughts" on the relationship between partisanship and law enforcement.
Dear ChatGPT: Should law enforcement be nonpartisan?
Yes, law enforcement should be nonpartisan. The primary role of law enforcement is to uphold the law, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of their political beliefs or affiliations. If law enforcement becomes partisan or politically motivated, it can lead to bias, erosion of public trust, and unequal treatment of individuals based on their political or social affiliations. Nonpartisan law enforcement ensures that all individuals are treated fairly and equally under the law, which is crucial for maintaining justice and the rule of law in a democratic society.
Dear ChatGPT: Is law enforcement non partisan?
In theory, law enforcement agencies are supposed to be nonpartisan, meaning they should carry out their duties impartially, without being influenced by political beliefs or affiliations. In practice, however, achieving complete nonpartisanship can be challenging. Law enforcement agencies can sometimes be perceived as influenced by politics, especially when there's a political climate or leadership that may affect policies, priorities, or even the way laws are enforced.
For example, political pressure can sometimes influence decisions on which issues to prioritize or how certain events are handled, especially in high-profile cases that may involve political figures or movements. Additionally, individual officers, like anyone, might hold personal political views, but it is generally expected that these do not impact their professional duties.
Public trust in law enforcement hinges on the belief that they are impartial, so any actions that seem politically motivated can damage that trust. Ideally, reforms and training are in place to reinforce nonpartisanship and ensure that officers act in accordance with the law and their duty to protect all citizens equally.
Dear ChatGPT: Is the Attorney General of the United States supposed to be non partisan?
Yes, the Attorney General of the United States is supposed to be nonpartisan in principle. As the head of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Attorney General is expected to enforce the law impartially, without political bias, and to act in the best interests of justice and the public. The Attorney General’s role is to provide legal advice to the President and the government, oversee federal prosecutions, and ensure the fair application of the law across the country.
However, the Attorney General is appointed by the President and serves at the President's pleasure, which often leads to concerns about the potential for political influence. While the Attorney General is expected to act independently, their decisions can sometimes be viewed as politically motivated, especially when the President who appointed them has a strong political agenda or when the Attorney General is involved in cases related to the President’s own interests or political party.
This dynamic has sparked debates over whether the office can truly be nonpartisan when the person holding it may be seen as politically aligned with the administration. Ideally, though, the Attorney General is expected to maintain an independent stance and avoid partisanship in their legal decision-making.
Dear ChatGPT: How do we know if the Attorney General is partisan?
It can be difficult to definitively prove whether an Attorney General (AG) is partisan, but there are several indicators that can give the public and analysts a sense of whether political factors are influencing their decisions. Here are some ways we might assess whether an Attorney General is acting in a partisan manner:
1. Decision-Making in Politically Sensitive Cases: One of the clearest signs of partisanship is how an AG handles high-profile or politically sensitive cases—especially those involving political figures or political parties. If an AG seems to protect or target individuals based on their political affiliation, or if there is inconsistency in how similar cases are handled based on political alignment, it may raise concerns about partisan influence.
2. Public Statements and Actions: An AG who frequently makes public statements that align with or support the views of the sitting President or political party could be seen as partisan. For example, if the AG consistently speaks in favor of the President’s political agenda, criticizes the opposition, or takes public stances that mirror political rhetoric, it may suggest partisanship.
3. Handling of Investigations: The way an AG oversees or intervenes in investigations can be a strong indicator. For instance, if the AG or DOJ appears to launch investigations that disproportionately target political opponents or, conversely, fails to act on cases involving political allies, that could signal partisan behavior. The timing and scope of investigations can also be scrutinized to see if they coincide with political cycles, such as during elections.
4. Consistency with Legal Precedent and the Law: A nonpartisan AG should prioritize legal principles and consistency with the rule of law over political convenience. If an AG consistently alters or interprets the law in a way that benefits one political party or group while neglecting the broader legal framework, it may indicate partisan motivations. Legal decisions should be made based on law and evidence, not political pressure.
5. Appointments and Staffing: Who the Attorney General appoints to key positions within the Department of Justice can provide insights into their potential partisanship. If the AG fills positions with individuals who have clear political affiliations or have previously shown strong support for a particular party, that might suggest a partisan approach to law enforcement.
6. Congressional Oversight and Hearings: Congressional hearings are another way to assess an AG’s impartiality. Congress often conducts hearings to scrutinize the AG's actions. If the AG cannot effectively justify decisions or seems to prioritize political considerations over legal principles during these hearings, it might suggest partisanship.
7. Public Perception and Media Coverage: Public and media reactions can also reveal whether an AG is perceived as partisan. While public opinion can be polarized, if there’s a consistent pattern of criticisms from multiple sources—across the political spectrum—this can be an indicator that the AG’s actions are seen as politically motivated rather than driven by the law.
Despite these potential indicators, proving that an AG is partisan can be challenging. Often, it's a matter of perception and public trust. If the AG consistently acts in ways that align with the President’s political agenda, it can be difficult to separate the role of law enforcement from political considerations.
Yes, law enforcement should be nonpartisan. The primary role of law enforcement is to uphold the law, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of their political beliefs or affiliations. If law enforcement becomes partisan or politically motivated, it can lead to bias, erosion of public trust, and unequal treatment of individuals based on their political or social affiliations. Nonpartisan law enforcement ensures that all individuals are treated fairly and equally under the law, which is crucial for maintaining justice and the rule of law in a democratic society.
Dear ChatGPT: Is law enforcement non partisan?
In theory, law enforcement agencies are supposed to be nonpartisan, meaning they should carry out their duties impartially, without being influenced by political beliefs or affiliations. In practice, however, achieving complete nonpartisanship can be challenging. Law enforcement agencies can sometimes be perceived as influenced by politics, especially when there's a political climate or leadership that may affect policies, priorities, or even the way laws are enforced.
For example, political pressure can sometimes influence decisions on which issues to prioritize or how certain events are handled, especially in high-profile cases that may involve political figures or movements. Additionally, individual officers, like anyone, might hold personal political views, but it is generally expected that these do not impact their professional duties.
Public trust in law enforcement hinges on the belief that they are impartial, so any actions that seem politically motivated can damage that trust. Ideally, reforms and training are in place to reinforce nonpartisanship and ensure that officers act in accordance with the law and their duty to protect all citizens equally.
Dear ChatGPT: Is the Attorney General of the United States supposed to be non partisan?
Yes, the Attorney General of the United States is supposed to be nonpartisan in principle. As the head of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Attorney General is expected to enforce the law impartially, without political bias, and to act in the best interests of justice and the public. The Attorney General’s role is to provide legal advice to the President and the government, oversee federal prosecutions, and ensure the fair application of the law across the country.
However, the Attorney General is appointed by the President and serves at the President's pleasure, which often leads to concerns about the potential for political influence. While the Attorney General is expected to act independently, their decisions can sometimes be viewed as politically motivated, especially when the President who appointed them has a strong political agenda or when the Attorney General is involved in cases related to the President’s own interests or political party.
This dynamic has sparked debates over whether the office can truly be nonpartisan when the person holding it may be seen as politically aligned with the administration. Ideally, though, the Attorney General is expected to maintain an independent stance and avoid partisanship in their legal decision-making.
Dear ChatGPT: How do we know if the Attorney General is partisan?
It can be difficult to definitively prove whether an Attorney General (AG) is partisan, but there are several indicators that can give the public and analysts a sense of whether political factors are influencing their decisions. Here are some ways we might assess whether an Attorney General is acting in a partisan manner:
1. Decision-Making in Politically Sensitive Cases: One of the clearest signs of partisanship is how an AG handles high-profile or politically sensitive cases—especially those involving political figures or political parties. If an AG seems to protect or target individuals based on their political affiliation, or if there is inconsistency in how similar cases are handled based on political alignment, it may raise concerns about partisan influence.
2. Public Statements and Actions: An AG who frequently makes public statements that align with or support the views of the sitting President or political party could be seen as partisan. For example, if the AG consistently speaks in favor of the President’s political agenda, criticizes the opposition, or takes public stances that mirror political rhetoric, it may suggest partisanship.
3. Handling of Investigations: The way an AG oversees or intervenes in investigations can be a strong indicator. For instance, if the AG or DOJ appears to launch investigations that disproportionately target political opponents or, conversely, fails to act on cases involving political allies, that could signal partisan behavior. The timing and scope of investigations can also be scrutinized to see if they coincide with political cycles, such as during elections.
4. Consistency with Legal Precedent and the Law: A nonpartisan AG should prioritize legal principles and consistency with the rule of law over political convenience. If an AG consistently alters or interprets the law in a way that benefits one political party or group while neglecting the broader legal framework, it may indicate partisan motivations. Legal decisions should be made based on law and evidence, not political pressure.
5. Appointments and Staffing: Who the Attorney General appoints to key positions within the Department of Justice can provide insights into their potential partisanship. If the AG fills positions with individuals who have clear political affiliations or have previously shown strong support for a particular party, that might suggest a partisan approach to law enforcement.
6. Congressional Oversight and Hearings: Congressional hearings are another way to assess an AG’s impartiality. Congress often conducts hearings to scrutinize the AG's actions. If the AG cannot effectively justify decisions or seems to prioritize political considerations over legal principles during these hearings, it might suggest partisanship.
7. Public Perception and Media Coverage: Public and media reactions can also reveal whether an AG is perceived as partisan. While public opinion can be polarized, if there’s a consistent pattern of criticisms from multiple sources—across the political spectrum—this can be an indicator that the AG’s actions are seen as politically motivated rather than driven by the law.
Despite these potential indicators, proving that an AG is partisan can be challenging. Often, it's a matter of perception and public trust. If the AG consistently acts in ways that align with the President’s political agenda, it can be difficult to separate the role of law enforcement from political considerations.
Monday, October 23, 2023
UH - terminology module 3
- Fed Chapter 5: Civil Rights.
discrimination
civil rights
equal protection clause
civil rights movement
civil rights amendments
Jim Crow laws
separate but equal rule
NAACP
NAWSA
Brown v Board
de facto segregation
de jure segregation
Civil Rights Act of 1964
public accommodations.
- Know Your Rights: Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
employment.
- employment discrimination.
housing
- housing discrimination.
- Fair Housing Act.
-
marriage.
mass incarceration.
rational basis test
intermediate scrutiny
suspect classifications
strict scrutiny
affirmative action
valid government purpose
- Fed Chapter 6: Public Opinion
public opinion
values
beliefs
liberty
equality of opportunity
political ideology
attitudes
opinion
liberal
conservative
libertarian
socialist
political socialization
agents of socialization
gender gap
political leaders
marketplace of ideas
responsiveness
polls
random sample
social desirability effect
selection bias
push polls
bandwagon effect
- Fed Chapter 7: The Media
media
journalism
the profit motive
public media
political news
mass media
media conglomerates
online news
social media
digital media
digital divide
newspapers
advertising revenue
television
broadcast media
narrowcasting
radio
partisan press
penny press
citizen journalism
quality
fake news
misinformation
disinformation
propaganda
impact
trust
agenda setting
gatekeeping
framing
priming
leaks
adversarial journalism
regulations
FCC
Telecommunications Act
equal time rule
right of rebuttal
- Fed Chapter 8: Political Participation and Voting
protest
voting
suffrage
turnout
traditional political participation
digital political participation
expressive politics
who votes?
socioeconomic status
age
race and ethnicity
African Americans
Whites
Latinos / Latinas
Asian Americans
Gender
Religion
mobilization
electoral competition
ballot measures
registration
felony convictions
absentee ballots
early voting
discrimination
civil rights
equal protection clause
civil rights movement
civil rights amendments
Jim Crow laws
separate but equal rule
NAACP
NAWSA
Brown v Board
de facto segregation
de jure segregation
Civil Rights Act of 1964
public accommodations.
- Know Your Rights: Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
employment.
- employment discrimination.
housing
- housing discrimination.
- Fair Housing Act.
-
marriage.
mass incarceration.
rational basis test
intermediate scrutiny
suspect classifications
strict scrutiny
affirmative action
valid government purpose
- Fed Chapter 6: Public Opinion
public opinion
values
beliefs
liberty
equality of opportunity
political ideology
attitudes
opinion
liberal
conservative
libertarian
socialist
political socialization
agents of socialization
gender gap
political leaders
marketplace of ideas
responsiveness
polls
random sample
social desirability effect
selection bias
push polls
bandwagon effect
- Fed Chapter 7: The Media
media
journalism
the profit motive
public media
political news
mass media
media conglomerates
online news
social media
digital media
digital divide
newspapers
advertising revenue
television
broadcast media
narrowcasting
radio
partisan press
penny press
citizen journalism
quality
fake news
misinformation
disinformation
propaganda
impact
trust
agenda setting
gatekeeping
framing
priming
leaks
adversarial journalism
regulations
FCC
Telecommunications Act
equal time rule
right of rebuttal
- Fed Chapter 8: Political Participation and Voting
protest
voting
suffrage
turnout
traditional political participation
digital political participation
expressive politics
who votes?
socioeconomic status
age
race and ethnicity
African Americans
Whites
Latinos / Latinas
Asian Americans
Gender
Religion
mobilization
electoral competition
ballot measures
registration
felony convictions
absentee ballots
early voting
Monday, July 24, 2023
From the New York Times: Pressured by Biden, A.I. Companies Agree to Guardrails on New Tools
A look at how regulatory policies develop and evolve.
- Click here for the article.
Seven leading A.I. companies in the United States have agreed to voluntary safeguards on the technology’s development, the White House announced on Friday, pledging to manage the risks of the new tools even as they compete over the potential of artificial intelligence.
The seven companies — Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI — formally made their commitment to new standards for safety, security and trust at a meeting with President Biden at the White House on Friday afternoon.
. . . The voluntary safeguards are only an early, tentative step as Washington and governments across the world seek to put in place legal and regulatory frameworks for the development of artificial intelligence. The agreements include testing products for security risks and using watermarks to make sure consumers can spot A.I.-generated material.
But lawmakers have struggled to regulate social media and other technologies in ways that keep up with the rapidly evolving technology.
The White House offered no details of a forthcoming presidential executive order that aims to deal with another problem: how to control the ability of China and other competitors to get ahold of the new artificial intelligence programs, or the components used to develop them.
The order is expected to involve new restrictions on advanced semiconductors and restrictions on the export of the large language models. Those are hard to secure — much of the software can fit, compressed, on a thumb drive.
An executive order could provoke more opposition from the industry than Friday’s voluntary commitments, which experts said were already reflected in the practices of the companies involved. The promises will not restrain the plans of the A.I. companies nor hinder the development of their technologies. And as voluntary commitments, they will not be enforced by government regulators.
. . . As part of the safeguards, the companies agreed to security testing, in part by independent experts; research on bias and privacy concerns; information sharing about risks with governments and other organizations; development of tools to fight societal challenges like climate change; and transparency measures to identify A.I.-generated material.
. . . But the rules on which they agreed are largely the lowest common denominator, and can be interpreted by every company differently. For example, the firms committed to strict cybersecurity measures around the data used to make the language models on which generative A.I. programs are developed. But there is no specificity about what that means, and the companies would have an interest in protecting their intellectual property anyway.
. . . “The voluntary commitments announced today are not enforceable, which is why it’s vital that Congress, together with the White House, promptly crafts legislation requiring transparency, privacy protections, and stepped-up research on the wide range of risks posed by generative A.I.,” Mr. Barrett said in a statement.
. . . Lawmakers have been grappling with how to address the ascent of A.I. technology, with some focused on risks to consumers and others acutely concerned about falling behind adversaries, particularly China, in the race for dominance in the field.
This week, the House committee on competition with China sent bipartisan letters to U.S.-based venture capital firms, demanding a reckoning over investments they had made in Chinese A.I. and semiconductor companies. For months, a variety of House and Senate panels have been questioning the A.I. industry’s most influential entrepreneurs and critics to determine what sort of legislative guardrails and incentives Congress ought to be exploring.
Many of those witnesses, including Sam Altman of OpenAI, have implored lawmakers to regulate the A.I. industry, pointing out the potential for the new technology to cause undue harm. But that regulation has been slow to get underway in Congress, where many lawmakers still struggle to grasp what exactly A.I. technology is.
For more:
- Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.
- NCSL: Artificial Intelligence 2023 Legislation.
- Texas Standard: Gov. Abbott signs bill to establish an Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council.
- Wikipedia: Regulation of artificial intelligence.
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
House Committee Hearing: “Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias, Part 1: Twitter’s Role in Suppressing the Biden Laptop Story”
An example of oversight, as well as civil liberties in the age of social media.
- Click here for it.
- Opening statement.
- Video.
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Section Eight - The Media and Public Opinion
The Media: various forms of communication channels and platforms that transmit information, news, entertainment, and other content to a large audience. It plays a crucial role in society by informing the public, shaping public opinion, and facilitating public discourse. The media landscape encompasses a wide range of outlets and formats, each serving different purposes and audiences.
Public Opinion: the collective attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments of the general population on various matters of interest or concern. It represents the views held by a significant portion of the public regarding political, social, economic, and cultural issues. Public opinion is important in democratic societies because it influences decision-making processes and policy outcomes.
Information:
Agents of Socialization:
Schemas:
Confirmation Bias:
Social Media:
Terminology
The Media
- the media
- the press
- access to information
- marketplace of ideas
- sources
- firms
- technologies
- print
- setting the agenda
- broadcast
- digital
- social media
- freedom of the press
- reporting
- journalists
- bias
- citizen journalism
- reporters
- news leaks
- press releases
- hiring reporters
- consumers
- affluence
- conflict
- informed consumers
- regulations
- content regulations
- print
- broadcast
- prior restraint
- ownership
- loud signal
- public watchdog
- journalism
- policy agenda
- priming
- framing
- mass media
- personal presidency
- radio
- television
- cable
- infotainment
- 24 hour news
- new media
- fake news
- bias
- - political
- - sensational
- - confirmation
- - investigative
- - fairness
- private ownership
- profits
- Watergate scandal
- public ownership
- regulations
- Federal Communications Commission
- agency capture
- fairness doctrine
- consolidation
- Telecommunications Act of 1996
- horserace journalism
- sound bite
Public Opinion
- public opinion
- preferences
- beliefs
- choices
- evaluations
- assessments
- political orientations
- polarization
- origins of opinion
- self-interest
- values
- social groups
- socialization
- political ideology
- liberal
- conservative
- identity politics
- party identification
- race
- gender
- religion
- geography
- outgroups
- political knowledge
- preference stability
- shaping public opinion
- agenda-setting
- priming
- framing
- measurement
- public opinion polls
- selection bias
- influence
- electoral accountability
- building coalitions
- rulemaking
- legal decisions
- will of the people
Lecture Topics
- Freedom of the Press.
- Sedition.
- Information, Misinformation, Disinformation.
- Social Media.
- Media Bias Chart.
- freedom of the press.
- the printing press.
- media technology.
- Army Signal Corp.
- radio and the modern presidency.
- sedition.
- Alien and Sedition Acts.
- propaganda.
- disinformation.
- The business of the media.
- media conglomerate.
- the partisan press.
- media bias.
- The Telecommunications Act of 1996.
- the internet.
- social media as a news source.
- fragmentation.
- political socialization.
- confirmation bias.
- political polarization.
- access journalism.
- Public Opinion
- Free Speech / permissible limits.
- Press Press / permissible limits.
- Sedition
- LII: Sedition.
- First Amendment Encyclopedia: Seditions Libel.
- Dangerous Talk: Scandalous, Seditious, and Treasonable Speech in Pre-Modern England.
- Jamestown.
- The Trial of John Peter Zenger.
- Philadelphia Aurora.
- Benjamin Franklin Bache.
- Alien and Sedition Acts.
- Matthew Lyon.
- Sedition Act of 1918.
- Sedition and the Development of Political Parties.
- Sedition Act of 1798.
Thursday, October 13, 2022
All Sides: August 2020 Blind Bias Survey
How do they define ideology?
- Click here for basic info about their methodology.
- Click here for All Sides.
What does a “Left” media bias rating mean?
Sources with a Left media bias rating are most likely to show favor for:
- Generous government services (food stamps, social security, Medicare, student-loans, unemployment benefits, healthcare, education, etc.)
- A rejection of social and economic inequality
- A belief in systemic oppression and a need for the government to step in and rectify the wrongs it has committed
- Federal laws to protect consumers and the environment
- Federal laws against discrimination
- Federal laws protecting equal rights
- Tax increases on the wealthy
- Government regulation of corporations
- Keeping abortion legal and accessible
- A belief that some groups of people suffer disproportionately greater amounts in society due to identity - characteristics, including race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion
What does a “Lean Left” media bias rating mean?
Sources with a Lean Left rating may moderately show favor for at least some of the following:
- Government services (food stamps, social security, Medicare, student-loans, unemployment benefits, healthcare, education, etc.)
- Federal laws to protect consumers and the environment
- Federal laws protecting equal rights
- Tax increases on the wealthy
- Government regulation of corporations
- Keeping abortion legal and accessible
- A belief in identity politics, i.e., that some groups of people suffer disproportionately greater amounts in society due to identity characteristics, including race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion
- A belief in systemic oppression and a need for the government to step in and rectify the wrongs it has committed
- Decreasing military spending and intervention
What does a "Center" media bias rating mean?
Sources with a Center AllSides Media Bias Rating™ either do not show much political bias or display a balance of articles with left and right perspectives.
Sources with a Lean Right rating may moderately show favor for at least some of the following:
- Freedom of speech
- Traditional family values
- Decreasing taxes
- Preserving the rights of gun owners
- Outlawing or restricting abortion
- Reliance on personal responsibility rather than government fiat
- Decreasing federal regulations, giving more power to state laws
- Decreasing government spending and involvement in economic issues
- Preserving the philosophy and rules enshrined in the U.S. Constitution
- Rejection of total equality or equity as an organizing principle of society
What does a Right media bias rating mean?
Sources with a Right media bias rating are simply most likely to show favor for:
- Freedom of speech
- Traditional family values
- Decreasing taxes
- Preserving the rights of gun owners
- Outlawing or restricting abortion
- Reliance on personal responsibility rather than government fiat
- Decreasing federal regulations, giving more power to state laws
- Decreasing government spending and involvement in economic issues
- Preserving the philosophy and rules enshrined in the U.S. Constitution
- Rejection of total equality or equity as an organizing principle of society
- Click here for basic info about their methodology.
- Click here for All Sides.
What does a “Left” media bias rating mean?
Sources with a Left media bias rating are most likely to show favor for:
- Generous government services (food stamps, social security, Medicare, student-loans, unemployment benefits, healthcare, education, etc.)
- A rejection of social and economic inequality
- A belief in systemic oppression and a need for the government to step in and rectify the wrongs it has committed
- Federal laws to protect consumers and the environment
- Federal laws against discrimination
- Federal laws protecting equal rights
- Tax increases on the wealthy
- Government regulation of corporations
- Keeping abortion legal and accessible
- A belief that some groups of people suffer disproportionately greater amounts in society due to identity - characteristics, including race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion
What does a “Lean Left” media bias rating mean?
Sources with a Lean Left rating may moderately show favor for at least some of the following:
- Government services (food stamps, social security, Medicare, student-loans, unemployment benefits, healthcare, education, etc.)
- Federal laws to protect consumers and the environment
- Federal laws protecting equal rights
- Tax increases on the wealthy
- Government regulation of corporations
- Keeping abortion legal and accessible
- A belief in identity politics, i.e., that some groups of people suffer disproportionately greater amounts in society due to identity characteristics, including race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion
- A belief in systemic oppression and a need for the government to step in and rectify the wrongs it has committed
- Decreasing military spending and intervention
What does a "Center" media bias rating mean?
Sources with a Center AllSides Media Bias Rating™ either do not show much political bias or display a balance of articles with left and right perspectives.
Sources with a Lean Right rating may moderately show favor for at least some of the following:
- Freedom of speech
- Traditional family values
- Decreasing taxes
- Preserving the rights of gun owners
- Outlawing or restricting abortion
- Reliance on personal responsibility rather than government fiat
- Decreasing federal regulations, giving more power to state laws
- Decreasing government spending and involvement in economic issues
- Preserving the philosophy and rules enshrined in the U.S. Constitution
- Rejection of total equality or equity as an organizing principle of society
What does a Right media bias rating mean?
Sources with a Right media bias rating are simply most likely to show favor for:
- Freedom of speech
- Traditional family values
- Decreasing taxes
- Preserving the rights of gun owners
- Outlawing or restricting abortion
- Reliance on personal responsibility rather than government fiat
- Decreasing federal regulations, giving more power to state laws
- Decreasing government spending and involvement in economic issues
- Preserving the philosophy and rules enshrined in the U.S. Constitution
- Rejection of total equality or equity as an organizing principle of society
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Levels of media reliability according the Ad Fortes media bias chart.
1 - Facts
2 - Analysis
3 - Opinion
4 - Propaganda
5 - Misinformation
___________
1 - Facts
A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true/false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scientific facts are verified by repeatable careful observation or measurement by experiments or other means. For example, "This sentence contains words." accurately describes a linguistic fact, and "The sun is a star" accurately describes an astronomical fact. Further, "Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States" and "Abraham Lincoln was assassinated" both accurately describe historical facts. Generally speaking, facts are independent of belief and of knowledge and opinion.
2 - Analysis
Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (384–322 B.C.), though analysis as a formal concept is a relatively recent development. The converse of analysis is synthesis: putting the pieces back together again in new or different whole.
3 - Opinion
An opinion is a judgment, viewpoint, or statement that is not conclusive, rather than facts, which are true statements. A given opinion may deal with subjective matters in which there is no conclusive finding, or it may deal with facts which are sought to be disputed by the logical fallacy that one is entitled to their opinions. Distinguishing fact from opinion is that facts are verifiable, i.e. can be agreed to by the consensus of experts. An example is: "United States of America was involved in the Vietnam War," versus "United States of America was right to get involved in the Vietnam War". An opinion may be supported by facts and principles, in which case it becomes an argument. Different people may draw opposing conclusions (opinions) even if they agree on the same set of facts. Opinions rarely change without new arguments being presented. It can be reasoned that one opinion is better supported by the facts than another, by analyzing the supporting arguments.
4 - Propaganda
. . . communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded language to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information that is being presented. Propaganda can be found in news and journalism, government, advertising, entertainment, education, and activism and is often associated with material which is prepared by governments as part of war efforts, political campaigns, health campaigns, revolutionaries, big businesses, ultra-religious organizations, the media, and certain individuals such as soapboxers.
5 - Misinformation
Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information. It is differentiated from disinformation, which is deliberately deceptive. Rumors are information not attributed to any particular source, and so are unreliable and often unverified, but can turn out to be either true or false. Even if later retracted, misinformation can continue to influence actions and memory. People may be more prone to believe misinformation because they are emotionally connected to what they are hearing or reading. The role of social media has made information readily available to us at anytime, and it connects vast groups of people along with their information at one time. Advances in technology has impacted the way we communicate information and the way misinformation is spread. Misinformation has impacts on our societies' ability to receive information which then influences our communities, politics, and medical field.
Monday, October 10, 2022
Key Terms - Week 7
The Media
Terms:
- the media
- loud signal
- public watchdog
- journalism
- policy agenda
- priming
- framing
- mass media
- personal presidency
- radio
- television
- cable
- infotainment
- 24 hour news
- new media
- fake news
- bias
- - political
- - sensational
- - confirmation
- - investigative
- - fairness
- private ownership
- profits
- Watergate scandal
- public ownership
- regulations
- Federal Communications Commission
- agency capture
- fairness doctrine
- consolidation
- Telecommunications Act of 1996
- horserace journalism
- sound bite
Sunday, October 9, 2022
The Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart
Perhaps you've seen it.
- Click here for Ad Fontes Media.
How reliable is it?
About 30 paid analysts rate articles for Ad Fontes. Listed on the company’s website, they represent a range of experience — current and former journalists, educators, librarians and similar professionals. The company recruits analysts through its email list and references and vets them through a traditional application process. Hired analysts are then trained by Otero and other Ad Fontes staff.
To start review sessions, a group of coordinators composed of senior analysts and the company’s nine staffers pulls articles from the sites being reviewed. They look for articles listed as most popular or displayed most prominently.
Part of the Ad Fontes analyst political bias test. The test asks analysts to rank their political bias on 18 different policy issues.
Ad Fontes administers an internal political bias test to analysts, asking them to rank their left-to-right position on about 20 policy positions. That information allows the company to attempt to create ideological balance by including one centrist, one left-leaning and one right-leaning analyst on each review panel. The panels review at least three articles for each source, but they may review as many as 30 for particularly prominent outlets, like The Washington Post, Otero said. More on their methodology, including how they choose which articles to review to create a bias rating, can be found here on the Ad Fontes website.
When they review the articles, the analysts see them as they appear online, “because that’s how people encounter all content. No one encounters content blind,” Otero said. The review process recently changed so that paired analysts discuss their ratings over video chat, where they are pushed to be more specific as they form ratings, Otero said.
Individual scores for an article’s accuracy, the use of fact or opinion, and the appropriateness of its headline and image combine to create a reliability score. The bias score is determined by the article’s degree of advocacy for a left-to-right political position, topic selection and omission, and use of language.
To create an overall bias and reliability score for an outlet, the individual scores for each reviewed article are averaged, with added importance given to more popular articles. That average determines where sources show up on the chart.
Sunday, October 2, 2022
Section Six - Suffrage, Elections, Campaigns, etc . . .
In this section we dig further into elections - the mechanism that is used to tie the people with the government.
In addition to the mechanics of he electoral process, this involves questions involving who gets to participate, who runs elections, who is allowed to run for office, and how they campaign for office.
These can be divided into the following topics:
1 - Suffrage
2 - Elections
3 - Voting
4 - Voter Suppression
5 - Candidates
6 - Campaigns
7 - Campaign Consultants
7 - Campaign Finance
8 - The Donor Class
These can be defined as follows:
1 - Suffrage: "Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote)."
2 - Elections: the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting.
3 - Voting: a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, convenes together for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns.
4 - Voter Suppression: any legal or extralegal measure or strategy whose purpose or practical effect is to reduce voting, or registering to vote, by members of a targeted racial group, political party, or religious community.
5 - Candidate: A candidate is someone who is being considered for a position, for example someone who is running in an election or applying for a job.
6 - Campaign: an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referendums are decided.
7 - Campaign Consultants:
8 - Campaign Finance: . . . the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Donors and recipients include individuals, corporations, political parties, and charitable organizations.
8 - The Donor Class: . . . a group of individuals or organizations that contribute significant amounts of money to political campaigns or causes. These donors often wield influence over political decision-making processes due to their financial contributions, which can fund advertising, lobbying efforts, and other activities that promote their interests or preferred policies.
Lectures:
- U.S. Election Code.
- Texas Election Code.
- Is Voting a Right Guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution?
- Information, Disinformation, and Misinformation.
- Suffrage.
- Political Parties and Party Systems.
- Political Eras / Party Systems of the United States.
- Campaign Finance.
- Types of voter suppression.
Terminology
Elections
- elections
- regular elections
- voting
- adverse selection
- moral hazard
- institutions
- election rules
- suffrage
- participation rates
- who votes
- voter turnout
- nonvoters
- the franchise
- voter registration
- the ballot
- the secret ballot
- indirect democracy
- electoral districts
- single members districts
- electoral college
- majority rule
- minority rights
- redistricting
- fairness
- bias
- plurality
- proportional representation
- two party system
- winner take all
- direct democracy
- referendum
- initiative
- recall
- party loyalty
- issue voting
- prospective voting
- retrospective voting
- spatial issues
- valence issues
- median voter theorem
- candidate characteristics
- campaigns
- campaign finance
- FECA
- media
- winning
- PACs
- Super PACs
- primaries
- general elections
- at large
- closed primary
- disenfranchisement
- early voting
- 15th Amendment
- get out the vote
- incumbents
- microtargeting
- motor voter law
- name recognition
- negative campaigning
- open primary
- PACs
- Super PACs
- political efficacy
- political socialization
- poll tax
- primary election
- public opinion polling
- partisan election
- non-partisan election
- register
- runoff election
- single-member districts
- special election
- split ticket voting
- straight ticket voting
- Voting Rights Act
In addition to the mechanics of he electoral process, this involves questions involving who gets to participate, who runs elections, who is allowed to run for office, and how they campaign for office.
These can be divided into the following topics:
1 - Suffrage
2 - Elections
3 - Voting
4 - Voter Suppression
5 - Candidates
6 - Campaigns
7 - Campaign Consultants
7 - Campaign Finance
8 - The Donor Class
These can be defined as follows:
1 - Suffrage: "Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote)."
2 - Elections: the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting.
3 - Voting: a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, convenes together for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns.
4 - Voter Suppression: any legal or extralegal measure or strategy whose purpose or practical effect is to reduce voting, or registering to vote, by members of a targeted racial group, political party, or religious community.
5 - Candidate: A candidate is someone who is being considered for a position, for example someone who is running in an election or applying for a job.
6 - Campaign: an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referendums are decided.
7 - Campaign Consultants:
8 - Campaign Finance: . . . the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Donors and recipients include individuals, corporations, political parties, and charitable organizations.
8 - The Donor Class: . . . a group of individuals or organizations that contribute significant amounts of money to political campaigns or causes. These donors often wield influence over political decision-making processes due to their financial contributions, which can fund advertising, lobbying efforts, and other activities that promote their interests or preferred policies.
Lectures:
- U.S. Election Code.
- Texas Election Code.
- Is Voting a Right Guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution?
- Information, Disinformation, and Misinformation.
- Suffrage.
- Political Parties and Party Systems.
- Political Eras / Party Systems of the United States.
- Campaign Finance.
- Types of voter suppression.
Terminology
Elections
- elections
- regular elections
- voting
- adverse selection
- moral hazard
- institutions
- election rules
- suffrage
- participation rates
- who votes
- voter turnout
- nonvoters
- the franchise
- voter registration
- the ballot
- the secret ballot
- indirect democracy
- electoral districts
- single members districts
- electoral college
- majority rule
- minority rights
- redistricting
- fairness
- bias
- plurality
- proportional representation
- two party system
- winner take all
- direct democracy
- referendum
- initiative
- recall
- party loyalty
- issue voting
- prospective voting
- retrospective voting
- spatial issues
- valence issues
- median voter theorem
- candidate characteristics
- campaigns
- campaign finance
- FECA
- media
- winning
- PACs
- Super PACs
- primaries
- general elections
- at large
- closed primary
- disenfranchisement
- early voting
- 15th Amendment
- get out the vote
- incumbents
- microtargeting
- motor voter law
- name recognition
- negative campaigning
- open primary
- PACs
- Super PACs
- political efficacy
- political socialization
- poll tax
- primary election
- public opinion polling
- partisan election
- non-partisan election
- register
- runoff election
- single-member districts
- special election
- split ticket voting
- straight ticket voting
- Voting Rights Act
GOVT 2306
Assemblies
Parties in the Early Congress
Washington's warnings
Advantages of political parties
Expansion of suffrage
Democrats and the development of Texas
Rise of Republicanism
- business regulation
- civil rights
State parties
Local parties
Terminology
GOVT 2305: WTP - Chapter 8: Campaigns and Elections
advanced or early voting
blanket or wide-open primary
casework
closed primary
credit claiming
cross-filing
direct primary
disclosure
equal protection clause
general election
grandfather clause
incumbent
independent candidate
literacy test
majority election
Motor Voter Act
open primary
party-line voting
party primary
plurality election
poll tax
position taking
preference primary
primary election
private financing
public financing
roll off
runoff election
second-order elections
suffrage
voter turnout
Voting Rights Act of 1965
white primary
GOVT 2306: LSP - Chapter 9: Political Parties
allocation
chronic minority
conventions (caucuses)
county chair
county or senatorial district convention
electoral competition model
executive committee
grassroots organization
party machines
party platform
patronage
permanent party organizations
plank
political party
precinct chair
responsible party model
runoff primary
state party chair
straight-ticket voting
temporary party organizations
__________
Fall 2022
- What are parties and interest groups?
- Contract allowing the formation of the Virginia Company
- Elite politics
- Interests highlighted in Federalist #10
- Territorial Expansion
- Free rider problem
- Tragedy of the commons
- Public and private interests
- Federalists and Democrat - Republicans
- Party eras
- Contemporary politics
- The Powell Memo
Friday, September 30, 2022
Friday, July 22, 2022
Public Opinion and Ideology
What is public opinion?
- Public opinion is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to society. It is the people's views on matters affecting them.
- public opinion, an aggregate of the individual views, attitudes, and beliefs about a particular topic, expressed by a significant proportion of a community.
- Public opinion is one of the most frequently evoked terms in American politics. At the most basic level, public opinion represents people’s collective preferences on matters related to government and politics
How do we know what public opinion is?
“Informal” Ways to Measure Public Opinion.
The formal academic study of public opinion is relatively new but the practical study of public opinion is not new at all. Governments have paid attention to public opinion as long as there have been governments. Even the most oppressive tyrants need to know what the people are thinking, even if just to oppress them more effectively. As the famous investigator of public opinion, V.O. Key, Jr. said, “Governments must concern themselves with the opinions of their citizens, if only to provide a basis for repression of disaffection.”
One of the earliest expressions of public opinion was rebellion. Peasant rebellions have occurred throughout history. When the king saw his subjects in open rebellion, it was a pretty clear sign that the public’s support for his government was eroding. Unpaid taxes was another clue; when rulers saw their tax receipts dwindle and heard reports of tax collectors being killed, they knew that public opinion was turning against them.
For centuries rulers have established secret police forces to find out which people oppose the government and to eliminate them. Secret police have, among other things, acted as monitors of public opinion.
How do we measure public opinion?
Public Opinion Polls
A scientific, nonbiased public opinion poll is a type of survey or inquiry designed to measure the public's views regarding a particular topic or series of topics. Trained interviewers ask questions of people chosen at random from the population being measured. Responses are given, and interpretations are made based on the results. It is important in a random sample that everyone in the population being studied has an equal chance of participating. Otherwise, the results could be biased and, therefore, not representative of the population. Representative samples are chosen in order to make generalizations about a particular population being studied.
- From the Pew Research Center: A short course - Public Opinion Polling Basics.
- FiveThirtyEight’s Pollster Ratings.
- The Polls Got It Right In 2022. Here Are The Pollsters To Trust.
- How does Gallup polling work?
Why does a government or other institution want to understand public opinion.
- What’s public opinion to a democracy?
In a democracy like ours it is an accepted idea that the public which is called upon to make important decisions at the ballot box must be kept informed of popular issues. It is also an important principle of our governmental system that public policies are decided upon by the people. Popular control over lawmaking bodies, over executives in the government, and over domestic and foreign policy is a basic idea in our political society. The people are the source of power. Hence their opinions should mold the action of government.
- What's public opinion in a campaign?The first thing that any political campaign must do is establish the theme, message and issues. Many candidates "think" they know what the top issues are in their districts but why make costly assumptions if you can just ask them. That may sound simple but is it far more complex than you might think.
The universe of households polled is as important as the questions that you ask. Polling can not only tell your campaign what your voters are thinking about issues and candidates, it can provide you path to change their opinion. The results must be properly analyzed and cross referenced with all available demographic data available to give you results that are the most accurate and meaningful to your political campaign.
Viability Polling
If you care considering running for political office or beginning a ballot initiative campaign you will want to know what to know where you stand. Viability polling can tell you not only whether you should you run and assess your chances for victory, it can also determine whether your opponent has any exploitable flaws and help with initial fundraising and budget projections for the campaign. Viability and vulnerability polling is ideally conducted before you begin the campaign.
How do people form opinions?
- Political Socialization
Our first political ideas are shaped within the family. Parents seldom "talk politics" with their young children directly, but casual remarks made around the dinner table or while helping with homework can have an impact. Family tradition is particularly a factor in party identification, as indicated by the phrases lifelong Republican and lifelong Democrat. The family may be losing its power as an agent of socialization, however, as institutions take over more of child care and parents perform less of it.
Political socialization is the process by which individuals learn and frequently internalize a political lens framing their perceptions of how power is arranged and how the world around them is (and should be) organized; those perceptions, in turn, shape and define individuals' definitions of who they are and how they should behave in the political and economic institutions in which they live." Political socialization also encompasses the way in which people acquire values and opinions that shape their political stance and ideology
- From Federalist 10:
The latent causes of faction are thus sown in the nature of man; and we see them everywhere brought into different degrees of activity, according to the different circumstances of civil society. A zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points, as well of speculation as of practice; an attachment to different leaders ambitiously contending for pre-eminence and power; or to persons of other descriptions whose fortunes have been interesting to the human passions, have, in turn, divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good. So strong is this propensity of mankind to fall into mutual animosities, that where no substantial occasion presents itself, the most frivolous and fanciful distinctions have been sufficient to kindle their unfriendly passions and excite their most violent conflicts. But the most common and durable source of factions has been the various and unequal distribution of property. Those who hold and those who are without property have ever formed distinct interests in society. Those who are creditors, and those who are debtors, fall under a like discrimination. A landed interest, a manufacturing interest, a mercantile interest, a moneyed interest, with many lesser interests, grow up of necessity in civilized nations, and divide them into different classes, actuated by different sentiments and views.
- Agents of Socialization:
Family
Schools
Children are introduced to elections and voting when they choose class officers, and the more sophisticated elections in high school and college teach the rudiments of campaigning. Political facts are learned through courses in American history and government, and schools, at their best, encourage students to critically examine government institutions. Schools themselves are involved in politics; issues such as curriculum reform, funding, and government support for private schools often spark a debate that involves students, teachers, parents, and the larger community.
Peer groups
Although peer pressure certainly affects teenagers' lifestyles, it is less evident in developing their political values. Exceptions are issues that directly affect them, such as the Vietnam War during the 1960s. Later, if peers are defined in terms of occupation, then the group does exert an influence on how its members think politically. For example, professionals such as teachers or bankers often have similar political opinions, particularly on matters related to their careers.
Mass media
Much of our political information comes from the mass media: newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet. The amount of time the average American family watches TV makes it the dominant information source, particularly with the expansion of 24-hour all-news cable channels. Not only does television help shape public opinion by providing news and analysis, but its entertainment programming addresses important contemporary issues that are in the political arena, such as drug use, abortion, and crime. The growth of the Internet is also significant; not only do essentially all-news outlets have their own Web sites, but online bloggers present a broad range of political opinion, information, and analysis.
Heuristics - Shortcuts
Heuristics is the process by which humans use mental short cuts to arrive at decisions. Heuristics are simple strategies that humans, animals, organizations, and even machines use to quickly form judgments, make decisions, and find solutions to complex problems. Often this involves focusing on the most relevant aspects of a problem or situation to formulate a solution. While heuristic processes are used to find the answers and solutions that are most likely to work or be correct, they are not always right or the most accurate. Judgments and decisions based on heuristics are simply good enough to satisfy a pressing need in situations of uncertainty, where information is incomplete. In that sense they can differ from answers given by logic and probability.
Heuristics and Biases in Political Decision Making.
Heuristics have rapidly become a core concept in the study of political behavior. The term heuristic stems from the ancient Greek heuriskein, which means “to discover.” In psychology and political science, the term is used to describe cognitive shortcuts in decision making under uncertainty. The key idea is that decision makers with limited time, information, or resources use such shortcuts, thereby bypassing a certain amount of information to reach appropriate decisions. In this sense, heuristics contrast with classical rational choice. Using heuristics allows efficient decision making but can lead to biases, errors, and suboptimal decisions. Heuristics allow decision makers to draw inferences, to fill in information gaps, and to form an impression of the decision at hand. Indeed, they may be the only way to come to grips with uncertainty, especially when a decision is urgent.
What is ideology?
- A political ideology is a coherent set of views on politics and the role of the government. Consistency over a wide range of issues is the hallmark of a political ideology.
- A set of positions on public issues based on an underlying value system such as equality, traditionalism, and individualism.
- Political ideology means any idea or belief, or coordinated body of ideas or beliefs, relating to the purpose, conduct, organization, function or basis of government and related institutions and activities
- A set of beliefs about politics. Individuals use ideologies as an organizing or filtering device for interpreting events, relationships, and policies.
Types of ideologies
Conservatism: A political ideology that embraces individual opportunity, public order, and traditional values. Over the past few decades, more Americans have self-identified as conservative than as liberal, with moderates sometimes surpassing conservatives in number.
Liberalism: A political ideology that embraces equality, civil rights, and individual liberties. Over the past few decades, fewer Americans have self-identified as liberal than as conservative or moderate.
Libertarianism: A political ideology that embraces individual liberty over state (governmental) authority, both in the realm of economic activity and personal or social activity.
Populism: A political ideology that emphasizes government's role as an agent of the common man, the worker, and the farmer, in struggles against concentrated wealth and power. Historically in the United States, "populist" describes any political movement having popular backing which is also perceived to be acting in the interests of ordinary people rather than elites.
How to identify your ideology
Ideological self-identification: An individual's declaration of affinity with a particular political ideology. People self identify with an ideological label based on numerous factors, so such self identification may or may not match up with standard definitions of that ideology.
Political Ideology Tests
- Pew Research Center: Political Typology Quiz.
- Pro Profs: What Political Ideology Am I?
- The World's Smallest Political Quiz.
What do people think about government and democracy?
- Gallup: U.S. Public Opinion and the Role of Government.
- Pew Research Center: Public Trust in Government: 1958-2022.
Can public opinion be manipulated?
Edward Bernays: Manipulating Public Opinion: The Why and The How.
Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information. It differs from disinformation, which is deliberately deceptive. Rumors are information not attributed to any particular source, and so are unreliable and often unverified, but can turn out to be either true or false. Even if later retracted, misinformation can continue to influence actions and memory. People may be more prone to believe misinformation because they are emotionally connected to what they are listening to or are reading.
- The Economist: How political leaders shape public opinion.
Does everyone's opinion really matter?
The Attentive Public
That part of the public that is attuned to current affairs and its media coverage. Much of the American public is disinterested in politics and policy, so opinion leaders and policy makers must direct their ideas to, and seek support from, the smaller attentive public, rather than the broad, general public.
Voters in Judicial Elections - An Attentive Public or an Uninformed Electorate?
Borrowing from the work of Gabriel Almond, one can argue that the judicial electorate may well be composed of an 'attentive public' whose level of interest and information is sufficient to constitute 'an informed and interested stratum... before whom elite discussion and controversy takes place.' The credibility of such a view of the judicial electorate is assessed in light of sample survey data on registered voters contacted immediately following Oregon's May, 1982 statewide judicial and non-judicial primaries. The evidence suggests that an attentive public conception of the judical electorate may well be an appropriate image to describe elective judicial selection systems.
The Importance of Political Knowledge for Effective Citizenship: Differences Between the Broadcast and Internet Generations.
General political knowledge is a central variable in American politics research. Individuals with high political knowledge exhibit behaviors that are consequential to a well-functioning democracy, including holding more stable political opinions, exhibiting greater ideological constraint, knowing more about political candidates, and being more likely to vote correctly. In this paper, we examine whether the internet revolution, enabling citizens to look up anything at any time, has changed the relative importance of political knowledge in American politics. We show that important generational differences exist between Americans raised during the broadcast era and Americans raised with the presence and accessibility of the internet. Internet access can be a substitute for political knowledge stored in long-term memory, particularly among this younger generation, who may be relying on the internet to store knowledge for them.
Elite Opinion / Opinion Leaders
- How Elites Misread Public Opinion.
- Elite vs. Public Opinion: An Examination of Divergent Views on Immigration.
- Wikipedia: Elite.
- Elite influence on public attitudes about climate policy.
Terminology
public opinion
values
beliefs
liberty
freedom of conscience
equality of opportunity
political ideology
attitude
liberal conservative
libertarian
socialist
political socialization
agents of socialization
- family
- friends
- education
social groups
- race
- ethnicity
- gender
- religion
- party affiliation
elites
political leaders
mass media
marketplace of ideas
stability
change
political knowledge
shortcuts
cues
heuristics
skim and scan
impact on government
- inequity
impact of government
propaganda
measuring public opinion
sample
random sample
sampling error
question wording
social desirability effect
acquiescence bias
selection bias
push poll
bandwagon effect
Sunday, July 17, 2022
The Press
Information
- how to get it
- how to process it
Acquisition of Information
Access to Information
- Freedom of Information.
Jefferson: Whereas it appeareth that however certain forms of government are better calculated than others to protect individuals in the free exercise of their natural rights, and are at the same time themselves better guarded against degeneracy, yet experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms, those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny; and it is believed that the most effectual means of preventing this would be, to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large, and more especially to give them knowledge of those facts, which history exhibiteth, that, possessed thereby of the experience of other ages and countries, they may be enabled to know ambition under all its shapes, and prompt to exert their natural powers to defeat its purposes
Jefferson: The people are the only censors of their governors: and even their errors will tend to keep these to the true principles of their institution. To punish these errors too severely would be to suppress the only safeguard of the public liberty. The way to prevent these irregular interpositions of the people is to give them full information of their affairs thro’ the channel of the public papers, & to contrive that those papers should penetrate the whole mass of the people. The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers & be capable of reading them.
Common Terms
the printing press
literacy
evolution of media rights
censorship
sedition
propaganda
John Peter Zenger
the business of media
Benjamin Franklin
radio
television
cable
internet
social media
infotainment
traditional media
new media
social media
mass media
information
loud signal
political watchdog
policy agenda
fireside chats
personal presidency
fake news
media bias
reporters
journalism
- skepticism
- fairness
editors
producers
owners
consumers
public relations
Watergate scandal
- others
objectivity
fairness
government impact
private / public ownership
First Amendment
promotion
post offices and post roads
FRC / FCC
regulations
fairness doctrine
Telecommunications Act
consolidation
Monday, March 28, 2022
UH - terms 3/28
Strict scrutiny
intermediate scrutiny
rational basis test
political socialization
agents of socialization
party machines
voter turnout – demographics
expansion of suffrage
minimum drinking age
gender gap
media conglomerates
media industry
quid pro quo harassment
citizenship
native Americans
gerrymandering
- racial
- partisan
agenda setting
political values
framing
priming
FCC
information literacy
United Farm Workers
self-selection bias
confirmation bias
political ideology
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Civil Rights Act of 1964
14th Amendment
Telecommunications Act of 1996
voter mobilization
democracy
whistle blowers
social media
digital political participation
ADA
Title IX
intermediate scrutiny
rational basis test
political socialization
agents of socialization
party machines
voter turnout – demographics
expansion of suffrage
minimum drinking age
gender gap
media conglomerates
media industry
quid pro quo harassment
citizenship
native Americans
gerrymandering
- racial
- partisan
agenda setting
political values
framing
priming
FCC
information literacy
United Farm Workers
self-selection bias
confirmation bias
political ideology
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Civil Rights Act of 1964
14th Amendment
Telecommunications Act of 1996
voter mobilization
democracy
whistle blowers
social media
digital political participation
ADA
Title IX
Thursday, March 10, 2022
Kremlin Vet: They’ll Overthrow Putin Before Giving Him ‘Bad News’ About ...
What is an "echo chamber?"
- Click here for more.
The echo chamber effect occurs online when a harmonious group of people amalgamate and develop tunnel vision. Participants in online discussions may find their opinions constantly echoed back to them, which reinforces their individual belief systems due to the declining exposure to other's opinions.[8] Their individual belief systems are what culminate into a confirmation bias regarding a variety of subjects. When an individual wants something to be true, they often will only gather the information that supports their existing beliefs and disregard any statements they find that are contradictory or speak negatively upon their beliefs.[9] Individuals who participate in echo chambers often do so because they feel more confident that their opinions will be more readily accepted by others in the echo chamber.[10] This happens because the Internet has provided access to a wide range of readily available information. People are receiving their news online more rapidly through less traditional sources, such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter. These and many other social platforms and online media outlets have established personalized algorithms intended to cater specific information to individuals’ online feeds. This method of curating content has replaced the function of the traditional news editor.[11] The mediated spread of information through online networks causes a risk of an algorithmic filter bubble, leading to concern regarding how the effects of echo chambers on the internet promote the division of online interaction.[12]
It is important to note that members of an echo chamber are not fully responsible for their convictions. Once part of an echo chamber, an individual might adhere to seemingly acceptable epistemic practices and still be further misled. Many individuals may be stuck in echo chambers due to factors existing outside of their control, such as being raised in one.[13]
Furthermore, the function of an echo chamber does not entail eroding a member's interest in truth; it focuses upon manipulating their credibility levels so that fundamentally different establishments and institutions will be considered proper sources of authority.
Thursday, January 13, 2022
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