...affect the voting trends of the voters? The ownership of the media (Djankov, Nenova, McLiesh, & Shleifer, 2003), targeting specific demographics (Clinton & Lapinski, 2004), the implications of the internet (DiMaggio, Hargittai, Neuman, & Robinson, 2003) and how candidates use media (Aarts & Semetko, 2003) are all important aspects in determining whether a potential bias exists (Eveland & Shah, 2003) on the part of the news media. It is hypothesized that when the mass media displays certain biases leaning towards one party over the other, the populace tends to vote in the direction of the media. The following five scholarly literature reviews will attempt to demonstrate and support the hypothesis. According to Eveland and Shah (Eveland & Shah, 2003, p. 101)there is “a large percentage of the public (that) believes that the news media are biased, and the majority of these individuals consider the direction of bias to be against their own viewpoint”. This drives the question this paper attempts to answer. This article looks at media’s credibility and integrity in the eyes of individual people. The author’s give several hypothesis to provide multiple angles at which to look at the issue of the perceived hostile media bias’s. Aarts and Semetko offer a different look on media and voter trends. They research how on one side, media uses “diminishing knowledge and involvement and contributes to political cynicism and declining turnout. On the other hand, does media...
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...Make-up Position Paper - Wk4, Ch7 - Political Participation ASSIGNMENT INTRODUCTION - SUBMIT AS MAKEUP ONLY - READ FOR AIC. Dear class, Welcome to this week's Makeup Position Paper on Public Opinion and Participation. This make-up assignment is reserved for students who have failed to submit at least one, required position paper. Students must submit two makeup position papers in order to makeup for the credit lost on one required paper. If you wish to submit this assignment, please be sure to disable the TFE and topic text links before doing so. Furthermore, be sure to submit it in the proper folder. ASSIGNMENT BACKGROUND - IMPORTANT POINTS As usual, before I direct you to the week's assignment questions, there are a few remarks I would like to make regarding important, related issues and/or background material. Please consider the comments below, which touch upon a number of topics addressed in our text and which include a number of related observations taken from my own research. Purposes of Elections Firstly, one key point to remember is that elections, originally designed in order to allow citizens to select their own leaders, are also used by governments in order to build support for their policies. This is particularly true of parliamentary governments, which generally require simple plurality votes in order to pass sweeping legislation. In parliamentary governments, political parties are represented in direct proportion to the percentage of votes that they...
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...Change in political participation over the last 40 years Over the past 40 years the turnout of almost all of the general elections going down gradually yet noticeably, the turn out of the election in 1984 was 79%However in the most recent election in 2010 you turnout was considerably lower at 60% But why has this been happening as due to the gradual decline in voter turnout there can be no clear reason found. A reason for the lack of voters has been suggested to have been the fact that people are losing interest in politics and also feel that they have no voice and that their votes wont count for anything, a table found on http://www.exeter.ac.uk/media/universityofexeter/research/microsites/epop/papers/Henn_and_Foard_-_Young_People,_Political_Participation_and_Trust_in_Britain.pdf shows that in a recent survey that was taken 31% of the people asked believed that voti55555ng in a general election was not effective to the government. Further more, a larger 40% of the people asked though that local elections were also ineffective. Supporting this theory even more another survey was taken in which statements were issued and the public were asked if they agreed/disagreed, one of the statements was “By voting/ if I voted, I feel as if I can/ could really help to change the way that Britain is governed” the result of the statement was 44% of the people asked disagreed, meaning that it is a large ideology from the public that the government don’t care for their opinions. ...
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...so will result in a form of minor punishment such as a small fine. The theory behind compulsory voting is that it will increase participation in parliamentary election, thus creating a more legitimate representative democratic system. Current major democratic countries that currently employ an enforced compulsory voting system include Australia, Argentina, and Brazil. This paper will argue that voting should not be made compulsory in Canada, on the principles that there is no proof that increasing voter turnout will legitimize our representational democracy, and that we have the right to abstention. I will prove this argument by examining the political scholarship produced by Sara Birch, Justine Lacroix, and Annabelle Lever. The first academic journal I will be examining will be that of Sara Birch in her 2009 paper The Case for Compulsory Voting. In this paper, Birch is advocating that all democratic countries should implement a compulsory voting system. Birch’s primary point of reasoning behind this notion is that the electoral process has become illegitimate as a result of an unbalanced voter turnout in relation to age and class (Birch, 2009). Furthermore, she believes that by making voting a mandatory practice, it will increase “social, political, and procedural fairness.” (Birch, p.21). These three constituents form the basis for her argument. Political...
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...1. Introduction Extensive research has been conducted on the topic of how media circulation affects political accountability and government policy. Theory predicts that for a higher share of media receivers, political accountability and hence government expenditures increase. Besley & Burgess (2002) give additional insight into this topic by analyzing the impact of media circulation on government responsiveness to falls in food production and crop flood damage in Indian states. The authors use the extent of public food distribution and calamity relief as proxies for government responsiveness. In addition to media factors, political and economic factors are introduced as potential determinants of policies. The predictions of the theory are underlined by the results of the paper: Government responsiveness increases with a higher amount of media users within a state. Further, political factors are also relevant determinants, whereas, economic factors are of low importance. In the following, the paper will be critically assessed within these sections. First, the theory, the propositions as well as the empirical strategy are introduced and compared to discussions in class. Second, the results of the paper are outlined. Third, the empirical strategy as well as the results will be analyzed and compared to prior research and theory. Finally, a short conclusion and outlook will be given. 2. Theory, Propositions and Empirical Strategy The theoretical two-period model of Besley & Burgess...
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...The goal of this paper is to find evidence of the use and impact of social media in the 2012 presidential election. This is because it was reported that President Obama won the elections because of the ground operation presented by volunteers of his elections' campaigns (CNN Wire 1). I chose this topic since reports in state media indicated that the Republican Party was leading in the pre-election polls, but in the end the Democratic Party won due to the use of technological innovation (Edsall 1). An in depth analysis reveals that the presidential contest favored President Obama for using social media. Social media is increasingly an easy, fast, and effective way for people to have personal contact through technology. The intention is to prove...
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...drawn out a negative side, one that seeks to cast a damaging shadow on any opposition in order to attain the support of the majority. The types of political message given out by both politicians and the media vary in how they are constructed and what they intend to achieve, and despite widespread criticism surrounding its ethical fragilities, attack politics in particular have become a fundamental component of any political campaign and evidence has shown the electorate to show a greater interest in a more pessimistic tone of politics. This essay intends to address whether negative publicity in the form of attack advertising is an effective tool of electoral manipulation by evaluating its influence in engaging and mobilizing voters. Indeed, where research has shown it to be counterproductive, or to produce unintended consequences, its...
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...Voting Problem in America Voting Problem in America Numerous studies have been steered to support with observing for influences that will demonstration by public do not contribute in voting. It has remained a mounting difficulties with appropriate voters not registering and object their ballot. Over the decades, Americans have vanished trace with the antiquity of voting. Voting for in determinations supports in providing underpinning on why society do not participate in voting. Analyses provide tangible influences with why societies do not vote with illustration clusters support. Discovery of behaviors will show the unabridged development with the existing system supports with the American community. The 2008 elections enquiry provides awareness with the diverse motives from highest to lowest. Giving some understanding on the origin of the unruly and outcome resolutions to battle these problems. Examination can transform that are currently in domicile and assuring voting contributions on the ability to speak on the issues and distresses. Observing at other countries for potential solutions to the problem can be one riposte for the United States voting delinquent. Using tads and shards can support with altering he existing classification that does not work. Without transformation, the voting contribution will endure to diminish. The history behind the voting in America helps wonder why this pass civil liberty has fallen to many Americans waist side in today’s world. As America...
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...CREST CENTRE FOR RESEARCH INTO ELECTIONS AND SOCIAL TRENDS Working Paper Number 106 June 2004 Is Britain Facing a Crisis of Democracy? By Catherine Bromley, John Curtice and Ben Seyd The Centre for Research into Elections and Social Trends is an ESRC Research Centre based jointly at the National Centre for Social Research (formerly SCPR) and the Department of Sociology, University of Oxford http://www.crest.ox.ac.uk Is Britain Facing a Crisis of Democracy? by Catherine Bromley, John Curtice and Ben Seyd EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Britain is widely believed to be suffering a crisis of democracy. This briefing examines whether this perception is justified or not. Our findings - which are based on a four year research project funded by the ESRC - address four key issues: the legitimacy of governments, patterns of participation in politics, the impact of constitutional reform, and the explanation for any crisis. Legitimacy There has been a decline in levels of trust in government and confidence in the political system. Thirty years ago, four in ten people in Britain trusted government to put the needs of the nation above those of their political party; today, just one in five do so. But much of this decline set in during the early 1990s, although trust and confidence have fallen further since 1997. Participation Turnout at all elections has declined since 1997, most noticeably at the 2001 general election, when the participation rate was the lowest since 1918....
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...How does technology affect political participation Introduction 3 Evolution of social media since 2000 3 Use of social media during Arab Spring 4 Hong Kong Protest 5 Use of Social Media During the Quebec Student Strikes in 2012 6 Social Media in 2015 Political Campaigns & Using Technology to Increase Voter Turnout 8 Conclusion : Does social media actually affect political participation Yes or No. 11 Appendix A 12 Appendix B 13 References 14 Introduction Social media is a part of the lives of the majority of the population today. Developed countries and developing countries alike have a variety of uses and applications that aid in day-to-day activities and communications. In this paper, we focus on the use of social media and the effects it has on political participation. We will look at popular social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and explore how their evolution is affecting political participation. Using the historical examples of Arab Spring, the Hong Kong protest of 2014, the Quebec student strikes of 2012, and the recent Canadian Federal Election, we will highlight the importance of social media and its uses to influence and encourage political participation during each event. Evolution of social media since 2000 The expansion of the Internet during the 21st century, as well as the development and spread of mobile phone technology, has enabled and promoted the unprecedented...
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...In the Federalist No. 10 essay written by James Madison, it addresses the question of how to guard against “factions”, or groups of citizens, with interests’ contrary to the rights of others or the interests of the whole community. Scholars cite the whole series of Federalist Papers and jurists to mean the Founding Fathers did not intend the United States government to be partisan (Wikipedia n.d.). The 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is the direct popular election of U.S. Senators via a statewide vote and Representatives via congressional district voting. This demonstrates effective and successful popular voting that has occurred for decades. A disadvantage of the Electoral College is the idea of voter suppression since each State is entitled to the same number of electoral votes regardless of voter turnout – this provides no incentive for voters to be highly participative during presidential elections. The popular vote is not reflected with the Electoral College – instead, the Electoral College electors are determined by the number of members the state has in the House plus the number of members the state has in the Senate. These electors are typically appointed based on the winning outcome of the state elections, thus have pre-disposed alliances to their political...
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...Political Knowledge: Voter Information and the Democratic Citizen Many Americans proudly assert that the “American Experiment” has been a success. The optimistic and patriotic American will point to the “stability” and strength of the country's democratic institutions upheld by the United States Constitution as proof that the democratic notions and principles that were envisioned by the Founding Fathers continue to flourish to this day. A pessimistic individual on the other hand may easily point out that the current political climate exemplifies the decline of civic responsibility, and ultimately, the decline of democratic rule. In Washington, politicians are split along partisan lines, battling one another on decisive and controversial issues such as raising the debt limit, balancing the budget, and health care reform. While politicians carefully calculate the potential consequences of their decisions, the same battles are being waged ferociously on other fronts by the media and other self-interested groups. Ultimately, the results of these policy decisions depend on which party could convince the American public of what is in their best collective interest. This is precisely the nature of politics and democracy, and neither one is always fair. In a world where interest groups and lobbies have tremendous sway and influence over those in power, and when media reporting of the issues lacks fairness and accuracy, it should be the citizen's duty and responsibility to ensure that...
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...Social Media Responsibilities Jana Keeley Hum/186 June 05, 2012 Tanny Rodriguez Responsibilities of news media include providing the society a truthful, objectives and balanced news and information while respecting the secrecy of issues related to national security. Known tasks of journalists in the entertainment media are In the social responsibility theory of the press, the media is driven to benefit the public. It expects journalists to answer society's need for truth, requires an open and diverse debate on public issues, and honest updates of current events. In this model, media ethics is automatic because the press is free to serve its purpose for the public, as opposed to special interest groups or advertisers( referenced below). Another condition of the social responsibility model, is that news reporting cannot be dependent on groups that may encourage bias and unethical practices in exchange for financial support catchy headlines which directly affect civilians. The public learns about government and politics primarily through television and nationwide newspapers. The media has a choice of which stories to cover. Recent studies prove the exposures can have a sizeable impact in shaping the public’s view on politics. Media coverage shapes attitudes and behaviors related to judging ones capabilities of running for office. It’s a known fact that citizens often times seek out information that agrees with their pre-existing views. People will relate with a politician...
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...Democracy Latisha Wallace October 11, 2014 Govt 2305 American Government Today’s democratic societies practice representative democracy but the ideal of a true representative democracy, where those elected to power mirror the population of a given society is inconsistent with reality. The reality is that, there is an underrepresentation of different minority groups both in terms of their presence in the political assemblies and in terms of their substantive representation. History has shown that minority groups have been continuously underrepresented in most of the world’s democratic societies, and while there have been small improvements in some countries, for the most part minorities in general have yet to make any impressive gain towards more effective political representation. In the existing literature, the under-representation of minorities in countries across the world and the potential impact of the Single Member Plurality and “pure” Proportional Representation systems on that representation have been studied extensively by authors and social scientists such as Norris (2004), Lijphart (1994), Blais (2008), Pitkin (1997), Reynolds and Reilly (2005) and Diamond (2008). While those studies have shown that minorities are better represented under “pure” proportional representation than under Single Member Plurality systems, little is known about the propensity of Mixed Member Proportional systems to provide minority groups with access to power and or better representation...
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...to vote. 3. voted at the polling place, elementary school Sample definition: A precinct is a small area from which all the residents report to vote at one location. 4. wards 5. bipartisan 6. nominate 7. Liberals 8. resign CHAPTER 5 Section 1 Reading Comprehension 3 1. Answers for rankings will vary. Historical basis: The two-party system is rooted in the beginnings of the U.S., when the ratification of the Constitution gave rise to the first two parties. Tradition: Most Americans accept the idea of a two-party system simply because there has always been one. Electoral system: Since only one winner per office comes out of each election, voters have only two viable choices—the candidate of the party holding office or the candidate with the best chance of replacing the current officeholder. Voters tend to think of a vote for a minor party candidate as a wasted vote. Republicans and Democrats work together in a bipartisan way to write election laws to make it hard for a minor party or independent candidate to win elective office. Ideological consensus: Compared with other countries, the U.S. has been free of longstanding disputes based on economic class, social status, religious beliefs, or national origin. As a result, there is a lot of common ground between the two major parties, although they disagree on specific policies. 2....
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