Chapter 7 Key Terms

Question 1

HIgh-tech Politics

Answer 1

a politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology.

Question 2

mass media

Answer 2

television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the internet, and other means of popular communication.

Question 3

media events

Answer 3

events purposely staged for the media that nonetheless look spontaneous.

Question 4

press conferences

Answer 4

meetings of public officials with reporters

Question 5

investigative journalism

Answer 5

the use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes, which at times puts reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders

Question 6

print media

Answer 6

newspapers and magazines

Question 7

broadcast media

Answer 7

television and radio

Question 8

narrowcasting

Answer 8

media programming on cable TV or the internet that is focused on one topic and aimed at a particular audience

Question 9

chains

Answer 9

newspapers published by massive media conglomerates that account for over four-fifths of the nation’s daily newspaper circulation.

Question 10

beats

Answer 10

specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as congress or the white house

Question 11

trial balloons

Answer 11

an intentional news leak for the purpose of assessing the political reaction

Question 12

sound bites

Answer 12

short video clips of approximately 15 seconds; typically all that is shown form a politician’s speech or activities on the nightly television news.

Question 13

talking head

Answer 13

a shot of a person’s face talking directly to the camera

Question 14

policy agenda

Answer 14

the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time

Question 15

policy entrepreneurs

Answer 15

people who invest their political “capital” in an issue