Chapter 8

From figure 8.1 in the text, select one of the interest groups and do some research on their issues and beliefs. What did you learn? What did you find interesting? Do you agree/ disagree with their positions on issues? Why?

Transportation workers union of America they had to fight and even had strikes to get the best for their employees and are still fighting for them. They had strikes and sit-ins against powerful transit companies until the robber barons realized the union had gained its own power and was there to stay. They stood up for their employees and even against discrimination based on race, job title and ethnicity back that long time ago and believe in the best for their people and still today is trying to keep what all they wanted from the start to come true. I agree if there was not groups standing up for the hard working people then we would not get paid right, have no benefits, and took advantage of.

Find an interest group with which you associate (positively). What is the name of the group and what do you find persuasive about their position on issues?

PETA they stand up for the way animals are treated and try to protect them. They have good intentions for the animals in many ways and use the media to get their point across.

Do interest groups have enough/ too much/ the right amount of power in the political system? Most believe it’s a fine-line balance between freedom of speech for the groups and keeping unfair persuasion out of government. Where is that line and when is it crossed?

I think it all depends on the interest group in question. Some of them have more power in the political system than others and I do think there is a fine-line and some groups will push and take it too far and others get stop before they get that far. It all depends on what the group is for to where and when that line is crossed.

chapter 7

Does objectivity still exist in the media’s coverage of politics? Of the major news outlets (CNN, Fox news, MSNBC, NPR, NBC, ect.) which are the most objective and which seem to have the most bias?

Yes some stations are for one party and will not speak objectivity about the other, but some of the other stations will talk about the others.  I don’t watch much of any of them and to say which stations is the most objective and which seems to have the most bias is something I can’t do. It all depends on who you are on the way you view the stations. I could say that CNN is all for one side and that Fox news covers and talks about both sides and another person might not see it the same way. To be honest a lot of the news stations does not really do their jobs on reporting the news they seem to want to add fuel to the fire in a since of the word.

How does talk radio (Rush Limbaugh, Keith Olbermann, ect) affect your view of politics? Why?

Talk radio does not affect my views of politics because I do not listen to them and usually when I am around a radio my kids are listening to their music.

Is media objectivity important? Why or why not?

The media objectivity is important to get out what is going on in the politics and reporting the news for both will have people to make up their minds on their own instead of being persuaded by one station. Some people out there believe what the news report rather it is wrong or right and with that a lot of people will go by what they are told and find out later what they heard was wrong. The news does impact people lives and they should report the same for both sides.

I posted on Nic Carter
Stephanie Griffin
Edward King

Chapter 6

Is American news media too dependent upon polls? Is it appropriate for news agencies to create polls and then report on them? Why or why not?
I do believe that the news media starts playing off the polls when the election starts getting hot. I don't believe that they are always right and really they never know what is right or wrong. When something is said that can be flipped I think they play off of it a lot and which ever one messed up is the one they play.

How important is political party identification to you? Was it more or less important to your parents and grandparents? Does it seem more or less important to your friends? Why or why not?

I think that the political party identification is not that important to me. My parents never really talked about politics all that much and neither does my friends. We seem to all have the same view that we go with who is trying to watch out for the lower and middle class people. I know I don’t want someone that is all for the people who have money and the ones of us that struggles will get more struggles and stress on us. I want someone that will look after us on our health care. It is hard for lower and middle class and really hard on single parents that have kids to get health insurance if they don’t have any through their work place.  When I go to vote I vote for who I think has the best outlook and changes to try and make that will help people not make things harder on people that are trying and working on trying to give their kids a better life. The way I look at it if some changes don’t happen our children not unless they are born into money or given it will not have a future. It seems that only money is what matters to some of the people in our government.

Do you feel that your opinion of politics is more influenced by economic issues or by social issues? Why?

By economic issues with the way the economics is right now our future does not look good unless some big changes happen and the U.S. starts worrying about the American people and less on other people in the world. I am still stuck on the way it is so hard to get health insurance. If people could have an easier way on getting it or the government set up so everyone could have it then more people would be heathery and more people could work or even create jobs.
Posted on Tinisha Key and Robert Cook.