SOCIO Final Exam

primary claims are from claimsmakers who want media attention media’s secondary claims are the media version of primary claims. Follow the same structure as primary claims (presenting grounds, typifying examples, stats, giving social problem a name), but are different in that they are: shorter more dramatic less ideological

Claimsmakers defined by the media as lacking the legitimacy to deserve coverage for one or more of the following reasons: · Are poor or lack high status, wealth, power · Have views that are considered too far outside the mainstream—too unpopular or too radical; “fringe views” (ex: person supporting change from democracy to socialism) · Have views that don’t appeal to news media’s target audience Often ignored by media outlets and have a hard time gaining media coverage, especially from media outlets that have a large audience

factors reflect facet of everyday knowledge, what people pay attention to · interesting · relates to audience’s lives and beliefs · novel, exciting, new

sociocentrism- viewing our own culture’s perspective on issues as more factual than others; social conventions, beliefs, taboos seen as “the only correct way to think and live” · is a fundamental characteristic of all countries and cultures; and in order to be financially successful, media outlets must sell stories that are popular to the public, therefore stories are biased toward their country’s “allies,” and prejudiced against their “enemies.” happens in all countries and cultures. · media presents events occurring in the countries of their allies in as favorable a light as possible, highlighting “positive” deeds while downplaying negative ones; and do the opposite when generating news stories about their enemies

slant- using words, phrases, etc used to reinforce the prevailing views among the readership or audience for whom they are writing · important because stories with slant do not present an un-biased opinion, often readers don’t get the full story, audience’s opinions are decided for them by the media, and leads to sociocentrism · Examples: We plan…They plot. We are clever…They are sneaky. We form strategies…They conspire. We have convictions…They are fanatics.

Public opinion influences media coverage, policy making, and politics Claimsmakers, the media, and policymakers want to shape and influence public opinion, but they also pay attention to the public’s reactions and try to adjust their own behavior in response

Public opinion corresponds better with media coverage, studies of crime and illegal drug use show that public concern may be rising even when rates of crime and drug use were falling, and that people’s concern was more closely correlated to increased media coverage of the problems

· We think majority of poor are black · We said 50%, but actually only 29% · We think majority are working age, able-bodied Because of stereotypes about who we think are the poor, we are less sympathetic and less inclined to help

Are “organizational actors” do not act as an individual, but in a role as a actor. Cannot simply look at an issue from their own viewpoint

Middle class is the largest target audience for media, and it gains the attention of the public

Those that appeal to widespread audience, provide a measurable and plausible solution

1970’s · mainly due to unavailability of affordable housing for poor people · Community Mental Health Act of 1963, which led to many homeless living on streets, unemployed, with drug and alcohol addictions, and no resources to change their living conditions

25% of all homeless in U.S are children and teens (28% of this percentage live in CO) 59% of all homeless in U.S are single parents

Homelessness doesn’t have a normal distribution , has power-law distribution—80% of homeless only stay for one to two days max at a time and never come back, other 10% are periodically homeless and are often young drug users, last 10% are stereotypical homeless (panhandling, sleeping on streets, older and often are mentally ill or physically disabled) that account for the majority of $$ spent on homelessness) · Therefore policy should not have normal distribution—policy should help those who cost most money to help, power-law theory is different from other policies because should create dependency, is effective and rational from a economic standpoint, but not from a moral standpoint · Giving them an apartment and nurses costs less than leaving them on the street

People whose jobs involve carrying out social policies, ex: doctors, teachers, police officers, etc. have a more narrow view of social problems: applying constructions of social problems or policies to their immediate, practical situations · Are different because policymakers, media, public, and claimsmakers tend to characterize social problems in fairly abstract, general terms, and tend to focus on the implications of troubling condition for the larger society, take a macrosociological view