Primary Claims

vs

Secondary Claims

Primary = claimsmakers claim. claimsmaking that preceeds media influence. Pure in form, more detailed, etc.

Secondary = media's claim. media translates claims, makes them shorter, more dramatic, etc.

Dispossessed Claims makers

opposite of claims owners

Media defines some claimsmakers as lacking legitimacy to deserve coverage (ex. those who lck power, wealth, etc)

Sociocentrism

media and press representing news in a way that is biased towards their culture. Implies "correctness" of their ideologies. Affects how news is reported and interpreted.

Slant

using specific terms when characterizing favored and unfavored people in stories.

ex. we plan, they plot, we have convictions, they're fanatics

2 ways

Public Opinion is collected

1) Polls

2) Focus Groups

Policy Makers/Public

similarities: both see/hear claims, both live in same society, both share beliefs in common cultural themes, both follow cultural feeling rules

different: pm's can't look at issue from their viewpoint, pm's are an organizational actor

Arguments that policy makers favor

Instrumental Purposes: (what they argue most) argue policy is to make a difference, to correct, improve a troubling condition

Symbolic Purposes: argue a policy embodies values, promotes particular constructions of the world

Why not to use WAR

-implies widespread commitment to eradicate

-implies brief struggle

-implies a total victory

Social Problems Workers

ppl who apply constructions of SP's or policies to their situations.Those whose jobs carry out social policies)

(ex. doctors, teachers)

Evaluation Research

impartial evalutation of how policies work. Involves social scientific assesment of a policies effectiveness

Libertarian Paternalism

political philosophy where gov makes some decisions for you but does not take away your freedom of choice?

News worker constraints

1) Economic: costs to get , produce news, can only have so many workers

2) Cultural: sense of professionalism

3) Pressure: schedules, deadlines, must plan ahead for news, have to determine whats worthy

3 characteristics that make it likely to go through the issue attention cycle

1) Majority of ppl in society aren't suffering from the problem nearly as much as a minority(numerical)

2) Suffering caused by problem are results of social arrangements that benefit the majority or powerful

3) Problem has no intrinsically exciting qualities

Villains

Victims

Victims: vulnerable but deserving help, can't help themselves

Villains: bad behavior that must be controlled

Policy Stream Model

Problem Recognition Stream

Policy Propoal Stream

Political Stream