Political Science : Public Opinion and Media

This film looks at the rise of right-wing media through the lens of the filmmaker’s World War II vet father, who transformed from a non-political Democrat into an angry, right-wing fanatic after discovering talk radio on his lengthy commute to work. We learn that this is a common phenomenon, and, startlingly, that it is the result of the way the media has developed over the last 30-40 years. Beginning with the work of Roger Ailes to create a media for the GOP during Nixon’s campaign, she traces various developments that have changed the nation’s political direction and culture. This phenomenon has created the biggest division in the US since the Civil War.

This episode of The Green Interview features James Hoggan, the author of Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming . He explains how oil and gas companies and their PR firms manufactured the false debate on climate change. Hoggan, who works in the public relations industry himself, explains how public relations techniques allow businesses to use psychology to shape public opinion. Hoggan discusses the climate change deniers, the use of industry-sponsored propaganda and how ethical business should be conducted.

...how public opinion influenced action on voters' rights, from the founding of the country, when most states limited the right to vote to property-owning males, to the establishment in 2017 of the Presidential Advisory Commission of Election Integrity, and beyond, to how voter suppression efforts affected the 2018 elections.

TV news making and presidential campaigns

This authoritative overview of election redistricting at the congressional, state legislative, and local level provides offers an overview of redistricting for students and practitioners. The updated second edition pays special attention to the significant redistricting controversies of the last decade, from the Supreme Court to state courts.