Answer to Question 1
An ideal response will:
1. Note that even though the Internet seems to dominate, radio remains an effective and widely utilized form of political communication.
2. Explain that these two forms of media both have the ability to reach vast audiences and to target specific audiences for political communication.
3. Discuss how the Internet provides a less expensive medium for political communication and one that is more directly accessible for citizens when it comes to searching for information.
4. Comment on how the dramatic rise of social media sites in the past decade has increased the ability of specific political groups, e.g., African Americans, to connect and for multiple forms of government, including candidates, government agencies, elected politicians, and political movements, to connect and share information.
5. Provide a clear and concise conclusion.
Answer to Question 2
An ideal response will:
1. Discuss three factors that limit media influence on public opinion, which could include political socialization (our attitudes and beliefs toward the media or specific media outlets), selectivity both in terms of the media consumed and the information perceived, needs (why people use media), and audience fragmentation (the diffusion of audiences across multiple media venues).
2. Select one or two factors and provide an example of how they affected the influence of the media on the student.
3. Provide a clear and concise conclusion.
Head impact during sports may reduce ability to acquire new information
Volcanic plateaus (red) and impact basins (blue) dominate this topographic map of Mars
Nursing diagnosis impact on nursing practice
Charles E. Coughlin, the “Radio Priest,” was the father of conservative “talk radio.”
Impact of zebra mussels on members of a Great Lake nearshore
The impact of climate change on natural ecosystems