Blog 6

1. 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 not think the media is too dependent on polls. Polls are a good way to predict outcomes, general beliefs, etc. I do think its fine for a news agency to create polls and report on them as long as they are being honest and fair when making and tallying the results. The results can be educational and interesting to viewers or readers.

2.How important is political party identification to you (e.g. as a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, etc.)?  Was it more or less important to your parents & grandparents?  Does it seem more or less important to your friends?  Why or why not?

To me, political part identification is not that important. Instead, it is more important to know what your views and opinions are on issues. In other words, it is more important to know whether or not you support abortion, stricter immigration laws, your opinions on gun laws, etc. Just because someone is a democrat does not mean that they will agree with everything democrats stand for. However, it was probably more important to identify yourself with a party in the past. Today, it is not as important because the country is not only more modern but has a wider range of issues to deal with.

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

My opinion of politics is probably more influenced by economic issues. This is probably because a lot of social issues do not directly effect me. Issues such as abortion, homosexual marriage,immigration, etc have not had any direct impact on me. However, economic issues, seems to affect me more. It affects me more as a student trying to pay her way through college. Or when I see people who have lost their job due to outsourcing, a company in financial crisis, etc. Therefore my opinion of politics are going to be more influenced by economic issues.