Lesson 5.3 Linkage Institutions

What are linkage institutions?	Linkage institutions are the things that let the people interact with government
How do political parties influence non-presidential campaigns?	They influence how people think politically through things like political education and party platforms.
Why do political parties complete “autopsy reports” after they lose a presidential election?	So that they don’t make the same mistakes and so that they can try and win next time

In the political cartoon above, the artist is depicting another linkage institution, the media. How does the media link the public’s opinion to the government?	The media is one of the best ways for people to determine what the government is doing and how government things are going, so naturally it’s linked to someone’s opinion; they need to know whats happening to have an opinion
What role does the media have in upholding democracy? Explain your reasoning.	Media is one of the founding ideas in the Bill of Rights, the idea of free press was a fundamental concept for our country and it’s because people need to be able to express their ideas freely in order to have a democracy in which they can vote with knowledge of events.

“The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” - Thomas Jefferson

“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.” - Edward R. Murrow

Based on the quote above, why does Thomas Jefferson think a free press is important?	Because the basis of government is the opinion of the people, the government gets power from the consent of the governed so it’s only natural that the people need to have the right to opinions.
According to Murrow, what role does the media have when it comes to diverse perspectives?	Murrow argues for a “Loyal Opposition,” I think he’s talking about someone who is opposed to your ideas but still loyal to America, this would be like a Republican to a Democrat, they disagree and are at opposition but are still loyal to America. While he doesn’t explicitly mention media, he does argue that if an opinion is squashed and completely rejected then America will fall. This is likely refering to a restricted press.

Based on the quote above, why does Thomas Jefferson think a free press is important?

Because the basis of government is the opinion of the people, the government gets power from the consent of the governed so it’s only natural that the people need to have the right to opinions.

According to Murrow, what role does the media have when it comes to diverse perspectives?

Murrow argues for a “Loyal Opposition,” I think he’s talking about someone who is opposed to your ideas but still loyal to America, this would be like a Republican to a Democrat, they disagree and are at opposition but are still loyal to America. While he doesn’t explicitly mention media, he does argue that if an opinion is squashed and completely rejected then America will fall. This is likely refering to a restricted press.

“The press is the hired agent of a monied system, and set up for no other purpose than to tell lies where their interests are involved. One of the most troublesome things in our public life is the press.” - Former President William Howard Taft

How would Jefferson and Murrow have reacted to the quote above from William Taft?	Taft seems to dislike the press which Jefferson would have found appalling, as he sees it as the basis of the government, and Murrow would have found it to be scummy and disloyal to the American idea, as he sees it as a vital aspect of America’s life.