Pressure Groups and the Media and Government Essay

In a pluralist democracy like in the United States, interest groups have played a major role throughout the history through highly organized factions and are aimed at different levels of government. Lobbying is one of the tactics of the interest groups to aid their agenda through implementing new laws and regulations. "If you want to have your face in the light, you should have your back in the dark". Similarly, the influences of the interests groups and lobbyists have good and bad effects on the people and the society.

Undue influence-peddling - in which special interests may exercise too much sway over public policy for self-serving purposes, can be a real problem for a democratic society. Democratic government requires legitimacy to function properly, and legitimacy comes from the trust and support of its citizenry. Yet those who practice it seldom attract the attention in Britain that they do in America. In the Commons, meanwhile, the public-administration committee (PAC) has been looking since last June into the impact of lobbying on government decisions. Lobbyists insist that theirs is a respectable business. One reason is that the cash-for-questions affair gave rise in 1994 to a self-regulatory body, the Association of Professional Political Consultants

Interest groups are structured groups which try to influence government to adopt certain policies or measures. The responsibilities of an interest group can be never-ending. One of the main responsibilities of an interest group is giving the underrepresented a chance to speak out on issues they are passionate about. The Rainbow/Push Coalition is an interest group I believed I would be passionate about.

Pressure groups play a vital role within the increasingly complex and multicultural electorate. A single Member of Parliament, Representative or Senator has a diverse constituency base to represent, which makes it difficult to represent a variety of often conflicting interests. This is where pressure groups are critical to representative democracy as they allow the interests of specific groups to be represented by an organisation that is dedicated to them and understands them fully. Whilst this is a positive argument, pressure groups with vast amounts of power make this vital function of representation difficult to carry out fairly for all pressure groups involved.

Strategies for political power exists when interest groups attempting to influence government politicians. Interest groups will speak to politicians for their and

Public interest lobbies form a linkage element between citizens and governmental elites. In lobbying they articulate what they perceive to be the issue positions of certain sectors of society. Public interest groups also play an important role in facilitating the political participation of their members and related attentive publics. By helping to bring new issues to the table, interest groups influence the shape of political agendas.

These are organisations or individuals with strong views that may influence the decisions of businesses and the government.

An interest group also known as a special interest group or a lobby is an organized group of individuals, organizations, or businesses who share a goal. The interest group forms an alliance in support of their cause to influence public policy and government officials in the group 's favor. The goal of the group could be focused on small group, such as the Japan Eraser Manufacturer 's Association; or the goal could be focused on a large public group, such as family and friends of public school-aged children in the United States. "The most important lobbying forces in any society are the various entities of government: national, regional, and local government agencies and institutions such as the military" (Thomas).???????????

But interest groups do not have a real place in congress. For them to affect motions in congress they need to utilise their powers of persuasion to influence the right people.

An interest group is an organized group of people that come together to attempt to influence policymakers in any level of government. They influence the different levels of government by giving money to a political candidate. They write letters, emails, and make phone calls to the policymakers. They attempt to get the policymakers to make legislation reflecting the objectives of the group (This Nation, 2008).

A pressure group is a group of people with specific aims and interests. Also known as interest groups, lobby groups or protest groups, they try to influence political decision makers such as MPs and councillors to influence local or national policy and/or legislation. They seek to do so, either to protect interests of members (e.g. Trade Unions, NUT) or promote a cause (e.g. Greenpeace or RSPCA). Not all pressure groups are as successful as others, and there are many reasons for this.

interest groups are activity involved in the legislature process (on the national level) seeking to

People are important for the success of democracy. After electing their representatives, some individuals wish to be more involved in legislative decisions that affect them, so they take to lobbying and joining interest groups. This often provides them with an atmosphere of individuals who think like they do, while also allowing them to play more of a role than just voting for a few people to represent them. Lobbying and interest groups also allow for issues to be brought to the attention of the legislature and provide a way for these groups to talk to the legislators, whether it is over dinner or at a concert. By voicing their opinions and placing pressures on the legislation, these groups have become successful in fighting for their passions and their views on important

Interest groups are formed to influence policy within the levels of government by lobbying elected officials to vote for policies favored by the groups. The basic definition of an interest group is a “group of citizens who are organized and attempt to influence legislation so that it reflects their interest or policy goals” (Marion & Oliver, p. 281. 2012). Some groups focus only on a single issue, while others focus on larger areas of public policy. Some interest groups are created and dissolve over a period of a single election, while others have a long standing of influencing elections and public policy choices. Some choose to focus not only on government, but on persuading the public or other non-governmental organizations to support

"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." This quote by A.J. Liebling illustrates the reality of where the media stands in today's society. Over the past twenty years there has been an increase in power throughout the media with regard to politics. The media's original purpose was to inform the public of the relevant events that occurred around the world. The job of the media is to search out the truth and relay that news to the people. The media has the power to inform the people but often times the stories given to the public are distorted for one reason or another. Using slant and sensationalism, the media has begun to shape our views in society and the process by which