Public Sphere Readings

The Public Sphere
Name:
What is the Public Sphere?

Imagine a stage where actors are performing a play. Now imagine that
everyone in society is watching this same play. Afterward, everyone in
society can have similar discussions: Was the play any good? Did they
cast the right actor in the lead role? Wasnt the second scene in the third
act hilarious? There is a whole stage that we are all watching. There are
topics we all pay attention to, issues we all have opinions about, and
policies that affect all our lives. The public sphere is a place where
society discusses the issues that affect everyone. It links us all together
as one large community.
Where is the Public Sphere?

Discussions in the public sphere exist at the local, national, and global
levels all at the same time. On any given day, you might talk to a friend
about the new skate park in your town, to your teacher about whether
the state will change the graduation requirements next year, to your
uncle about whether the U.S. should drill for oil off its coasts, or to a
neighbor about the war against terrorism. All these issues exist in the
public sphere, but on different levels. Someone who lives on the other
side of the country probably isnt talking about your new skate park, but
they are talking about how the U.S. can gain energy independence.
People in England probably arent talking about where the U.S. should
drill for oil, but theyre probably worried about terrorism.
?
?!
Public Sphere
Public Agenda
The Public Agenda

Discussions that take place in the public sphere give rise to the public
agenda. An agenda is like a to-do list. Your personal agenda might
include things like find a summer job, study for a test, or bring your C in
history up to an A. The public agenda is a to-do list of issues that
much of the public agrees are a priority. The public agenda might include
things like clean up after a major natural disaster, solve the problems with
our health care system, or decide who should be the next president.
Who Sets the Public Agenda?

The issues on the public agenda depend on what is being discussed in the
public sphere. But who decides what the public will discuss? Sometimes nobody
decides, as with events like elections that occur on a regular schedule.
Everyone knows when the election is going to happen, so people start talking
about it. Similarly, large disasters dont need any help getting attention. When
planes slam into high-rise buildings in New York or a tsunami kills thousands of
people in Japan, word spreads around the globe almost immediately. Issues
people face in everyday life, such as drug abuse or expensive health care, also
end up in the public sphere simply because so many people are personally
affected by the problem.
(continued on next page)
Reading p.1
The Public Sphere
Name:
(continued from last page)

But other issues are too distant or too specialized to get attention on
their own. People starving in a far-off country, a new law that affects
certain types of businesses, a species quietly going extinct in a
disappearing ecosystem Many important issues like these would never
reach the public sphere if people did not hear about them in the news.
Public Spotlight
Singer Beyonc uses her celebrity to

call attention to hunger in America
Sometimes public attention focuses on a person or event that does

not require public action. When a celebrity marries or a team wins
the Super Bowl, everyone may be talking about it, but theres
nothing to put on the public agenda. The celebrity or team is simply
in the public spotlight. Even so, the public spotlight can call
attention to issues. A celebrity who dies of a drug overdose may
focus attention on the issue of drug abuse, which is always on the
public agenda. Celebrities also use their fame to bring public
attention to specialized issues that they care about.
Public Opinion
Once people start paying attention to issues, they usually start forming an
opinion about them. Public opinion is the view that a significant part of
the public has about an issue. Public opinion is measured by polls, which
are surveys that ask people what they think. When you hear things like
Two-thirds of Americans oppose or A majority of Americans believe
you are hearing the results of public opinion polls. It is important to
remember that no poll actually surveys every single person in America.
Polls take a sample, anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand
people, who are representative of the nation as a whole.
?
?!
Public Sphere
Public Agenda
Public Policy
Public Policy and the Public Sphere

Public policy is the stand the government takes on an issue. The
governments stand on an issue affects the laws it passes and the
actions it takes. But how does the government decide where to stand?
One influence is the public agenda. If a huge proportion of society is
talking about an issue, the government is likely to pay attention and do
something about that issue.
What, exactly, will the government do? That depends partly on public
opinion. Remember that our government is made up of people who
represent us. Those people, your senators and representatives, listen to
what the public thinks. If a senator learns that three quarters of the
voters in her district are against something, the senator will probably
work against it on their behalf. If polls show most Americans favor
something, Congress may feel bold enough to pass a law favoring that
thing, or the president may take action to promote it. This does not
mean the government is a slave to public opinion polls. Public policy is
influenced by many factors, but in a country where voters decide who
gets to be in government and who doesnt, the public sphere can have a
big impact on government.
Reading p.2

Public Sphere Readings

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Public Sphere Readings

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Public Sphere Readings

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Public Sphere

What is the Public Sphere?

Where is the Public Sphere?

The Public Agenda

Who Sets the Public Agenda?

The Public Sphere

(continued from last page)

Singer Beyonc uses her celebrity to

Sometimes public attention focuses on a person or event that does

Public Policy and the Public Sphere

You might also like