Public opinion forms only through discussion, not correct representations

Evidence

Public opinion is not formed when individuals possess correct representations of the environment, even if correct representations were possible. It is formed only in discussion, when it is made active in community life. Although news suffers from many of the deficiencies Lippmann cites, its major deficiency is not its failure to represent. The line between an adequate image and a stereotype is impossible to draw anyway. The purpose of news is not to represent and inform but to signal, tell a story, and activate inquiry. — James W. Carey, Communication as Culture- Essays on…, 372

Categorization

• DEFINE: Core definition of Dewey’s participatory model of public opinion and news as activating inquiry.
• XREF: Directly parallels Carey’s ritual view of communication as opposed to the transmission view. — connects to: The public sphere collapses when the public becomes a statistical artifact — James W. Carey, Communication as Culture- Essays on…, 647; The spectator theory of knowledge denies the public a creative role — James W. Carey, Communication as Culture- Essays on…, 374; Representation metaphors suited to small assertions fail on large debatable ones (+8 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — James W. Carey, Communication as Culture- Essays on…, 372

Broader Connections

• The spectator theory of knowledge denies the public a creative role #corroborates (0.85) — James W. Carey, Communication as Culture- Essays on…, 374
• Thought is primarily public and social, not private #expands (0.80) — James W. Carey, Communication as Culture- Essays on…, 200
• Representation metaphors suited to small assertions fail on large debatable ones #corroborates (0.75)
• Collective public commitment dissolves pluralistic ignorance by revealing shared doubt #complicates (0.55) — , The Rod and the Child, 7371