Page 148 - Historical Dictionary of Political Communication in the United States

STEINEM,
a
so
an
reality of GLORIA MARIE that the political candidate or incumbent is seen in 137
event
positive light.
SOURCE: Jay M. Shafritz, The HarperCollins Dictionary of American Government and
Politics, 1988.
Jacqueline Nash Gifford
SPIRAL OF SILENCE. In the early 1970s, Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann coined
the term "spiral of silence" to describe her theory of the formation of public
opinion. Based on the notion that humans strive to avoid social isolation, the
theory maintains that humans observe the "climate of opinion" by sensing
whether their position on an important issue is gaining or losing favor. Willing-
ness to speak out, the theory holds, depends on the popularity of one's position.
Those sensing that their position is weakening will clam up, encouraging others
to take the same view, resulting in a spiral of silence, regardless of the merits
or real strength of the position. According to Noelle-Neumann, much of a per-
son's information about public opinion comes from the mass media, thereby
giving them a powerful role in the formation of public opinion. Besides being
a readily available and convenient source of information about the climate of
public opinion, the media are said to share three important characteristics that
contribute to their influence: cumulation, ubiquity, and consonance. The media
are everywhere, reinforcing the same message, day after day. Noelle-Neumann,
a professor of communication research at the University of Mainz, Germany,
has used her theory to predict successfully the outcome of elections in Germany
since 1972.
SOURCE: Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, The Spiral of Silence: Public Opinion—Our So-
cial Skin, 1984.
Dominic L. Lasorsa

STEINEM, GLORIA MARIE (1934- ) cofounded Ms magazine in 1972. She
edited it and considered it her primary commitment for 17 years. Ms brought a
feminist perspective to contemporary issues and events and set a trend for similar
emerging magazines. The magazine offered a large "letters to the editor" sec-
tion, which served as a public forum for those who felt they had no other outlet
for commentary. The magazine was bought by Australian feminists, who then
sold it to Lang Communications, which agreed to publish it as an advertising-
free (reader-supported) magazine. Steinem also helped to found New York mag-
azine, where she was a political columnist.
Following her graduation (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Smith
College in 1956, she worked as a freelance writer publishing articles in news-
papers. In the 1960s she was active in the women's liberation movement and
was frequently chosen by the media to be its spokesperson, which earned her
some resentment from the radical members of the movement because they did
not regard her as representative. In the early 1970s, she was one of the founders