[单项选择]In a democratic society citizens are encouraged to form their own opinions on candidates for public office, taxes, constitutional amendments, environmental concerns, foreign policy, and other issues. The opinions held by any population are shaped and manipulated by several factors: individual circumstances, the mass media, special-interest groups, and opinion leaders.
Wealthy people tend to think differently on social issues from poor people. Factory workers probably do not share the same views as white-collar, nonunion workers. Women employed outside their homes sometimes have perspectives different from those of full-time homemakers. In these and other ways individual status shapes one’s view of current events.
The mass media, especially television, are powerful influences on the way people think and act. Government officials note how mail from the public tends to "follow the headlines. " Whatever is featured in newspapers and magazines and on television attracts enough att
A. the forces that influence people’s opinions.
B. the freedom of speech in a democratic society.
C. the necessity to uphold one’s own opinion on an issue.
D. the techniques of talking to a large audience via the mass media.