Term paper on Politics And The Media

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Presidential Candidates Bush And Gore
Albert Gore is the 45th vice president of the United States. He was educated at Harvard University and Vanderbilt University Law school. In 1977, Gore was elected to the office of US representative from Tennessee. After seven years he became the state's US senator. He lost the election in 1988 when

Jew
What Do Jews Believe? Level: Basic This is a far more difficult question than you might expect. Judaism has no dogma, no formal set of beliefs that one must hold to be a Jew. In Judaism, actions are far more important than beliefs, although there is certainly a place for belief within Judaism.

Politics and the media have long been intimately involved with each other, with media

strongly setting an agenda in which politics is very important. (Harris 1999,p.167) "Our

perceived reality of the real world is largely a product of the media." (Harris 1999,p.186)

It is not known which influences more but there are definitely two sides to the story.

Many studies have been done to decide but each comes out with different answers. Many

say that the media has more of an impact on politics than does politics on the media. "The

two have always been natural adversaries." "Skewering each other in print and in

conversation, but generally enjoying each other's company. (Forum)

It is the role of the mass media to keep the general public informed and up to date with

current news and events in their community, state, country, and around the world. In

politics the media can either build or damage a political figure by changing the public's

opinion. Many people depend heavily on television as their source of information where

they see or hear about political issues, events, and policies because television is the single

most powerful medium of global communication and nightly newscasts are the most

frequently watched source of information for the public. (Forum) The mass media is

everywhere we turn, from television sets, to airwaves, to print, and even the Internet.

In their role, are they actually giving us the right message or is it a rumor, which you

often see in tabloids in which it is created just to sell? 75% of the public believes that the

top priority of the media is to find and report important information on public issues.

Approximately 18% say that it is to give readers and viewers what they ask for. Less than

6% say that it should be for profit. (Forum) The Forum Magazine (September 1994) also

discussed a survey done by Kees, a former executive editor of The Fresno Bee, and

Phillips former chief of staff of the Republican National Committee. The survey results

found many accusations were made about the media. They were more interested in

sensationalism than issue, they were political insider's who can't report fairly, they didn't

understand the real issues facing the country, they underestimate the public's taste, and

they conspire to disgrace politicians. On the other hand the survey also accused the

politicians of wrongful doings. It was stated that they waste taxpayers money on perks,

listen to consultants and not the public, listen to the public only when running for office,

gain support by promising jobs, and become corrupt. In this situation both have been

affected.

The media frames many issues, which are the central organizing idea for making

sense of relevant events, and suggesting what is at issue. News and information has no

basic value unless implanted in a meaningful context, which organizes and provides it with

logic. It shapes the way the public understands the cause and the solutions to political

problems. (London)

The Media also sets the agenda. Many believe that this is against the democratic

process. They determine what people believe to be important issues. When the media

focuses on a problem, the public's opinions on that problem then become altered and this

is also true for the president. The president reacts by responding to changes in attention

to the media. The media has a strong influence on the policy agenda of public officials.

The public's familiarity with political matters is closely related to the amount and extent of

their attention to certain issues received in the mass media. (Edwards 1999, p.328) From

this one can say that the media does in fact have the winning hand. "They may not be

successful us what to think, but they are successful in telling us what to think about."

(London) Television coverage can affect many attitudes of the public on the importance

of certain issues so it should be quite important to public officials to put those on their

agenda.

The president is also said to be the agenda setter. "No other single actor can focus

attention as clearly, or change the motivations of such a great number of others, as the

president." (Edwards 1999, p.327) Yet others believe that it is the way in which his

overall agenda is presented to the public and that is done by the media. There is still

argument for both sides but leaning more towards the media.

Presidential elections, campaigns, and policies have always been important in the

media and to the public. The media creates a political world that is the basis of the

public's knowledge and the later behavior, such as voting for the president or any public

official. The themes and issues that are repeated in the media become important to

viewers. Those that are highlighted become especially influential when it comes to

choosing a candidate. The media affects evaluations of presidents. Presidential approval

is strongly influenced by how the media portrays the candidate to the public. For example,

during the Gulf War, George Bush received bad publicity based on his performance with

the war even though his prior economic performance was exceptional. (Edwards 1999,

p329) The values in which people used to evaluate him on were influenced by what the

media had to say. Particular televised political advertising, televised candidate events.

And news articles also affect the preferences and opinions of the voters. For example,

Bob Dole in the 1996 election. His age arose early from the media. During the primary

election, over 800 news stories dealt with Dole's age. His medical examinations were

brought to attention by the media. Televised networks covered a lot about his age during

his 73rd birthday. This just goes to show that the media were wrong in conveying an

appropriate understanding of the issues involved. The media did not fully understand the

implications behind electing a senior citizen and if they did it was not brought to the

public's attention, as it should have been. Age was not seen as affecting his behavior,

analytic ability, concentration, and memory. (Abrams 1998,p.481) It is not truly known

whether his age would have been a matter of consequence in the election, but the media

certainly didn't help it out any.

Campaign information affects voters' issue preferences, candidate evaluations, and

the likelihood of voting. Exposure, reception, and acceptance all play a role in this

gathering of campaign information and in the voter perception. Exposure involves one

physical proximity to a message. Reception involves actually getting or taking in a

message. Lastly acceptance involves allowing the information contained within the

message to influence one's preference, opinion, or attitude. (Shaw 1999,p.347) The more

campaign ads seen and the amount of campaigning covered also has a greater effect on the

voter turnout and the information gathered about the candidates and the issues.

Campaigns are used to prime the voter's perceptions of politics and their candidate

preferences. "To a considerable degree the art of politics in a democracy is the art of

determining which issue dimensions are of major interest to the public or can be made

salient in order to win public support." (London )

Many times the media often bring up the worst in...