Think
about where you get your news from. There's a lot of it out
there.
(See for example: Todd Gitlin. MEDIA UNLIMITED: How the Torrent of
Images
and Sounds Overwhelms Our Lives. Metropolitan Books, March
2002).
As a news consumer you should try to avail yourself of a number of
different
sources, including from time to time some you might not normally look
at.
Read, view or listen with a critical eye and ear and consider how well
the story portrays the reality of a situation or event.
Among the factors
that affect
the quality and quantity of news and election coverage a particular
outlet
presents are the available resources (financial, talent, equipment, and
commitment), the needs of advertisers and the audience, established
news
practices, habits and conventions, the peculiarities of individual
media,
and technology. Thus a local newspaper has a set of strengths and
weaknesses that differ from those of a major network. Depending
on
the ideological biases of the publisher and the editorial staff,
information
may also be slanted toward or against various viewpoints. (See Media
Research Center and Media
Matters
for America). And, while the major party
candidates are guaranteed coverage, even of their trivial activities,
third
party candidates typically have a hard time getting coverage.
(See Ron Paul statement).
For any given
medium, information
about the campaign can be packaged in a variety of ways. For
example,
on a network there are the flagship evening newscasts, morning shows,
magazine
programs, Sunday morning newsmaker programs, occasional specials, and
so
forth. Similarly, in a newspaper one finds hard news articles,
news
analysis, long features, lighter, "Style"-type pieces, photographs,
columns,
editorials, and editorial cartoons.
Just as campaigns
vie for
support from voters, news organizations seek to gain loyalty of
viewers,
readers and surfers. Promos in their own pages or broadcasts, or
ads placed in other media highlight programming and personalities and
establish
brand identity.
A campaign
unfolds along
a fixed chronological path, with clear markers along the way, and there
are only so many approaches a news organization can take in covering
it.
There are, however, huge differences in the quality and consistency of
coverage.
Organization and Focus
For many news
organizations,
the election may not be a major focus until Election Day
approaches.
Stories about the campaign appear haphazardly here and there. A
news
organization can help its readers or viewers better understand the
campaign
if it provides some order to its coverage, for example by running its
campaign
stories in a consistent place or on specific days of the week and by
using
a recognizable graphic to draw attention to them. Regular series
of articles can also helpful.
Candidate Profiles
At different stages
in the
campaign, many news organizations will run in-depth profiles of the
major
candidates. A first set of candidate portraits typically appears
early in the campaign, perhaps a couple of months before the Iowa and
New
Hampshire contests. After the primaries are over, heading into
the
conventions, the soon-to-be nominees are profiled again. Finally,
toward the close of the fall campaign, a news organization may choose
to
run a final profile. A noteworthy example from television is
Frontline's
"The Choice." Writing or producing a candidate profile is a real
art. Consider what anecdote is used to begin the profile, who
among
the candidate's realm of acquaintances is interviewed, what images are
used, and how well the profile captures the essence of the
subject.
Issues
It is relatively
easy to
report on campaign strategies and tactics, daily charges and
countercharges
and the latest poll results. More difficult is the task of
explaining
"the issues" in a fresh and understandable way. To untangle
complex
problems such as retirement security or tax policy, to lay out the
candidates'
proposals for addressing them, and to make it all relevant requires a
great
deal of research and thought from the reporter. Even after all
that
work, readers may, given human nature, skip over the well-written story
on trade policy to find out about the most recent candidate
controversy.
Polling
The media are firmly
addicted
to polls and devote substantial resources to conducting them.
Political
reporters argue that polling data can suggest stories. For
example
if poll numbers show a candidate is weak among particular demographic
groups,
the reporter might do a story about why this is so. Sometimes
however
it seems that reporting poll numbers is a substitute for providing
explanation
of complex issues. Horserace coverage adds nothing to
understanding
of the candidates and issues.
Ad Watches
Given the importance
of
TV advertising in modern-day campaigns, many news organizations now run
ad watches. These analyze the accuracy and fairness of
candidates'
claims and may provide broader information about where an ad fits in a
campaign's strategy. Ad watches have generally had a positive
effect.
Campaigns now release their ads with documented fact sheets.
However,
in the case of emotion- tugging "feel good" ads, doing an ad watch may
be comparable to trying to dissect a soap bubble.
On the Scene
In the fall, the major
party campaigns will typically institute a "protective pool"
arrangement to ensure that reporters will be on hand to cover any
activities by the candidate. The same kind of arrangement is in
place
to cover the President at the White House. The Obama campaign
instituted a protective pool on June 29, 2008; and the McCain campaign
started the arrangement on August 3, 2008. The McCain protective
pool
includes three wire reporters (AP, Reuters and Bloomberg), a wire
photographer (AP), a TV crew of three (rotation among ABC, CBS, CNN,
FOX and NBC), and a newspaper print reporter.
Media on Media
A number of news
organizations
have writers or reporters who focus specifically on media, or even on
media
and politics. This type of reporting can be quite enlightening,
reminding
the audience that news presents only a version of reality; it is the
product
of many individuals' efforts and perceptions. As another example,
some newspapers have a weekly "Magazine Reader" type section which
draws
attention to feature articles; this can be an invaluable service for
busy
readers.
Endorsements
In the closing month
of
the campaign, many newspapers make endorsements. Newspaper
endorsements
may cause a significant difference in less-publicized races where
voters
are not familiar with the candidates or the specifics of a ballot
initiative,
but at the presidential level they probably do not have much
impact.
That is not to say a newspaper endorsement has no effect. When
candidates
are striving for credibility in the pre-primary period or the early
primaries
or seeking to persuade swing voters in the fall a newspaper endorsement
may count for something. A newspaper's endorsement is generally
decided
by the editorial board, although sometimes the publisher may weigh
in.
Some newspapers have a policy of not making endorsements, at least at
the
presidential level. Examining the reasoning used in various
papers'
endorsements can offer clear insights into the candidates' strengths
and
weaknesses. Primary
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Many Other Aspects
There are many other
aspects
of campaign coverage to consider. As an exercise, take a specific
campaign event, such as a speech or a rally, and compare how a number
of
different news organizations cover it.
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