- How to do an adwatch
- Why challenging inaccuracies can help and hurt candidates
- Why the media exploit campaign blunders
- How television changed politics
- Strengths & weaknesses of ads, news, and debates
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Study guide under construction (4/30)
News and Advertising in the Political Campaign
News and Advertising in Political Campaigns
Media critiquing "Celebrity" ad
Howard Dean in Iowa (2004)
Nixon-Kennedy televised debate
Howard Dean in Iowa (2004)
Nixon-Kennedy televised debate
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Final project presentation
Students will share the major findings from their projects in 5-minute oral presentations in class on Tuesday, May 5 and Thursday, May 7. These presentations should be extemporaneous in format.*
* Prepare an outline to organize and guide your talk (so you don't ramble), but don't read the outline line by line.
Presentation order for Tuesday, May 5
Your presentation should contain:Email me or stop by during office hours if you have questions or would like additional guidance.
- An introduction
- An explanation of why you selected the topic
- A discussion of 3 or 4 of your most interesting findings (don't try to share every result; you won't have time!)
- Speculation on what may have influenced your survey respondents (media, sampling technique, how questions were worded, etc.)
- A conclusion
* Prepare an outline to organize and guide your talk (so you don't ramble), but don't read the outline line by line.
Presentation order for Tuesday, May 5
1. Lindsey
2. Jessica
3. Amy
4. Paul
5. Amanda
6. Tomi
7. Stephanie
8. Sarah
9. Andi
10. Ali
11. Lauren
12. Josh
Presentation order for Thursday, May 7
1. Katie
2. I-chieh
3. Amber
4. Larissa
5. Kaylyn
6. Casey
7. Amelia
8. Michael
9. Rebecca
10. Annie
11. Erin
12. Heather
Study guide under construction (4/28)
News and Advertising in the Political Campaign
- How the press used to treat gap between image and reality (versus how they treat it now)
- How campaigns blur the distinction between news and their political ads (+ why they do this)
- How media's focus on tactics, major candidates, and past political figures impacts politics
- How campaigns use media to preempt criticism, create “backlash,” or mount last-minute attacks
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Final Disscussion Question
Politicians like to create events that give credibility to their stances on public issues. These events are known as Pseudo-Events. The book mentions on pages 319-320 three specific examples of candidates using Pseudo-Events to manipulate the media and the voting public.
The best example is Sen. John Kerry who supported an assault weapons ban but also wanted the votes of NRA members during the 2004 election. His campaign team staged a Pseudo-Event where he went pheasant hunting to prove his support of gun owners.
Think of a Pseudo-Event used in the past Presidential election, where a candidate used another person or event to support their political issues. Explain how this event helped shape public opinion about this candidate. Finally, explain how the candidate could have used another Pseudo-Event to improve their standing among the general public
The best example is Sen. John Kerry who supported an assault weapons ban but also wanted the votes of NRA members during the 2004 election. His campaign team staged a Pseudo-Event where he went pheasant hunting to prove his support of gun owners.
Think of a Pseudo-Event used in the past Presidential election, where a candidate used another person or event to support their political issues. Explain how this event helped shape public opinion about this candidate. Finally, explain how the candidate could have used another Pseudo-Event to improve their standing among the general public
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Final DQ
In the first section of this chapter, the authors note that one of the strategies employed by politicians to make their campaign theme more consistent is the controlling of media access. “Public officials routinely control press access and media exposure as best as they can.” (Page 318) As we discussed in class recently, problematic information is usually released to the press after the deadline so that there is significantly less coverage of the information.
An example of limited media access happened during the 2008 Presidential election. After Sarah Palin was presented to the nation as John McCain’s running mate, his team of advisors limited press access to the Vice Presidential candidate. When she met world leaders in New York, media access was very limited and this continued for a while after the GOP Convention.
Is this kind of limitation of media access helpful or detrimental to a political candidate’s campaign? Provide an example to support your answer.
An example of limited media access happened during the 2008 Presidential election. After Sarah Palin was presented to the nation as John McCain’s running mate, his team of advisors limited press access to the Vice Presidential candidate. When she met world leaders in New York, media access was very limited and this continued for a while after the GOP Convention.
Is this kind of limitation of media access helpful or detrimental to a political candidate’s campaign? Provide an example to support your answer.
Study guide under construction (4/23)
How the Internet is Changing Politics
- How the internet can help campaigns
- How the internet can hurt campaigns
- New forms of (viral) political attacks
- How mass media and new media sources ‘fact check’ each other
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Study guide under construction (4/21)
Political versus Product Campaigns
- Political ad types (attack, advocacy, comparison)
- How political ads and product ads are alike (branding, targeting, optimistic framing) and how they are different (time frame, margin of victory, unpaid media coverage)
- What the mass media must do and cannot do with political speech
- McCain-Feingold Act of 2002 (how it limits campaign fundraising)
- How issue advocacy is treated differently than political campaigning (in terms of protections and regulations)
Example of media influence on public opinion
The Reluctant Organ Donor
From the article:
From the article:
Donate Life chairwoman Sara Pace Jones said common misconceptions about organ donation may be due, in part, to inaccurate media portrayals of the process.
“Some fears are perpetuated by dramatic television shows that, because they have to tell a complete story in an hour or less, don’t have time to show the accurate and entire process of donation,” Ms. Pace Jones said. “Many times I have seen a story unfold where the same physician treats the patient when admitted to the hospital, takes them to surgery, pronounces the patient dead, accesses the transplant list and does the organ recovery and transplant. But this is not how the donation process happens. The doctor who is trying to save the life of the injured patient is not the same doctor who recovers organs for transplantation.”
Monday, April 20, 2009
Campaign examples
Daisy Girl (1964)
Willie Horton (1988)
Ashley's Story (2004)
Windsurfing (2004)
Swift Vets (2004)
Wolves (2004)
Fenway (2004)
3 a.m. (2008)
CBS Critiques McCain ad (2008)
ISSUE AND CORPORATE ADVOCACY
Clean Coal Clean (2008)
Exxon Mobil (2008)
Willie Horton (1988)
Ashley's Story (2004)
Windsurfing (2004)
Swift Vets (2004)
Wolves (2004)
Fenway (2004)
3 a.m. (2008)
CBS Critiques McCain ad (2008)
ISSUE AND CORPORATE ADVOCACY
Clean Coal Clean (2008)
Exxon Mobil (2008)
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Larissa's Question
In our textbook, the chapter begins discussing the length of product ads compared to the length of campaign ads. On page 285 it states “contenders are announcing their candidacy earlier than they once did, and speculation about likely presidential candidates begins the day after each inauguration.”
Do you feel campaign ads should be ran as long as product ads? Explain why or why not. How are your perceptions of the candidates influenced by these campaign ads? Please remember to relate your answers back to your experiences and the textbook.
Do you feel campaign ads should be ran as long as product ads? Explain why or why not. How are your perceptions of the candidates influenced by these campaign ads? Please remember to relate your answers back to your experiences and the textbook.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Sarah's discussion question
On page 288 in our text the chapter begins to discuss censorship and how it differs between campaign ads and commercial ads. It states that, "Networks are free to recommend changes in product ads and often do so when, in the judgement of their staff the ads are inaccurate, are in poor taste, or embody negative stereotypes. In contrast, it is illegal to censor a candidate’s political ad. Consequently, material that would never be heard or seen in a commercial ad can be included in a candidate ad."
Do you agree or disagree with this stipulation? Can you think of an example where something was shown in a political ad that would have been regulated if it were a commercial ad? Be sure to back your opinion up with evidence from the text or outside sources.
Do you agree or disagree with this stipulation? Can you think of an example where something was shown in a political ad that would have been regulated if it were a commercial ad? Be sure to back your opinion up with evidence from the text or outside sources.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Study guide under construction (4/16)
How Corporate Power Influences What We See
- Media ownership trend (over the past 25 years)
- The public interest (local, diverse, competition)
- How consolidation has affected news industry
- How consolidation has affected news content
- Pro-business message of most media
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Josh Meyer's DQ
Watch the news tonight and look for advertisements in an actual news broadcast. Choose two and explain the purpose behind them. Then give the target audience and see if there is a correlation to the particular ad being shown. If possible try to trace the company back to it’s parent company.
Discussion Question (Michael)
As stated on page 169 of our reading, "97% of the nation's daily newspapers enjoy a local newspaper monopoly." Additionally, the chapter refers to many instances of corporate controlled news.
Use evidence from the reading and your own opinion to explain why or why not monopolies are a good thing in the newspaper/news distributing industry. Possible inclusions may be employment, the desire for the truth, monetary cost, Federal laws concerning monopolies, and many more.
Don't be afraid to dream up something big. Enjoy...
Use evidence from the reading and your own opinion to explain why or why not monopolies are a good thing in the newspaper/news distributing industry. Possible inclusions may be employment, the desire for the truth, monetary cost, Federal laws concerning monopolies, and many more.
Don't be afraid to dream up something big. Enjoy...
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Study guide under construction (4/14)
Influencing the News Media
- How deadlines can be used to influence coverage of issues
- The strategic release of information & VNRs
- Why powerful language/symbols are both necessary and risky
- How financial pressure influences news coverage
- How political pressure affects type and amount of information made available to the public
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Amber's Question
In chapter 4, starting on page 129, of The Interplay of Influence, the use of language and symbols through the media are mentioned. Symbols and language have much power over what a reader or viewer thinks. Newspaper headlines are visual, but television news is visual and narrative. Events such as political campaigns focus on the language and symbols used to catch the audience's attention. Describe a time or times when you noticed the use of powerful language or symbols on television or in the newspaper to sway an audience. Use examples from the book to back up your experience(s).
DQ for April 14th
In chapter 4 (on page 124) Bill Green starts to explain the meaning of on the record, off the record, and other systems that reporters use to collect information. He says these systems are necessary to receive information, but readers may begin to question the credibility of the source. Later on, the book mentions "readers and viewers are asked to trust reporters and to take their news judgments on faith". Do you fully trust the media? Why or why not?! Bring in outside examples and explain your reasoning with statements from the book
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Study guide under construction (4/9)
News as Persuasion
- News as neutral view of reality vs. News as persuasion
- How elements of form affect framing of news stories
- Why 24-hour news cycles, deadlines, and competition create inaccuracies/incompleteness
- How the language selected to report stories reflects ideological bias
- Why the media censors itself on certain issues
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