Elections and the Media

AP U.S. Government and Politics

Unit 4

The News IQ Quiz

• http://pewresearch.org/politicalquiz/

The “Great Communicators”

FDR's Fireside Chat on Backing Up the Banking System

Ronald Reagan's remarks on the Challenger Shuttle explosion

Image is Everything

JFK Nixon Debate

The Shrinking Sound Bite

Sound Bites (3:00) Read my lips: no new taxes (0:45)

The Internet

Fairness Doctrine

• Kucinich Discusses Fairness Doctrine on Lou Dobbs (3:45)

• Bill O'Reilly Attacks the Fairness Doctrine (2:38)

Walter Cronkite’s Commentary

Report from Vietnam (0:55)

Practice FRQ(a) Identify and explain TWO ways in which the modern

media influence each of the following areas of American politics:

• Presidential primary campaigns• Presidential general-election campaigns• The President’s popularity and/or success• Congressional legislative agenda

(b) In your opinion, what has been the most significant development in the way the media affect politics since the start of the 20th century? Explain why you believe it is so significant.

NBC News

• Brian Williams, Nightly News Anchor– interned in the Jimmy Carter administration

• Chuck Todd, Chief White House Correspondent– worked on Senator Tom Harkin’s (Dem-IA) 1992

presidential campaign– his wife is a Democratic party operative

Chris Matthews' thrill up leg (0:30)

ABC News

• Jake Tapper, Chief White House Correspondent– authored Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency

(on the 2000 election)• George Stephanopoulos, Chief Political Correspondent

– served as senior political adviser on Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign

– served as Clinton’s White House Communications Director

Subtle Bias

• In April 2007 at a Republican "Unity Dinner" in Iowa, John McCain stated, “I have a steadfast and strong advocacy and voting record in support of the rights of the unborn.”

• At the same event, Mike Huckabee stated, “I'm not late in declaring that I believe life begins at conception and that we ought to protect human life.”

Subtle Bias

In an article about this event in the New York Times written by Adam Nagourney, it is stated that John McCain and Mike Huckabee “presented themselves as lifelong opponents of abortion rights.” Four times in this article, candidates are characterized as opponents of abortion rights and never as supporters of rights for the unborn.

Associated Press (AP) Stylebook

The entry in the AP stylebook on “abortion” reads:

“Use anti-abortion instead of pro-life and (use) abortion rights instead of pro-abortion or pro-choice.

Avoid abortionist, which connotes a person who performs clandestine abortions.”

2008 Presidential Election:Cable News Coverage

Pew Research Center’s

Project for Excellence in Journalism

MSNBC

MSNBC: Palin

CNN

CNN: Palin

Fox News

Fox: Palin

2008 Election