 Think about an political ad, speech, comedic or news commentary you recently saw.  Did it influence you?  What role do you think the media plays in politics?

ROLE OF THE MEDIA HOW DOES THE MEDIA REPORT ON POLITICS? “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” “I am not a crook.” “Read my lips- NO NEW TAXES.” “Building a bridge to the twenty-first century.” “Fuzzy Math.” Answer: The Media takes a long speech and cuts it down into Little SNIPITS. SOUND BITES: A small portion of a speech that is reported on TV, radio or print.*The average sound bites is 7 seconds long, followed by 30 seconds of __commentary___. What assumptions does the media make about it’s viewer? *Public is too DUMB *Public’s attention is to SHORT What is the impact of sounds bites? *Don’t receive comprehensive information *it is easy to distort the actual meaning of what was said.

ROLE OF THE MEDIA  HOW DO POLITICIAN “WORK” THE MEDIA? “time to kiss the babies……”  PHOTO OP: Staged event so that a politician can be seen by voters in A particular way. EX. Front-page picture of Obama eating chicken Wings at Duffs restaurant. Technique?EX. Front-page picture of Obama eating chicken Wings at Duffs restaurant. Technique?  FREE MEDIA: Media coverage of a candidate/politician for which there is NO COST Advantage?+++Disadvantage? FREEEEEEE NO CONTROL over messageFREEEEEEE NO CONTROL over message Ex. Obama appears on “Saturday Night Live”Ex. Obama appears on “Saturday Night Live”  PAID MEDIA: Media coverage paid for by a CANDIDATE, his or her CAMPAIGN or a POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PAC) Advantage? Disadvantage?Advantage? Disadvantage? TOTAL CONTROL Cost tons of $$$$TOTAL CONTROL Cost tons of $$$$ Ex. Obama is on all three networks during Primetime for a 30 minute info-mercial.

ROLE OF THE MEDIA The 4 th Branch of Gov’t DRAMAFRONT PAGE INFOLEAD STORY ISSUESCOVER MEDIA IS THE LENSE It Filters WHAT we SEE! POPULATION-US

ROLE OF THE MEDIA  Propaganda Techniques  TESTIMONIAL - ENDORSEMENT from celebrities and other well known people.  MUDSLINGING - Often referred to as a “ATTACK AD” the TV, radio. And a “ATTACK AD” the TV, radio. And print advertising make assertion about the opponent. Sometimes know as NAME CALLING intended to create a NEGATIVE impression of one’s opponent.  TRANSFER - Use of popular SYMBOL to create a positive connotation for the candidate or the use of a NEGATIVE symbol to create a negative connotation of the OPPONENT.

ROLE OF THE MEDIA  CARD STACKING- Use of STATS or DATA often in a one-sided manner; OMMISSION of information that is crucial to drawing an informed conclusion.  PLAIN FOLKS An attempt by a CANDIDATE to appeal to the AVERAGE voter as just “ ONE OF US ”  GLITTERING GENERALITIES- They are types of ads that almost always are very POSITIVE. Designed to leave the viewer with a very good FIRST impression.  BANDWAGON -Similar to card staking, this is an attempt to convey  a sense of momentum and a ­­­EVERYONE IS DOING IT attitude ­­­EVERYONE IS DOING IT attitude