"What role does, and (what) role should the media play in choosing our candidates for national office? This is a question that should be asked more than it is." PA

"The use of media began back in 55 B.C., when the first written tablet The Actus Diurnus was published. This was a daily written spectacle which was printed during the time of Julius Caesar's empire, and hung in the forum to detail daily happenings." OH

"Media, noun, (1) a channel of communication; (2) a publication of broadcast that carries advertising." SD

"The media is playing the role it should in choosing our candidates for national office. They provide live political debates on TV, and they provide daily updates on the candidates on the news. This is the only role the media should play in choosing our candidates for national office." OH

"When pondering the role of the media in elections, it is of significance to examine its historical ramifications. During the French Enlightenment, the philosophers Locke, Rousseau, and others, through the media, laid the framework for the American, and later the French Revolutions. The media was, in essence, the bellows that fanned the flame for the American insurrection. James Madison's toil in the passage of the Bill of Rights was a direct correlation to his belief in the principle of the free press. That the media could influence elections was undoubtedly realized by our forefathers and deemed to be acceptable and necessary." MO

"What is the role of the media in politics, and for that matter, society today? That is a good question. But first, we should try to get a feel for what its role was in the past. It served as an informer of the people, as an aide to the public, and it did not serve as a political indicator." MD

"The media's role in my view is to inform the public, not to be used as a tool for advertisement." MN

"The original intent behind forming the media was to inform the public of the events and people that surround them in their world everyday." IL

"The media's goal should be this: not to print any information that does not directly relate to a candidate's ability to execute the duties of the office for which (he is) running." OR

"The truth should be revealed and nothing kept hidden. The media should be an institution separate from all outside influences. All opinions should be labeled as such. . ." CA

"While I agree that the media plays a vital role in providing its readers and viewers with information, freedom of the press as mandated by the Constitution provides a license to paint either a positive or negative image of people. The power of the media cannot and should not be underestimated for it has many times made the difference in the selection of candidates for public office. The media today plays an even greater role in that it provides instantaneous information which can help modify the position that people will take in the voting process." NY

"It's (the media's) job to inform and educate the public on not only the issues of importance but also on the persons running for office." KS

"We are a society raised on TV's images, bombarded by them since infancy. And whether accurate or inaccurate, it is what most voters rely on to choose their president." KY

"To compare it, journalism to other news makes the question should the media persuade or inform? Absurd. Weather reports are given by journalists. The report gives you the information that tells you how to dress or what appointments to make. It's not the job of the weather man to convince people what clothes to wear or appointments to cancel. It's his job to provide the information needed." MD

"The media's most difficult role is that of a governmental watchdog. Watergate and other political dramas are proof that without the media being there justice would not be served." IL

"But after years of being barraged by the media telling us everything that is wrong with the candidates and nothing is right, the public might decide: 'Fine, if they are not worth it, then neither is my vote.' Who will lead us then? Instead of perpetuating the cynicism of the American people, as far as government is concerned, the media should give us hope for the future. Instead of saying: 'Here you go, you have to choose between these losers, who all favor the status quo, and no matter which way you go, you lose.' Give us knowledge that the American Dream is still alive and kicking and this or that candidate is ready to give it to us." IN

"The media should inform the public on election topics by covering all of the candidates on all levels, not just presidential, and also through objective fact reporting and overall fact accuracy...the media should become an unbiased, reliable, knowledgeable source for people to turn to for election issue information." MD

"The media does not like to be manipulated. Try to step on its toes and it throws freedom of the press in your face. But what happens when the manipulator is manipulated? You have political coverage. Politics manipulates the media. The media and politicians, especially in national matters, are co-dependent. The media depends on politicians to create 'news,' the politicians depend on the press to report 'news.' One role of the media in choosing our candidates is one of manipulation." PA

"Reporters, newscasters and authors are human also. They will have opinions concerning their choice for a leader, but it is their job to monitor these and not let them appear in factual broadcasts or articles." KS

"When this nation was young...The American people knew little about many of the men they elected or their policies, but these men had proven themselves on the battlefield or in some other fashion." CA

"Any survey will support the fact that today's public knows much more about their candidates than the common man of 100 to 200 years ago knew about theirs." OK

"The media should report the stories that the American people need to know, not what the American people want to hear." MD

"The newspaper should not be considered a reliable source of facts. The newspaper, more or less, can be used as a paper to open one's eyes to different angles that may not be so apparent to the readers." IL

"...the media controls the appearance of everything it shows; its purpose is to inform and influence. While it is a major resource for marketing and communication, it can also become a dangerous weapon. When a society such as ours revolves mainly around the media, the people can be easily misled." OH

"In my opinion, the role the media should take in national elections should be very little, if any at all." PA

"The Watergate proceedings and the media's role in the bloodless coup of the Nixon administration was undoubtedly the media at its best. A corrupt government was undermined by two members of the press. In All the President's Men, one can see how a single newspaper, The Washington Post, changed the course of the political proceedings in this nation." MO

"The media is the bridge of information that crosses between the candidates for national office and the public...The media would not be so powerful if it were not the only link that most Americans have to politics. KY

"I agree that everyone should have freedom of speech and freedom of the press, but this selection process is not a job for the media. It is much too persuasive. The media should present equal information, good or bad, about every candidate and not show any favoritism." PA

"Although it is impossible, the media should be offering equal time and nonbiased coverage of all candidates" CA.

"It would be more beneficial to us if the media attempted to be as objective as possible, and focused on what our candidates could do for the nation, and their significant credentials, rather than biased, irrelevant facts - or allegations." NH

"If a paper only did what it had to, it would report only the bare facts. But if it did what it should it would report everything it could to get a rounded, equal view of the issue. An example is: A reporter stated that a girl is 17 years old, attends Bloomfield High School and is a senior. Another reporter, speaking of the same girl, states that a 17 year old senior at Bloomfield High School, has good grades and is very active in many activities. The first reporter told the facts, which is OK. But the second told the facts and a few more details to give you a better picture." IN

"Reported news should not be acepted blindly and at face value. There must be, however, a point at which we stop our questioning, because, if there is no such point, we will never find any answers to believe in the end; the questioning will go on and on." OH

"If the media gives only the facts and nothing else, it forces the people to think and form their own opinions based on those facts and therefore vote intelligently." IL