Political Advertising and Media Coverage TV Or Not TV; That Is The Question

"The role of the politician is to try and manipulate the media, and if they succeed in this then the media tries to manipulate us." PA

"Before television or even radio, people voted for the President of the United States based only on information distributed by newspapers or word of mouth. This has a definite upside. The voting public usually didn't have a clue how the candidates looked or sounded. In this era appearance isn't everything, but . . . ." OR

"Because the media are our only source of information, they control our views of each and every candidate and, in essence, control our votes. The media dictate the entire election. Therefore, we must ask ourselves how fair the media are in presenting those facts to us." AR

"It is believed that television changes political judgments from thoughtful consideration of issues to emotional responses based on images. Today the looks of a candidate, their family life and their past history are the important issues rather than the growth of the country, jobs, taxes, budget, the federal deficit, and health care." KS

". . . More focus is needed on the candidates themselves, not on where those candidates are campaigning. There should also be coverage of the issues the candidates believe in, not on how many crowds of people the candidates spoke to that day. The media should not only cover the candidates' past deeds, but instead should be asking, 'What are your plans if you get into office, and exactly how do you intend to execute these plans?'" PA

"Candidates must spend their time and attention on their image, not their views. If a candidate simply says what the media wants, he has a very good chance of being elected, regardless of his views; for if he has the image the media wants, they will portray him in a better light than a candidate who does not play up to the media." SD

"(Television can present a) false sense of reality. A candidate (may be shown) as a drug abuser, when in truth he may have only tried a drug once in high school or college. This results in destruction of the public's trust and admiration, and diminishes his electability. It can also work the other way." KY

"The voter may be voting for a totally fictional character which the media has created." KS

"Graber explains that candidates must possess the ability to perform well in front of a camera. Recently, television advisors have joined political staffs to train candidates. People who have performed in front of a camera previously may be more likely to succeed in an election." OR

"Another consequence of mass media, particularly television, has been its influence on the kinds of persons seeking political office. To run for public office, one must be photogenic. This was certainly helpful to Ronald Reagan, who was used to being, and thus comfortable, before the camera. Governor Bayhe is certainly a nice-looking fellow who presents himself well before the press. Lindley Pearson may not have made such a favorable visual image as did Indiana's current governor. One could only imagine how today's voters would view the television image of the homely Abraham Lincoln or the blunt Harry Truman. Thanks to television coverage, campaigns have taken on some features of a beauty contest, issues taking a backseat to images." IN

"(The experience of) political consultants'.. . has been in the fields of advertising and public relations, both heavily dependent on using the mass media, and not in the organizations and activities of political parties. . . political consultants have also entirely replaced party politicians as the top organizers and strategists." OH

"In a political campaign, the candidate who will win the election is the person who has learned to play the game with the rules that the media has set. . . . the candidates must learn to deal with all aspects, positive or negative, that may cross his or her campaign trail. In a presidential election, it is especially crucial for the candidate to demonstrate that he or she is capable of dealing with situations that may seem beyond control." OR

"Television commercials project what the political campaigns want the public to see. They glamorize the candidates and make them believable. The influence of television advertising is unbelievable in that the people blindly follow what the ads are telling them." CA

". . . it may just be that the candidate has certain interests in common with the reporter or the candidate may have that thing called charisma. Some candidates may simply be better at keeping themselves in the public eye. Regardless of why a candidate receives more attention, the important thing is that his name becomes widely recognized. This may be the most important aspect of a campaign and whether it be an interview on his political views or a home video of him walking his dog, what matters is his name and/or his face is in the news." OH

"In this day and age, a candidate's major source of publicity is the media; it's simply the only way to reach a significant number of voters easily. If a candidate wants to have any chance of winning an election, he must play the media game and play it well. Perhaps the most difficult task a candidate faces is that of being seen and heard." PA

"Many candidates received no name recognition. People are most concerned about the candidates for the President of the United States and much less concerned about the candidates for Congress. The candidates for national office, other than President, attract much less attention from the media. Therefore, people are much less informed about their national representatives. More time on television and radio and more space in newspapers should be devoted to the Congressional candidates." MD

"Sen. Robert Byrd has been re-elected every election due to the fact that most voters in West Virginia are familiar with his name." WV

"Most voters vote for a candidate they have never met. Many people vote for a candidate just because they have heard his name, or have heard something good about him, and not because of his views on important issues. A candidate needs to be well liked by the press, so he can continue getting beneficial coverage, and as a result the public will suport him. For these reasons the candidates have to be very careful what they say to the media respresentatives." OH

"Almost everything a candidate does is planned so that when clips of him are shown on the evening news the visuals and 'soundbites' are perfect. These soundbites are so well designed that no matter what a newscaster might say about the clip, the idea the candidate wanted to get across to the public does so through the visuals." KY

"Campaign strategists see the United States as an electoral vote grid, overlaid by the television news outlets that serve the most important states. Different messages are targeted to different areas of the country, depending on what the people there feel most strongly about." OH

"The media might actually influence people not to run for an office if there is very much negativity aimed at that person." WV

"The media may turn back a candidate's decision to continue to run for office even though he or she may make a difference for the better for the country and for all Americans as well." PA

"Who gave them the right to control the news; only allowing certain material to be said about certain persons? I ask this because today's media coverage has completely changed society's views of all campaigns. . . . The media has made the Presidential campaign a living nightmare for all participants." NY

"Not only does the media have the power to humiliate a candidate, but it also has the power to ignore a candidate." OH

"I believe that the media contributes to dishonesty in elections. It does not show the public the real prospective candidates. Instead, the press shows the candidates it wants us to see. This, in turn, forces candidates to keep trying to 'catch up.' It makes candidates feel compelled to make promises they cannot keep, which makes for a ruined and dishonest election." OK

"In this age of MTV, it is the visuals that people tune in to. It is not the words coming out of the candidate's mouth we key on but rather the flag he is waving in his hand." KY

". . . we choose the single most powerful person in our nation, through only an illusion of who this person actually is." KS

"President Gerald Ford tripped once and the former football player (Michigan) and an active skier became a clumsy fool all because of the media." CA

"Publicity in itself is not difficult to achieve, but sometimes the right kind is very hard to receive." MD

"During Franklin Roosevelt's presidency, photographers were stopped from showing him in his wheelchair. During the Kennedy years, reporters decided to keep the President's bedroom exploits secret." OR

"The media, in cooperation with the candidates themselves, has also perfected some effective techniques of manipulation, or as they like to call it, 'character-building.' Two of these techniques are photo opportunities and sound bites. Photo opportunities involve having the candidates pose in flattering positions that present them as patriotic, or supportive of certain issues." KS

"We (student's class) asked a Channel 20 local news station manager if they control what is said. One comment we received was, 'We can't control what the candidates say, but we can take out anything and air anything we want.' Media could favor a candidate by doing this." IL

"In man to man fights with reporters, politicians always lose." PA