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

"Leaving out part of a candidate's view or quote to make it say what they want it to say, is one of the main ways in which the media portrays a negative view of the candidate." SD

"As Lewis B. Carroll wrote in Through the Looking Glass, 'No!' said the Queen. 'First the sentence and then the evidence!' 'Nonsense!' cried Alice, so loudly that everybody jumped. 'The idea of having the sentence first!' A simple children's story, actually written for the adult reader, is a parallel to today's presidential campaign. One small scandal is blown out of proportion with little fact to back it up. Soon the candidate is labeled dishonest, racist, or unintelligent and thus, is unable to defend himself." NY

"Usually the press prints what a candidate says, but they twist it around a little . . .. Then the people see what the press has printed and interpret it differently than the candidate had hoped and everything is blown out of proportion. Before the candidate knows it, everything is blown up in his face and he has to straighten out what the press has messed up. My interpretation comes from my own experiences in athletics and I am assuming that the media that covers the sports world is the same that covers the Presidential election." OR

"Views and opinions should be the 'true colors' of the candidate and not a media handled, sliced and glued tape that misrepresents the candidates." NY

"Ed Garvey ran for United States Senate in 1986 and 1988. He was a simple and honest man from Wisconsin who chose to win his first election on the issues of honesty and morality. He understood the media would try and seek his weaknesses, but he figured it would stimulate the upcoming debate with his opponent Kasten. He was fairly successful in the start and the polls showed that he had a slight lead over his opponent. Kasten was aware of the polls and one day Garvey's campaign suddenly went downhill. This happened because of one TV commercial put on by Kasten implying that Garvey had stolen $75,000 from the NFL Player's Association treasury when he headed the union. This, however, was a false accusation. The polls dropped for Garvey about thirteen to fifteen points in on week. This drop subsequently led to his defeat (and shows) how powerful and influential the media can be." KY

"When candidates get bad press, they have to spend their time minimizing the bad effects of the lies." MA

"The media is a most unreliable source, and their facts are often altered, slanted, and downright false. . . Congressman Hancock . . . said that the paper allowed someone to print a quotation about something he said, but this person who quoted Congressman Hancock was not even there at the time of discussion. If someone can call in and quote a man without being involved in the discussion, how are the people of America supposed to have the best information about choosing the 'right' political candidate for a government office? If these false ideas are being allowed to be shown and printed, do we have any source of true, intelligent, unbiased information (upon which) to base such an important decision?" MO

"The media chose to use the Murphy Brown dispute as a personal attack (by) Quayle (on) single mothers in order to give him a bad reputation. OH

"Perhaps they (candidates) could try to start campaigning earlier, allowing them to visit more states. Direct speaking to the public can be more effective. It abolishes the risk of a misunderstanding by cutting out the middle man, resulting in better relationships with the voters." PA

"When Bill Clinton was announcing his candidacy, he was cut (off) by CNN reporters, David Broder and William Schneider. This happened just as he was about to say what he was going to do if elected president. This is an example of how the media can deny their listeners. . . some valuable information." MA

"One study . . . showed it was very rare for a candidate to talk for 30 seconds without changing the subject. The media is to blame for this deficiency because they are the ones who have insisted that candidates keep their words to a minimum." NY

"Through the courses of elections, the candidates make false promises. Everyone knows these promises will never be kept. The media's chosen candidate's promises are made out to be true by the media. These promises get pounded into our heads until we start to believe them." PA

"What this all comes down to is the control the media has on our perceptions. They have a complete monopoly on what we know about our candidates. I have no way to meet Bill Clinton, and so I must depend on the media to inform me. The candidates are aware of this monopoly, and use it to their advantage. They make one-sided and biased commercials, attend artificial debates, and hire makeup artists. We, as a society, must realize the influence the media has on our judgments. Sadly, the media's control has altered our ability to vote on what is real, and instead forced us to vote on the issues they select!" KY