"Something we heard a lot about during this election was the issues, not so much about specific issues like health care or taxes, but the issues as a general topic. The media constantly charged that the candidates weren't addressing "the issues". The candidates complained that the media wouldn't cover the issues. In order to get their stands on the issues known, candidates have resorted to everything from publishing books to buying prime-time television spots to air infomercials. Unfortunately, both of these methods, as well as many others can prove to be costly, thus forcing a candidate to accept large sums of money from special interest groups if he wants to be taken seriously." MD

". . . I think this past election proves that people are tired of hearing the trash and want the issues. This message was sent to the press as much as it was to the candidates." OK

"Does the media take sides with the issues battled by the candidate, or does it take sides with the candidate's wallet?" CA

"Newspapers also become active participants in the political mudslinging battles of the candidates. One of the earliest examples of this was the 1884 election between Grover Cleveland and James Blaine. Blaine was suspected of having some shady deals involving railroad stocks and bonds. Later in the election the Buffalo Evening Telegraph discovered and published the discovery of Cleveland's illegitimate child." PA

"...through all the mudslinging and gossip, the media managed to thoroughly inform us on the candidates' stand on major issues." AR

"Clinton was busy developing a new form of election communication---The Bill Clinton Interactive Kiosk. This disk for computers outlined his plans for the country, which included health care, the economy, welfare reform and affordable college education." OH

". . .the media should explore the issues on hand rather than the skeleton clanking in someone's closet." VA

". . . (the media) would prefer to cover a scandalous story about Bill Clinton being a communist rather than a story on his plan to improve health care. . . I believe that the people are wearying quickly of scandal; they want issues. If an elected official doesn't do what people want, the people vote for someone else. What can we do when the media doesn't give us what we want?" PA

"It wouldn't be surprising if some people in the United States don't know anyone who is running for Congressional or state offices, or even that certain offices exist. Half of the issues that will take their toll on American voters this year will be state issues. Where does a concerned citizen go to find out information about such issues?" MD

"In Indiana's recent senatorial race between incumbent Dan Coates and challenger Joe Hogsett, Hoosiers were swamped with campaign ads challenging voters to decide which was the true Joe Hogsett. We were told that Dan Coates had a life outside of politics - he was a grandfather. Hogsett's campaign ran similar personality ads favorable to Mr. Hogsett. Unfortunately, due to the mass media, Hoosiers may have been voting for a candidate they viewed as the grandfatherly type rather than evaluating the candidate's stands on the critical issues facing our state and our nation. All this, thanks to too little public demand for coverage of issues by the various media." IN

". . . if the press only reported issues such as Clinton's economic agenda or Bush's foreign policy, the collective nation would probably fall asleep." IL

"A study done by Marjorie Hershey revealed that, on the average, print media coverage from September through election day in 1988 only dealt with issues one-third of the time, while two-thirds of the content was devoted to campaign strategy." PA

"In the Reagan-Mondale election the issues were seldom brought up and often forgotten. Most of the time it was impossible to speak with Reagan at his photo opportunities. Reagan held fewer press conferences than any of the past presidents. Mondale attempted to bring up his ideas of a tax increase to help remove the debt, but the media decided that tax plans are dull and don't make a good story. Mondale attempted time after time to bring up the issues but the media did not want to focus on them. Instead the media brought up the bad financial record of Mondale's running mate's husband. All the media cared about was getting a good story." MD

"The idea of the juicier, the better, is what leads many members of the media to report stories with little or no bearing on the campaign. . . the media can easily sway the opinions of the public by reporting the dirt on candidates and paying less attention to the issues." TX