Media and the 1992 Presidential Election: Young Adults

"With this new generation comes improved, modern means of communicating ideas. Talk show and MTV specials appeal to young, inexperienced voters." MA

"In the November issue of Sassy, the campaign promises of both George Bush and Bill Clinton are written in a straightforward manner that is not biased either way. The author of the article, Mary Ann Marshall, writes, 'Real change isn't going to occur by electing a Democrat or a Republican to the White House, but it can happen by people empowering their local community.' From this statement, teenagers are given the opportunity to see that they can help make a change in government by doing things in their own area to show their support of certain officers. Mary Ann Marshall even gives suggestions like 'canvassing for a city council member and stuffing envelopes for the mayoral campaign.' Young adults need to be exposed to more material about the way politics work and how they, as individuals, can make a difference." IL

"Much of the media that is directed towards the youth of American tends to be liberal. MTV and Rolling Stone are excellent examples of this." KY

"So he smoked pot while in college. So what!" OR

"Bill Clinton used television in a different way to reach a certain age of voters. He appeared on an MTV program entitled 'Choose or Lose.' This move attracted the young adult voters and gave him a distinct advantage with that age group." OH

"MTV had an effect on the vote. They ran programs for the past year, educating their viewers on the candidates' stands on the issues that were important to their audience. One of the reasons I think 18-25 year olds wouldn't vote is that the candidates didn't address the issues that concerned them. MTV visited high schools, including Hanover High School, to find out students' views on the issues." NH

"I feel that the media should aim toward my age group, the new voters. On the national level a really good program called 'Rock the Vote' has been aired on MTV and FOX. . . . This program is geared for voters ages 18 through 27 and backed by many famous faces. I hope this will filter down to the local level where it all begins." WI

"The media has attempted to influence young minds through the use of celebrities. Even though MTV presented information about both candidates, MTV boasted that Bill Clinton and Al Gore were the candidates for the future and failed to mention that George Bush would also be good for America's future. MTV asked famous musicians whom they would endorse in the Presidential race. Most musicians interviewed favored Bill Clinton for President, knowing they would sway their loyal fans to vote the way they were going to vote." OH

"MTV couldn't help but jump on the forced-feelings bandwagon and cram the glowing jewel of its support for Clinton down the unsuspecting viewer's throat. Suddenly Clinton was cool, like Guess Jeans, or the Hard Rock Cafe. His domination of the young vote was as good as gold." OR

"Clinton even went on MTV for a talk show. The audience was filled with young adults. I feel that Clinton mostly relied on the younger generation for votes." NY

"Around October, Music Television started to make former President Bush look very bad. They had a video which stressed Bush's famous line 'Read My Lips.' In that same video, they made Clinton look like a knight on a white horse. By being biased and giving young adults a biased view, the media has a decided impact on the voters' decisions on election day." MA