The Role of the Media in Choosing our Candidates for National Office Personal Views Expressed in Student Essays

"Most people would be more likely to accept a candidate that has accepted a contribution from the Sierra Club that from Lockheed. That is most upper middle class people and down. The upper class are the ones who own the Lockheeds and the nuclear waste dumping companies. The ones who make a living off of giving candidates large contributions for political favors such as preferred government contracting and occasional overlooks.

When a person or group of people opposed to these kinds of contributions make a fuss, both the company and the candidate claim they either knew nothing about it or make sure no one would here of it, ever. Such is the workings of Big Business." Il

"My opinion is that the reason people vote strictly by party is often because they can't learn enough about each candidate to decide who to vote for." IL

"During the race between President Bush and Clinton, Clinton was 'dragged through the mud.' However, because of his supreme character, he overcame the media's dishonest stories. Clinton stood up for himself and won the campaign." AL

"Media of all types need to give fair and equal coverage to all candidates, familiar and unfamiliar alike...The results of this poll (the student's own poll regarding a local election) bring about some speculations. First, the twenty people more often recognized the winners than they did the losers. Secondly, the candidates having no relationship with the media were not remembered as were those candidates having a good relationship with the media...Lenora Fulani, Maria Munoy, Bo Gritz, Cy Minett, John Hagelin, Vinton Tompkins, Lyndon Larouche, James Bevel, Andre Marrou, and Nancy Lord were (not) mentioned. Therefore, these candidates did not have a good showing at the polls." OH

"From the examples in my paper you can tell how much the elections are controlled by the media. It is very unfair to the candidate that is not being favored but it is the way our country works." IL

"No one is born with a set of attitudes about government or politics. Party preference is not inborn. We learn our political opinions in a life-long "classroom" from many different teachers." MN

"By this time next year I will be of voting age. Long ago, with the help of my parents, peers, and the media I made up in my mind what my views would be like. I like the Democrat('s) philosophy, and that is because of how I was brought up. I'm sure that the media will help in my decision-making, but by hearing more than one side of an argument a person can be much more informed and make a more educated decision." WI

"I recently had a long discussion with my grandparents, Barbara and Marvin Penrod. My grandfather has been with the Wichita Falls Times and Record News for 25 years and my grandmother has been with KAUZ-TV of Wichita Falls, Texas for 36 years. I guess one could say I have com from a media family. They both agree that the media is a significant factor in the election process. Although the media is their occupation and has been for over a quarter of a century, they share my opinion in that the media gets involved in areas that are unnecessary and don't necessarily do the candidates justice in the elections." OK

"As a citizen I would like to continue to be informed about what is happening in the candidates' lives. I am interested in knowing how they feel, what they would have liked to have done differently, and what their plans are for the future. The media seems to deprive the public of these issues I feel are still important because the candidates may chose to run again in future elections. In order to be prepared for decisions we, the voters of America, will make during the next election period, it is important to know what is going on in the lives of the candidates." OK

"I can honestly say that some years I had absolutely no idea who was running for senator or representative, and I know that I am not the only person who has this problem. Some people's pride would not let them ask a seemingly senseless question like, 'Who is running for office this year?' Instead they just vote for either their party's candidate or whoever looks like the best name, if they even vote at all.

Speaking of voting, I know a lot of people who don't vote because they say no one is worth voting for anymore. I feel that the media is also partly to blame for this. Anytime a person does hear something about a candidate, it is usually bad." PA

"In conclusion, I believe that the media should convey the news about who is running for political office, even if the person running is unknown to the public. It is the media's job to convey the news to the public, and I think that it is time they remember that fact. I also know that my opinion as a high school student may be very different from that of adults. I feel that the media does a good job, but they need to remember that the people want and deserve the truth." OK

"I feel strongly about the viewpoints I have stated concerning the media's role in our Presidential election. I solely believe that the media gets too involved. Still, the media is essential and has a sure purpose in these elections.

The media is really the only link that the voting public has with their presidential choices. I have not overlooked this fact. I just feel that the media would be most useful and effective if they would concentrate on the true, important issues, the ones that deal with the leadership and well-being of our country, the great United States of America.

As an American voter, I don't want slogans, nicknames, or propaganda - I just want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." OK

"As I researched this project I became aware of how reporters use their writing techniques to disguise their prejudices. As the media covered the elections, be it local or national, I wish that they had just stuck to the facts and issues." OH

"One evening while changing television channels I observed the evening news from two separate stations. On one station, the information about a local fire was given. The anchor man gave the facts of a restaurant project being destroyed by a fire. He continued to explain that the part of the building that burnt was recently condemned and was going to be razed in the near future. In conclusion he stated that the fire was not a hindrance but a help.

When changing to a different channel, the newscaster was reporting the same incident, the previous channel. At the conclusion of the story the anchor man stated that the fire had a negative affect on the project. The fire had demolished the building and the project would be delayed for many weeks.

I was surprised by the difference between the two broadcasts. The information given about the results of the fire were opposite. If the media should be giving unbiased news, why did these stories contradict each other? The problem could stem back to the station's interviewing separate people at the scene of the fire. This implies that the media did not display bias but their source of information did. In order to clarify discrepancies between stories, the public should research other sources.

Information from this research can be obtained through other areas of the media. The public can not always depend on getting the complete story from only one media source." OH

"What I hope for is that more people with motives to help the public will be delivered into the seats of power. Who better to execute this hope than me. I, as well as a growing number of my classmates, believe in the power of our own abilities to accomplish this spread of honesty. We are achieving this goal daily, in the classroom of life, as we learn more of human nature. Only by understanding ourselves and why we operate as we do, will future generations grow and problems be solved. That is what I think the remedy for bias and injustices in the media, in politics, and in any hindrance to the growth of prized ideals should be; an understanding of our human nature." TN

"I know that next year, when I can vote, I want to know both sides of the story. I want to be able to make to right choice for my muture." OR

"Working with my father, I got some first-hand experience on how the candidates deal with the media. Although we live in a small town (population 3,000) he managed to get almost as much news coverage as a neighboring town's candidates with five times the population. He can contribute part of his victory to the media." OR

"I had heard so much about change in 1992, that I was afraid my brain would overdose from too much exposure to the word." OH

"As a media personnel myself, I know how hard we can work to provide accurate news to our community, and still, at times, it does not seem to be enough. There are always some who would prefer different coverage, or topics. I believe that the media, just as many other organizations, must cater to the majority." OH

"I was looking forward to last year's election because I had recently turned 18 and would be able to vote. As election day drew nearer, I was still not sure which candidates supported or opposed which issues. I watched the debates on television, and found them to be very interesting. The debates were a good beginning in introducing the people to the candidates. But what about the other people who were running for President? Why weren't they asked to the debates? The media should be responsible in trying to get everyone's messages heard." OH

"As a future constituent, I look at the question of how to improve the media with mixed feelings. To some extent the private lives of candidates are relevant to hold public office such as the case of David Duke's membership in the Ku Klux Klan. On the other hand, some minor scandals of the candidates fill the airwaves and block their critical views on issues." NY

"If I were running a campaign for high office in this country, I would want a certain type of person to present me and my political party to the general public. I would want someone who was intelligent, a clever writer and a person who was good at 'spinning' the truth to enhance my image and to cast my opponent in an unflattering light. I would want a press secretary who was a skillful speaker, capable of rousing the voter's enthusiasm for my campaign. Last of all, I would want someone who had a good idea as to what the voters wanted to hear.

Please note that I have said nothing about representing substantive ideas in any degree of detail. In fact, I believe, as a pragmatic politician, that it would not be in my best interest to offer substance. Sixty years ago, substance is all I would have had to offer. I would have had no choice but to run a campaign based strictly on substance and issues." NY

"My reason for writing this article is due to my great disappointment in the reporting don by today's news media." MO

"This is really a sad time to be alive, there is not much of a future and no one is left to look up to. So rather than say that things are only going to get worse, give us a reason to think that it's going to get better. Otherwise, what's the point?" IN

"There is a new kind of journalism starting in this country. It is called 'entertainment' journalism. Keep the people interested, and they will watch your television show. Write a juicy article, and they will buy your newspaper or magazine. The new theory seems to be 'build it and they will come.' The new theory is wrong. If I want to be entertained, I will read a book. If I want to know the truth, the facts, the real story, I should be able to read a newspaper." PA

"(The media) tries to fulfill its duty to keep the public informed, but it seems as though some information is either forgotten or embellished. It reminds me of some of the students who attend my school. They are always ready to find out information about other students and share it with the rest of the student body. The information they share is carefully selected, and if the gossip informer thinks the information is bland, they spice it up a bit." PA

"We have shown what the press's job is, what they actually do and why it's wrong. We now have one more duty. We must take action. We must send a clear, concise message to the media telling them that what they are doing is wrong and how they can right this wrong. If you choose not to and choose to be silent, then you can continue to be 'programmed' like a robot. I, on the other hand, choose to send this message to the media. That way, I can look forward to a day when I can pick up a paper, turn to the page covering the elections, and read 'Just the Facts.'"PA

"I am a busy sixteen year old who does not get much of a chance to sit and read the paper. The only thing that fits into my schedule is to listen to the television or the radio as I work on my homework or one of many projects. I do not hear too much about any other candidates except those running for President. I hope that in the future the candidates for other national offices will be given more recognition." PA