Week Six: Media and Elections

1. WEEK SIX: MEDIA AND
ELECTIONS
POL 367 – Mass Media and Politics

2. Consequences of Media-Dominated
Politics
 Media as Kingmakers
 Introduction of television has dramatically increased media’s influence,
especially during primary elections where other cues less useful:
 Coverage highly tied to polling
 Expectations Game
 Frontrunners get unfavorable coverage, trailing get favorable coverage
 Television Age Recruits
 Candidates have to learn to manage press and image
 Cost of media consults & television advertisements major fact in dramatic
rise of spending in campaigns.

3. Example: 2016 Republican Primary
 In the lead up to the
first primaries in Iowa
and New Hampshire,
Trump was
overwhelmingly the
most covered
candidate in the
Republican field from
the start despite initially
being near bottom of
polls. Source: https://shorensteincenter.org/pre-primary-news-
coverage-2016-trump-clinton-sanders/

4. Example: 2016 Republican Primary
 Furthermore, the
coverage was
generally positive,
focused mostly on
horse-race coverage
over issues.
 Issues and personal
quality stories often
included pro-Trump
statements by
supporters, further
reducing negative
coverage Source: https://shorensteincenter.org/pre-primary-news-
coverage-2016-trump-clinton-sanders/

5. Example: 2016 Republican Primary
 In comparison, initial
front runners like Jeb
Bush were tied to a
“losing ground”
narrative throughout
the primary: 70%
negative coverage by
December 2016.
 Video: “Please Clap”

6. Media Campaigning Strategies: Managing
Press
 Iyengar:
 Avoid behavior that calls question into suitability for office
 Don’t waffle or “flip-flop” on the issues
 Keep expectations of victory low
 “Ride the Wave”
 When leading, restrict journalist access
 “Go local” to avoid critical coverage
 Feed press titillating but critical info on opponent
 Modern Strategy: Attack the Media?

7. Campaign Advertisements
 Outside of news coverage, one of the main methods by which
politicians communicate messages to potential voters.
 Advertisement Strategies:
 Target pivotal voters
 Reinforcement over Persuasion
 Focus on swing states over non-competitive states
 Advertise during programs watched by those most likely to vote
 “Ride the Wave”
 Biographical ads early on to introduce candidate, issue ads later in
campaign
 Focus on issues you “own” (Issue Ownership)
 “Wedge appeals”

8. Advertisement Tone
 Ads usually broken down into “positive” or “negative” in tone
Positive Ads Negative Ads
Talk about your candidate Talk about your opponent
Can include “negative” emotions Make opponent question support
Goal: Get side to turnout to vote Goal: Get other side to stay
home

9. Reagan (1984)
 Is this a positive ad or a negative ad?

10. Bush (2004)
 Is this a positive ad or a negative ad?

11. Difference Between Ads
 Both ads are meant to invoke fear of attack from outside threat
 Difference is target of ad and who you should vote for after
watching
 Reagan (1984): Reagan will protect you, vote for Reagan - Positive
 Bush (2004): Kerry will not protect you, vote for Bush - Negative

12. “Daisy Girl” Ad – Most Famous Negative
Ad

13. Negative Ads: Good or Bad?
 Voters routinely deride negative advertisements
 Redlawsk: Negative advertisements are good things
 People more accepting if perceive information as relevant and
accurate
 Provide more information about candidates than just positive ads

14. Advertisements and Emotion
 Brader (2005): emotional appeals used to influence voter behavior
 Fear
 Stimulates vigilance, reliance on contemporary evaluations
 Facilitates persuasion
 Enthusiasm
 Motivates participation and activates existing loyalties
 Valentino (2011)
 Anger also motivates participation, often stronger than enthusiasm
 Emotions like guilt, shame, etc. have less research behind them

15. Advertisements & Emotions: Examples
 Fear & Anxiety
 Hillary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCqFCCgU1xk
 Santorum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6CUSEPPKzU
 Enthusiasm
 Cruz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE9uD6nikDU
 Bernie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocwVHGbYb3c
 Anger
 Trump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itsSDhgKwhw
 Other?
 Hillary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHGPbl-werw Shame?

16. Media Content During Elections
 Presidential elections quickly become prominent news items.
Other campaigns get less attention.
 Coverage of campaign is relatively same in amount, differences
in breadth and favorability ratings
 Television: less in-depth, reliance on stereotypes developed early on
 Newspaper: more in-depth coverage

17. Coverage of Candidates
 Two Broad Categories of Coverage
 Character (Valence)
 Focus on personality, style, image
 Professional (Issue)
 Capacity, ability, ideology
 Character covered more than professional. Foreign policy and
economy more likely to discuss professional
 Coverage of candidates is usually negative and cynical

18. Political Biases
 Outside of explicit partisan media sources, journalists usually
attempt to provide balanced coverage.
 Remember Week 2 Coverage on Structural Biases
 Newspapers do tend to have more favorable coverage of
endorsement candidates. Particularly influential below
presidential level.
 Usually ignore third party candidates unless particularly
newsworthy.