How do politicians use the media? How do the media use politicians? 241deeper than that. It’s probably more accurate to say that ideological beliefs drive the
selection of media sources, rather than media sources driving ideological beliefs. Even
so, insofar as different sources report different information, the choice of which media
to consume will shape what a person knows about politics—about the candidates, their
policy proposals, and the government’s performance overall.EXPLAIN HOW POLITICIANS
USE THE MEDIA TO ACHIEVE
THEIR GOALSHow do politicians use the
media? How do the media
use politicians?
While the media and politicians are often thought of as adversaries, with a watchdog
press working to make sure the public knows what politicians are doing, the fact is that
each side has something to offer the other. Reporters want to write stories that attract
public attention, so they need information from politicians on what is happening inside
the government, preferably information that is given only to them. Politicians in turn
want media coverage that highlights their achievements, which ideally will build
public support and secure their election (or reelection). Bureaucrats want favorable
attention for their programs, and interest groups want publicity to further their causes.
Thus, coverage of American politics reflects trade-offs between reporters who want
complete, accurate information and sources who want favorable coverage.Politicians’ Media Strategies
Politicians and others in government try to influence coverage by providing select
information to reporters. Sometimes they hold press conferences where they take
questions from the media. Other times they speak to single reporters or to a group
on background or off the record, meaning that reporters can use the information but
cannot attribute it to the politician by name. These efforts are sometimes trial balloons,
where politicians release details of a new proposal to gauge public reaction without
committing themselves to any particular policy. Other times politicians might reveal
some details of a negotiation or conflict with the hope of producing media coverage that
puts their contributions in a favorable light.
Some scholars argue that elected officials try to use the media to shape public
opinion in their favor by doling out information to reward reporters who write stories
that support the officials’ points of view.^16 To some extent this argument is true: muchIt’s important to have a clear and accurate understanding of today’s media sources. If
you’re looking for someone to blame for Americans’ lack of knowledge about politics,
the mass media is not a good candidate. While most sources fall short in one way
or another, there is a wealth of information available, most of it for free. But most
people never search for political information and ignore much of what they encounter.
Journalists can do the most effective reporting possible—providing in-depth,
balanced coverage of critical events—but unless people take time to read or view that
coverage, their knowledge of politics will be incomplete and possibly biased.“Why
Should
I Care?”
on background or off the record
Describes comments a politician
makes to the press on the condition
that they can be reported only if they
are not attributed to that politician.Full_08_APT_64431_ch07_232-261.indd 241 16/11/18 1:38 PM