CHAPTER SIx • PublIC OPInIOn, POlITICAl SOCIAlIzATIOn, And THE MEdIA 135
Sound Bite
A brief, memorable
comment that can
easily be fit into news
broadcasts.wide margin. As of the 2010 census, about 99 million Americans were age fifty or older.
U.S. residents ages eighteen through twenty-nine numbered about 52 million. Older vot-
ers are more likely to make it to the polls—and many early adapters of new media technol-
ogy are too young to vote. It follows that television remains essential to American politics.The Continuing Influence of Television. Television’s continuing influence on the
political process is recognized by all who engage in that process. Television news is often
criticized for being superficial, particularly compared with the detailed coverage available
in newspapers and magazines. In fact, television news is constrained by its technical char-
acteristics, the most important being the limitations of time—stories must be reported in
only a few minutes.
The most interesting aspect of television—and of online videos—is the fact that it
relies on pictures rather than words to attract the viewer’s attention. Therefore, video that
is chosen for a particular political story has exaggerated importance. Viewers do not know
what other photos may have been taken or what other events may have been recorded—
they see only those appearing on their screens. Video clips, whether they appear on net-
work news or YouTube, can also use well-constructed stories to exploit the potential for
drama. Some critics suggest that there is pressure to produce television news that has a
“story line,” like a novel or movie. The story should be short, with exciting pictures and
a clear plot. In extreme cases, the news media are satisfied with a sound bite, a several-
second comment selected or crafted for its immediate impact on the viewer.
It has been suggested that these formatting characteristics of video increases its influ-
ence on political events. As you are aware, real life is usually not dramatic, nor do all events
have a plot that is neat or easily understood. Political campaigns are continuing events,
lasting perhaps as long as two years. The significance of their daily turns and twists is only
apparent later. The “drama” of Congress, with its 535 players and dozens of important
committees and meetings, is also difficult for the media to present. Television requires,
instead, dozens of daily three-minute stories.THE MEdIA And POlITICAl CAMPAIgnS
All forms of the media—television, newspapers, radio, magazines, and online ser vices—
have a significant political impact on American society. Although younger voters get a
relatively small share of their news from television, it remains the primary news source for
older voters. Therefore, candidates and their consultants spend much of their time devis-
ing strategies that use television to their benefit. Three types of TV coverage are generally
employed in campaigns for the presidency and other offices: advertising, including nega-
tive ads; management of news coverage; and campaign debates.Political Advertising
Political advertising has become increasingly important for the profitability of television
station owners. Hearst Television, for example, obtains well over 10 percent of its revenues
from political ads during an election year. During the 2012 presidential elections, total
spending exceeded $7 billion. Among other expenses, candidates purchased more than
3 million campaign advertisements.
Perhaps one of the most effective political ads of all time was a thirty-second spot
created by President Lyndon Johnson’s media adviser in 1964. Johnson’s opponent in
the campaign was Barry Goldwater, a conservative Republican candidate known for his
expansive views on the role of the U.S. military. In the ad, a little girl stood in a field ofLO6: Summarize the impact of
the media on political campaigns,
and consider the issue of political
bias in the media.Copyright 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
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