CHAPTER SIx • PublIC OPInIOn, POlITICAl SOCIAlIzATIOn, And THE MEdIA 137
Spin
An interpretation of
political events that is
favorable to a candidate
or officeholder.
Spin Doctor
A political adviser
who tries to convince
journalists of the truth of
a particular interpretation
of events.Management of news Coverage
Using political advertising to get a message across to the public is a very expensive tactic.
Coverage by the news media, however, is free. The campaign simply needs to ensure that
coverage takes place. In recent years, campaign managers have shown increasing sophis-
tication in creating newsworthy events for journalists to cover.
The campaign staff uses several methods to try to influence the quantity and type
of coverage the campaign receives. First, the staff understands the technical aspects of
media coverage—camera angles, necessary equipment, timing, and deadlines—and plans
political events to accommodate the press. Second, the campaign organization is aware
that political reporters and their sponsors—networks, newspapers, or blogs—are in com-
petition for the best stories and can be manipulated through the granting of favors, such
as a personal interview with the candidate. Third, the scheduler in the campaign has the
important task of planning events that will be photogenic and interesting enough for the
evening news.
A related goal, although one that is more difficult to attain, is to convince reporters
that a particular interpretation of an event is true. Today, the art of putting the appropri-
ate spin on a story or event is highly developed. Press advisers, often referred to as spin
doctors, try to convince journalists that the advisers’ interpretations of political events are
correct.
For example, the Obama administration and the Republicans engaged in a major
spinning duel over the so-called budget sequester in March 2013. Under the sequester,
if Congress could not reach agreement on a plan to reduce the federal budget deficit,
automatic cuts would go into effect worth $1.2 trillion over a ten-year period. Half of
the cuts would come out of national defense spending, and the rest out of discretion-
ary domestic spending (entitlements are largely spared). Obama and his representatives
blamed the Republicans for the failure to reach an agreement, and Republicans blamed
the administration.going for the Knockout
Punch—Presidential debates
In presidential elections, perhaps just as important as political advertisements and general
news coverage is the performance of the candidates in televised presidential debates.
After the first such debate in 1960, in which John Kennedy, the young senator from
Massachusetts, took on the vice president of the United States, Richard Nixon, candidates
became aware of the great potential of television for changing the momentum of a cam-
paign. In general, challengers have much more to gain from debating than do incumbents.
Challengers hope that the incumbent will make a mistake in the debate and undermine
the “presidential” image. Incumbent presidents are loath to debate their challengers,
because it puts their opponents on an equal footing with them, but the debates have
become so widely anticipated that it is difficult for an incumbent to refuse to participate.The 2011–2012 Republican Primary debates. Presidential candidates have often
debated during primary election campaigns. Traditionally, such debates have not
attracted much interest, but the Republican presidential primary race in 2011 and 2012
was a dramatic exception. The Republicans held twenty-seven televised debates that
were widely viewed. The political context was the belief of many strong conservatives
that Mitt Romney, the front-runner, was not really one of them. Romney, therefore, was
challenged by a series of anti-Romney candidates. Texas governor Rick Perry, AfricanCopyright 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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