POLI 423 – Presidential Elections

1. POLI 423 –Presidential Elections • Frankie Clogston

2. Outline • History • What Media? • Free/paid Media and Ads • Media Effects – Magnitude and Mechanisms • Bias and Spin of the Media • Primary Season and Presidential Campaign • Campaign Infrastructure and technology • Effects of the Internet and New Media Environment

3. Presidential Campaigns and The Media • What are the types of “media”? • Pamphleteering, Campaign literature • Newspapers. . . • Radio. . . • Television – Network and cable • Internet, Twitter • Television Ads • Cell phones • Entertainment/comedy/ talk shows

4. History • Through late 19th Century – Era of the “Mute Tribune” • End of 19th Century – FDR – Party-centered to Candidate Centered Politics; Increased Campaigning and Media • FDR – The Modern Presidency/ Mass Media • John F. Kennedy – The Television Era • 1990’s – Internet, Multimedia

5. Presidential Campaigns and The Media • What are the types of “media”? • Free vs. Paid Media • Who pays? • Party • Candidate • PACs

6. Media Effects • Do the media have effects on presidential elections? • Movement from thesis of minimal effects to effects via mechanisms of framing, priming and agenda setting effecting rational voters • Contemporary study on diverse effects of disaggregated media

7. Media Effects - Mechanisms • What are the mechanisms by which the media has an effect? • Framing • Priming • Agenda-setting • Horse race • Mistakes/blunders – “game changers” • Issues • Adversarial Journalism/ Personal Attacks • Investigative Journalism

8. Media Effects • What is the target electorate? • What are the implications for the campaign?

9. The Primary Campaign • Does media have more or less of an effect in the primary campaign? • How do resource-poor, less known candidates benefit or suffer from the primary process?

10. 24 hour/ 365 day campaign • What was life like before the 24 hour cycle? • What are the effects of the 24 hour news cycle? • What are the effects of the “permanent campaign?”

11. Media Effects – via Prism • Bias/ Spin • Disaggregation and self-selection • How/when can candidates get their message to all the voters? Unmediated forum? Disaggregated channels?

12. Modern Campaign Infrastructure and Technology • President – separate campaign staff • Candidates – large campaign staff, including consultants and pollsters • Polls • Focus Groups • Organizational and Fundraising Technology – Direct Mail, Internet

13. Questions. . . • What kind of candidate does this produce? What skills are necessary in this campaign and media environment? Endurance, Message Discipline, Unblemished Personal Life, Fundraising Skills Does this process produce the best candidate? Is it good for democracy?

14. Effects of Internet and New Media Environment • What is the ability of Presidential Candidates to Control the Message? • What are the effects on self-segregation and polarization in the electorate? • Does the high-choice environment produce more diverse and better information to voters? • Do we have a more or less informed electorate?