Role of the Media & Voters

In describing the role of the media, Campbell, Converse, Miller, and Stokes (1964) suggested that individuals who follow political campaigns or track political issues through the mass communications media are engaged in a type of informal participation. However, the degree to which an individual "participates" in political activity by following the media can vary significantly. Some individuals use the mass media as a principle means of relating to politics, while Campbell, et al (1964) maintain that the vast majority of Americans are far more passive in following political campaigns in the mass media and tend to screen out vast amounts of content.

While this factor must be taken into consideration in developing a general media strategy for a presidential campaign, it would be

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issue framing will be made by the candidate. It has been demonstrated that as the IOD strategy is more fully implemented, the following patterns begin to emerge: . The percentage of news reflecting the message will increase . The percentage of paragraphs in print reflecting favorably on the candidate will increase . The percentage of paragraphs in print addressing misstatements will decrease . The IOD strategy will have a greater impact upon television than on print media, allowing the candidate's sound bites to dominate local news in primary elections (Covington, et al, 1992). In terms of advertising, it is recommended that a combination of television, radio, and print advertisements be used, with television (both broadcast and cable) emphasized in states in which the population is widely dispersed. West (1994) believes that television advertising must be framed and timed to capitalize upon viewing patterns. The advertising effort will be more intense in the primaries than in the general election. The competitiveness of the race, the need to differentiate the candidate from others in the field, and the fact that most primary candidates are less well known than candidates for the presidency in a gene
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Approximate Word count = 3346
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page)

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