Media bias and the election

With some trepidation, I offer the following links on the subject of news media liberal bias.
Politico: Why McCain is getting hosed in the press
Slate: No surprises in Fox News discussion of liberal media bias
MarketWatch: Most Republicans see media bias
For some pointed left-right commentary:
Huffington Post
NewsBusters
This came to a head this week, when the McCain campaign lashed out at the LA Times for declining to release a video of Obama. I post with trepidation because I often cannot have healthy conversations on this issue with people who hold political views. Heated and divisive are two good ways to describe the exchanges. What say ye?

Hate and the election

This story raises points worth reading:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/us/politics/21whites.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Tell me what you think about hate speech. Should we allow people to spout racist views? The Secret Service is investigating at least one threat against Obama yelled at a Palin campaign rally. Should their intervention go beyond threats? I, for one, am surprised that race has not been a more vitriolic issue in this campaign (aside, of course, from last week's food stamp debacle). Do you agree? Why?

SNL and elections

Anyone watch Sarah Palin on SNL last night, as played by both Tiny Fey and Palin herself?

Check out this post from a 202er:

So I was the last group to do our ethics media analysis. We did ours on humor and politics dealing with Daily Show and SNL. Then this morning at the serf, CNN played this story on one of their news cast.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/17/snl.politics/index.html

This could be interesting to share with the other class members.

Political advertising

J-School affiliated faculty member Ken Goldstein has interesting followup to the debate and assertions about the negativity of political ads:

http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/14838

I also found this perspective intriguing:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/163476

Debate formats

The upcoming (and final) debate moderator offers some comments about what he hopes to achieve. What have you thought of the formats to date? Fair? Productive? Informative?

Pulling aside the curtain

Check out this fascinating piece about the slate of rumors that Barack Obama is secretly Muslim, and the man behind the ideas. Think about credibility and sources, as we've been discussing.
What is Martin's personal obligation to be accurate and truthful? Did Fox News have an obligation to vet his credibility before inviting him as a guest? Did other media outlets have an obligation to look into his background?

Political bickering

A new post from a 202er:

Hey Katy,

Thought this would be great for the blog. This CNN clip is about broadcast news anchors getting mad with each other on air over how their stations have covered the elections. I guess it shows the strains on the talking heads when they talk about the same issues endlessly!

Enjoy

On and Off the Record

An Obama campaign supporter has stepped down after calling Hillary Clinton a "monster." Samantha Power also writes for TIME magazine.
She tried to take the comment off the record but the publication said it as clearly on. What do you think of the exchange? Should the comment have been used?
Should TIME respond? And if so, how?

Should news organizations endorse candidates?

TIME magazine's managing editor offers an intriguing question: why do newspapers endorse political candidates?
I'm curious what you think. You are the generation at issue here. What does it mean to you if the Wisconsin State Journal says it thinks you should pick, say, McCain over Huckabee. Take it closer to home. Does it matter who the Herald or Cardinal endorse as the best in the race? Does that kind of endorsement affect how you judge their objectivity or credibility?

McCain and the New York Times

It looks like the McCain campaign may be spoinlin' for a fight with the New York Times over an article posted online last night, covering his record on ethics choices.
What are the media ethics ramifications of this? To get you started, read this perspective from the Poynter Institute.

The Race Card

I found this column intriguing. It's an argument about reactions to race in the presidential campaigns and how small comments can be inflated. I liked the way he tied it to past campaigns to illuminate the differences, especially the Willie Horton case, which was a key issue in the presidential race when I was your age (does that make me sound as old as I think it does?).
So what do you think? How does race matter here, if at all? Is it being used strategically by either side in the Democratic race? What will happen in the general election?

Is it copying or is it not?

Hey Katy,
An interesting blog topic regarding plagarism in speeches...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/us/politics/19campaign.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1203437157-zYC6qCDhBwxaXX/8/VFJSw

http://badgerherald.com/news/2008/02/19/obama_catches_flak_f.php

Cool Digital Strat Comm

OK, this is really fun. Look at the innovation from marketers at Holiday Inn Express. They found a way to tie into the interest and energy about the primary campaigns with an interactive branding message. You can highlight a candidate and find out how much he or she would have saved by staying at their hotels instead.
This is edging into an area of interactive that tries to get users to play games to keep them on a site and attending to a message. It happens in news too. It also emphasizes viral, not paying to get a message out but making it interesting enough to get people to forward it for you (much as I'm doing here).
Is this effective? Would you share it?

What's Your Candidate?

Great blog addition from a 202er this morning:
_________
Hi Katy,

I found this story through the NY Times and it reminded me a lot about today's lecture and the several Mac vs. PC examples we heard today. I thought you might find it interesting how these technologies are becoming representations for entire genres, demographics, styles, etc. and how one writer used them to contrast Obama and Clinton in this article.
_________
What do you think? Do the styles of the two platforms fit the styles of the two candidates? And then what would John McCain and Mike Huckabee be? We've talked about branding in marketing. How are the candidates brands faring in your opinion?

Super Bowl Ads

So we didn't have much time to chat yesterday about the advertising bonanza that is the Super Bowl. Which ads did you like? Which did you hate? Which do you think have the greatest effect? And what about the Richard Simmons spot ... was it insensitive?
More on ads. It's Super Tuesday. What are you reading about candidates' ads? I'm getting a lot of that kind of traffic on Facebook, especially notes about this piece in support of Obama. Curious how this is playing with your generation.

Acceptable Lingo or More Morbidity?

OK, you chimed in on Britney Spears. Now check this one out. Is it acceptable for journalists, especially talking heads on broadcast, to refer to tomorrow's primary battle as "Tsunami Tuesday"?
Sensitivity also matters in advertising and public relations (check out the pieces for this week's Discussion Arena).
I have my own view. What's yours?

Getting it Wrong in Politics

Lots of chatter right now about political reporting and the prediction debacle in New Hampshire. I tasted a different flavor in this Politico piece, so I recommend it.

Politico 4 U

The politics-junkie site politico.com launched a campus minisection today.
Will you use it? Does it cover the interests of your generation? Do you care about politics?