Using Access To Media To Manipulate The Agenda And The Internet

By Author: Adela
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The power of nationally televised speeches as well as the ability to shape the media agenda led President Bill Clinton to observe that "even a President without a majority mandate coming in, if the President has a disciplined, aggressive agenda that is clearly in the interest of the majority of the American people -- I think you can create new political capital all the time, because you Omega Seamaster Replica have access to the people through the communications network."15 An examination of the major presidential addresses to the nation from those of Harry Truman through those of Ronald Reagan justified Clinton's conclusion. On average, the occurrence of such a speech coincided with a six-point increase in the president's approval rating.

Satellites Technology has increased the ability of a leader to speak directly to the public. Access to satellites makes it possible for a leader to bypass the national media. Thus, for example, in 1 992, 1 996, and 2000, both Democrats and Republicans made their presidential hopefuls available for satellite ...
... interviews with local newscasters. In the primaries of 2000, a study by the Annenberg School of Communication found that every major news station in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Michigan conducted satellite interviews with Gore, Bradley, Bush, and McCain during the primary season (ASC news release, March 15, 2000).

The Internet allows politicians to circumvent journalists by creating a direct line of communication to their constituents that is unfiltered and unrestricted by the norms and structural constraints of traditional print and broadcast journalism. Al-though in the 24-hour news climate events are more heavily defined by journalists in their never-exhausted quest to get the story, on the Internet politicians can communicate with citizens outside the journalistic environment. Politicians now have at their disposal Web sites, e-mail, and online forums to generate a direct line of communication to citizens.

The Internet thus has the potential to be a direct channel of contact between leaders and the led. The number of users is small but growing. In 1996, about 12 percent of the voting-age citizenry, or 21 million U.S. citizens, obtained political information from the Internet; for 3 percent, the Internet was the main conduit of political material. Washington Post reporter Howard Kurtz writes, "The new venues will give ordinary folks the ability to search voting records, election returns, exit polls, speech and position papers, enabling them to cut through the political fog by downloading the facts for themselves." A citizen can express her or his views in the form of e-mail, in discussion groups, in chat rooms, or on electronic bulletin boards.

Adaptation to the style and perspective of specific news channels and to the interests, biases, and experiences of individual reporters Tag Heuer Replica Watches is a means of manipulating the press. For example, news managers can tailor a story for the Wall Street Journal by filling it with technical and economic data or for Time magazine by providing anecdotal material and clever language.

Every reporter has special interests, biases, and experiences. For this reason, if news coverage is to be balanced, it is important to have news people from different ethnic backgrounds and with varied perspectives reporting stories.

Language and symbols can be used to influence news coverage. Of particular force is the dramatic visual symbol, but dramatic or dull language can be used to attract or deter coverage as well. It is also possible to attract coverage by tailoring statements and events to the predispositions of the reporter or media outlet.