Framing Issues The Media and Political Communication

Campaigns and Media Coverage Three categories of media coverage:  1. Regular news reporting – least candidate control  2. Earned media- “Positive news media coverage of an event is initiated by a campaign” (p. 145)  3. Paid advertising – most candidate control

Journalistic Norms  1.) Reporters take on the role of government watchdog. Creates skepticism about politicians’ motives.  2.) Most newsworthy stories have conflict, drama, unpredictability. Creates a focus on the game aspects.  3.) Reporters compete with each other to break the story first. Creates a faster pace.  4.) “Opinion journalism” became a new norm in 2012.

Public Opinion Polling  News organizations conduct their own polls. Polls:  Provide quick picture of public opinion at that moment  Enable changes in opinions to be tracked over time  Accentuate game aspects over policy They also conduct exit polls of voters leaving the voting booth.

Polls & Media Coverage  Pew Research Center study found there was “a good deal of the difference in treatment of the two contenders is related to who was perceived to be ahead in the race.” (9/2012)

Debates  Media like debates because they are confrontational & unpredictable (news value norm).  In 2012, GOP contenders had 20 debates & 7 forums, and Romney & Obama had 3 debates.

Debates Debate blunders can be costly, so why debate?  Voters & news media expect debates; candidates who don’t debate seen as afraid of facing their opponents.  Good debate performance can attract independent voters & soft partisans.  Candidates use debates to advance a positive image and cast their opponents in a negative light.

Media Bias? In 2012, bias for one party or candidate not in evidence, but bias against politics in general was. Both candidates got more negative than positive coverage.  For Obama, 19% favorable  For Romney,15% favorable Tone of coverage depended on who was ahead in the race. Without those “game” stories, even more negative (32% for both)

Media Bias?  Opinion journalism in 2012 coverage. FOXFavorableUnfavorable  Romney42%  Obama56% MSNBCFavorableUnfavorable  Romney68%  Obama51%

Earned Media Uses marketing and public relations tools to create events, publications, and other activities that media will see as both newsworthy & positive. Includes:  Press releases, advisories & press kits for reporters  News conferences & interviews with the candidate  Debates  Op-ed essays and books by the candidate  Endorsements from important groups or people  Good relationships with reporters  Public events

Framing the Message  A campaign seeks to control the way the candidate is presented, so the public places the candidate in a positive frame.  Framing refers to how we see & communicate reality. Our predispositions frame how we understand things and absorb new information.  Part of framing is creating a positive master narrative about a candidate & a negative one about an opponent.

Candidate Spouses & Framing  Ann Romney  54% favorability  Michelle Obama  61% favorability

Television  The principle tool used in campaigning, for both earned and paid media. Most campaign resources go toward television. Candidates can reach a mass audience without extensive travel.

Television disadvantages  1. Focus on physical appearance Dukakis in tank ridiculed, 1988  2. Candidates criticized for how they act Al & Tipper Gore kissing, 2000  3. Adds to fast pace of the campaign  4. Accentuates “game aspects” of the race  5. Dramatically increases campaign costs

Losing Control of the Message Sex scandals led to both Hart & Edwards dropping out of their primary campaigns. Gary HartJohn Edwards

Obama’s Birth Certificate Controversy  Unfounded speculation that Obama was not born in the United States and therefore could not be president.  In response to opponents’ demands, Obama authorized Hawaiian state government to release his birth certificate.

Romney and 47% Video  Video was secretly recorded of Romney making negative remarks to wealthy donors about the 47% of the public who rely on government support. Video given to news organization and went viral on the web.  His remarks played into Obama campaign strategy.

Romney and 47% Video Further criticism over how Romney handled the issue. Poll numbers dropped in the last month.  “Mitt Romney’s 47 percent comment,” YouTube/Mother Jones  M2gvY2wqI7M M2gvY2wqI7M  “Mitt Romney refuses to apologise after criticizing 47% of American voters,” The UK Guardian  /video/2012/sep/18/mitt-romney- refuses-apologise-voters-video /video/2012/sep/18/mitt-romney- refuses-apologise-voters-video  “The Last Word,” Lawrence O’Donnell, MSNBC  883/ns/msnbc- the_last_word/vp/ # /ns/msnbc- the_last_word/vp/ #  ““

Other Candidate Blunders  Herman Cain  ?v=ptoci3sbBco ?v=ptoci3sbBco  Michele Bachmann  ?v=P1mQKAHKs88 ?v=P1mQKAHKs88  Rick Perry  ?v=kTNjhcyx7dM ?v=kTNjhcyx7dM

Paid Media  Greater control over message & framing with campaign advertising  Early campaign ads  1952: I like Ike!  watch?v=YmCDaXeDRI4 watch?v=YmCDaXeDRI4  Evolution of political ads (CNN): watch?v=ar96nFBtoQQ watch?v=ar96nFBtoQQ

What Works in Advertising?  With 75% of campaign spending going to political ads (mostly to television), candidates need to consider what works.   WSJ: Did Big Bird Build That? What Political Ads Work? (2012) 

Types of ad appeals  Moral values  Example: Barry Goldwater in 1964   Patriotism  Example: George W. Bush in 2004   Personal story  Example: Bill Clinton in 1992   Optimism and hope  Example: Barack Obama in 2008 

Types of ad appeals  Policy positions/ideology  Example: Mitt Romney in  Style/character  Example: Barack Obama in 2012   Fear  Example: Lyndon Johnson in 1964 

Negative Advertising  Negative ads attack the opposition without presenting positive messages about the candidate. They create fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) about opponent.

Negative Advertising Campaign professionals may advise “going negative” in these circumstance:  1. Candidate is running against an incumbent  2. Opposition is dramatically outspending candidate  3. Candidate has little name recognition  4. There’s irrefutable evidence of serious wrongdoing by opponent

Negative Advertising  Used since the beginning but have increased since 1988, notably with this ad (“Willie Horton”) run on behalf of George H.W. Bush.  Bush’s campaign manager said, "By the time we're finished, they're going to wonder whether Willie Horton is Dukakis' running mate."

Impact of Negative Advertising  Turning off voters/ depressing voter turnout  Motivating more negative voting (against a candidate) than positive voting (in favor of a candidate)  Can backfire on a candidate if information is incorrect or the ad seems too mean. But do they work? Political science studies have mixed findings, so their effectiveness is inconclusive.

How to Counter a Negative Ad  1. False charges should be denied. Candidate should demand the opponent (or news media) provide proof. Demand an apology  2. If some wrongdoing in candidate’s past, best to release it before it becomes public.  3. Candidate can attack the use of negative ads.  4. Candidate can discredit opponent with his or her own negative ads.

How to Counter a Negative Ad  5. Candidate may be able to turn a negative into a possible  6. Candidate may be able to use humor to downplay the negative (unless serious)  7. Candidate can admit wrongdoing & ask public forgiveness  8. Candidate can refuse to respond (stonewalling)**  9. Candidate can blame the news media**  ** usually not effective

Negative Advertising in 2012 The most in presidential election history. Candidate % negative ads  As of October 2012  Obama86  Romney79.2  In final week  Obama85  Romney99 News analysis of negative ads in 2012  (Al Jazeera)

Possible Reasons for High Negativity  1. Closeness of the race. Swaying even a small number of voters important.  hour news & social media  More difficult to get voters’ attention  Less likelihood of a backlash against a negative ad  3. Campaigns did not have strong messages so they focused on the other guy. One pollster explained, “Neither candidate has been able to put away doubts about himself, so the only strategy is to introduce doubts about your opponent.”