Essay on Mass Media Coverage of Presidential Election

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Mass media coverage of the U.S. presidential election involves two key elements- news reporting and paid advertising. Combined they make the media an important and influential factor in the election process. The media depends upon the campaigns for both news and revenues. The candidates then rely upon the media to get in touch with the largest number of voters possible. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Media has a â€Å" very powerful and justifiable role† (Fullerton-1) to play in presidential elections and can actually dictate a campaign agenda. â€Å"It is the media’s job to sort of be the watchdog (Fullerton-1).† Their job is basically to ferret out the truth and sniff out the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Such shows really impact the viewing audience due to the voters chance at speaking directly to the candidate and expressing their own views.† (Gorin-1) nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The presidential debates are probably the most important media events covered in a campaign because voters can see how candidates react in stressful situations and can read numerous articles analyzing the debate after they occur. The debates basically allow the candidates to go head to head with one another and see who can handle themselves more efficiently and who has the most going for them. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;As far as coverage, newspapers usually provide more material to the campaign than does television, due to the large amount of reporters able to cover the campaign as well as less cost and time restraints as TV. Newspapers also have the benefit of â€Å"corrective journalism† (Gorin-2). â€Å"Instead of printing a candidate’s statement one day, an oppositions rebuttal the next and a related opinion piece the third day, journalists have the capability to include charges, countercharges, background research and analysis all in the same article. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;However, Louis Wolfson, a professor at American University says â€Å" In a larger sense, I don’t think the media sent the agenda for a campaign he said. 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