


Paperback
Published: 2nd June 2000
ISBN: 9780465036271
Number Of Pages: 320
Here, at last, is the book for anyone who ever wondered how the media extravaganzas we call political campaigns really work. Everything You Think You Know About Politics and Why You're Wrong explores why the American public, seemingly so eager for "unspun" information about candidates and their positions, invariably ends up feeling manipulated by our political process.Challenging the reader with strategically placed quizzes, well-known commentator on the media and politics Kathleen Hall Jamieson surveys the existing public record on voting patterns, campaign promises, and all manner of electioneering and comes up with an engaging mix of analysis, surprising factoids, and political cartoons. This book separates the facts from the convenient fictions that deter Americans from caring about the processes and outcomes of elections.
Preface | p. xi |
Acknowledgments | p. xxiii |
The Content and Effects of Campaigns | |
Do Campaigns Matter? | p. 3 |
The Morning After: Do Politicians Keep Their Promises? | p. 19 |
Who's to Blame? Is the Perception Gap in the Campaigns, Media Coverage, or Both? | p. 37 |
What Is Happening Now? The Quality of Campaign Discourse | p. 49 |
What Should We Really Expect? How They Talk to Us | p. 55 |
Do the Quotes of Scholars Add Anything Different to the News? | p. 70 |
Are Voters Smarter Than Pundits, the Press, and Scholars About Attack in Politics? | p. 73 |
Was Voter Turnout in 1996 the Lowest Since 1924? | p. 80 |
The Gender Gap in Political Knowledge: Are Women Less Knowledgeable Than Men About Politics? | p. 83 |
Candidate Advertising | |
Does Political Advertising Affect Turnout? If So, How, When, and for Whom? | p. 93 |
Are Attack Ads Necessarily Negative? | p. 97 |
Does Attack Advertising Affect Turnout? | p. 107 |
Does Attack Advertising Create a Backlash? Mobilize the Other Side? Depress or Increase Support by Those of the Same Party? | p. 111 |
Who Attacked More in Ads in 1996, Clinton or Dole? | p. 115 |
Do Adwatches Backfire? | p. 121 |
Issue-Advocacy Advertising | |
Do Issue Ads Work? If So, When? | p. 125 |
The Influence of News | |
The Test Ban Treaty and the 2000 Campaign | p. 143 |
Does Local Television News Inform As Well As Local Newspapers? | p. 149 |
Do Newspaper Endorsements Matter? Do Politicians Speak for Themselves in Newspapers and on Television? | p. 155 |
Why Winning a Presidential General-Election Debate Has Little to Do with Performance | p. 161 |
Is There Anything New to Learn in Debates? Do Voters Learn from Them? | p. 163 |
Has the Average Length of a Candidate's Statement in News Dropped Since 1968? | p. 166 |
Does Local Television News Shape Our Views of Those of Other Races? A Case Study in Perception and Accuracy in News Media and Their Audience | p. 169 |
Is the Press Biased? Was the New York Times Biased Against Dole in 1996? Is Press Coverage Conservative or Liberal? | p. 187 |
Who Sets the Print Media Agenda? A Case Study Focusing on the New York Times | p. 197 |
Does the Winning Candidate's Agenda Match the Electorate's More Closely Than the Losing Candidate's? | p. 203 |
How Does Reporting of Poll Results Affect Campaign Coverage? | p. 206 |
Conclusion | p. 211 |
Appendix I | p. 223 |
Appendix II | p. 227 |
Appendix III | p. 229 |
Appendix IV | p. 231 |
Notes | p. 245 |
Selected References | p. 267 |
Index | p. 279 |
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780465036271
ISBN-10: 0465036279
Series: New Republic Bks.
Audience:
General
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 320
Published: 2nd June 2000
Publisher: INGRAM PUBLISHER SERVICES US
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 22.23 x 15.24
x 1.91
Weight (kg): 0.45
Edition Number: 1