How Repeated Reportage Colors Perceptions

[Adex_Xeda]

I bumped into another interesting read. Not particularly biased.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... s_politics

[Akaran_D]

Adex, c'mon man, start giving us blurbs to go along with it, I don't want to click another link ><

[Adex_Xeda]

Because cutting and pasting is HARD. The link has an easier to read format.



The good news for President Bush is that he has dominated media coverage in recent months, a new study says.

The bad news is that much of the reporting has focused on the president's character -- and has been negative by more than a 3-to-1 margin.

The bad news for John Kerry is that the media assessments of his character have been negative by a margin of more than 5 to 1. The good news is he's been so overshadowed that there haven't been that many stories about him.

In an era when both Republicans and Democrats increasingly view the media with distrust, the findings could spark a renewed debate on biased coverage in the final months of a tight campaign. But there's no question, based on an accompanying poll, that the press is having an impact on the 2004 election. The more people read and watch, the study says, the more likely they are to echo the themes emphasized by journalists.

The report by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, Pew Research Center and University of Missouri journalism school looked at newspaper, broadcast and cable coverage from late March through early June. Researchers found that coverage often revolved around news events, such as the struggle in Iraq, and not campaign activities.

The most prevalent message about Bush, says the study, is that he is "stubborn and arrogant." Second most prevalent: Bush "lacks credibility." Third: The president is a "strong and decisive leader." Of all the comments about character, 56 percent were negative toward Bush, and 16 percent positive.

The most commonly reported theme about Kerry: he "flip-flops" on issues. Second: He's "very liberal." Third: "A tough guy who won't back down from a fight."

Of all the characterizations, 23 percent were negative toward Kerry, and 4 percent positive.

And where are these judgments coming from? In many cases, journalists themselves. The assessments of Bush's arrogance came from reporters more often than the Kerry campaign (46 to 28 percent), and at about the same rate on credibility, the study found.





For example, CBS's John Roberts reported in April: "At stake tonight, the president's credibility, chipped away at in recent weeks by the twin issues of Iraq and the 9/11 investigation."

"The fact that reporters feel pretty free to just infer things, or interpret from other people's statements, makes it easier for the campaigns to spin," says Tom Rosenstiel, the project's director. Campaign strategists "can say these things, even anonymously, and reporters will put it in their own words."

Negative characterizations of the Massachusetts senator were driven far more often by GOP attacks than journalists themselves, such as NBC's Tim Russert saying in April: "And the Republicans pounding away on the flip-flops of John Kerry, day after day."

Possible explanations, according to Rosenstiel: The Bush camp is more aggressive in going after Kerry, or journalists are biased in the Democrat's favor.

The negative reporting seems to have had a limited impact on Bush. According to the poll, 53 percent see him as tough and 48 percent as strong and decisive -- followed by 44 percent who say he's stubborn, 33 percent who say he twists the facts and 27 percent who call him a wealthy elitist.

The image of Kerry is less distinct but more negative: 36 percent say he flip-flops, 28 percent say he twists the facts and 20 percent call him a wealthy elitist -- followed by 18 percent who say Kerry is strong and decisive and 15 percent who call him tough.

A blizzard of ads has had relatively little impact on the public, despite the two campaigns' combined spending of $150 million, the project found. But the more ads viewers see, the more likely they are to say that Kerry flip-flops, a constant theme of the Bush ad blitz.

The researchers dutifully crunched the numbers on late-night political jokes. Jay Leno was the "least edgy," although the only one to zing Kerry as an elitist. David Letterman was "more pointed" and "probably harder on the president." Jon Stewart was the most likely to jab the administration as a whole, especially over Iraq, but his "digs at Kerry are less frequent."

[Ennia]

Because cutting and pasting is HARD. The link has an easier to read format.

the link also has a Print this article button which gives you even more easier to read format therefor easier to cut and paste

it was so hard to cut and paste but amazingly easy to choose a color from down the list to go with your paste

[Adex_Xeda]

I was joking about the cutting an pasting thing.

[Jice Virago]

Well, he let the beast loose (polemic sensationalist ratings driven news) so its poetic justice that he is getting bit in the ass by it.