1996-1997 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest

What Role Does and What Role Should The Media Play
In Choosing Our Candidates For National Office?

Camden High School, Camden, Tennessee

Teacher : Wanda Allen

1st Morgan Hardy        2nd Chris Hudson         3rd Eric Brantley

"All too often a paper is biased toward one political faction because of the views of its editor or head writers."
Chris Hudson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The media is not totally honest with the public. They often do not tell the entire…Why should a local TV Show with a local candidate treat him any better than one who lives a thousand miles away?"
Amanda Cantrell, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The media will pick a certain candidate that they prefer and if you are not that candidate you are going to have many problems. The media tries to portray the candidate's good features and not the bad. The media can raise you up high in the publics eye or punch you down low."
Erica Hastings, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Media reporters have main objectives in line as they go out to do their job. They find what they want to find and they tell what they want to tell. And that's the thing about the media; you're never really getting the full picture."
Lara Upchurch, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Here in America politicians spend millions of dollars on their election campaigns, and those who don't might as well give up before the election. Most of the money goes to paid advertising, and hiring people to run their campaigns.…Let's say you're looking at how people buy their groceries. They don't always buy what is cheapest. No they buy what they saw on the TV commercials between Oprah and Geraldo. And that's kind of how the election goes, most people will vote for the candidate whose face or name they saw, or heard most on TV, news papers, and magazines. I guess there is not really a perfect way the media can handle the election, because as long as there is money in it, the media is going to do exactly what they want to do. And you can't really put rules on an election campaign, and tell them how much money they can and cannot spend on their own campaign."
Jacob Larsen, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Though, I believe that the media is a wonderful thing when it is used fairly and undiscriminating. I do not know where we would be today without the media to keep us informed on a day to day basis. But when is enough, enough? Where do we draw the line and say 'stop, this is no business of yours'?"
Chris Hudson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Now, the media acts like a public spaghetti strainer for information. The thin material gets through, while the meat gets left behind, like gloss and glamour covering up what the real platforms are. We are totally at the mercy of the media for what information gets to us. Studies have shown overwhelmingly that the media can, and does, pick what it wants to cover, and what will go further to advance their own agendas and bank accounts. And so, the problem lies in that media is a business. Many people are in direct opposition to many third party platforms, and since showing these has the potential to disillusion some viewers, they are scheduled for late night infomercials and sometimes charged more. Their funding is paltry compared to the two major parties. All in all, it is a vicious circle, with the third parties needing media to spread their message and gain funds, but never having enough funds to do so any more often than occasionally."
Morgan Hardy, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Another problem I see is how the media discriminates against candidates on the basis of money. Usually you only see a few of the several candidates in commercials or ads because some of the independent ones can not afford to advertise as much. I feel that some of the independents would make good politicians and should be given their fair share of coverage to show the people what they can do just as well as the others.…The media should give fair and equal coverage of all candidates regardless of financial status or social standing. The public needs to be well informed of all their choices, not only the wealthy, aristocratic ones."
Chris Hudson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"In this past 1996 Presidential election, when I voted, I had not heard of over half the candidates. Now, was that my fault or the media's? They chose Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, and Ross Perot to be the candidates. What about the others? If the media is going to cover one candidate, they should cover each candidate running for national office. A national broadcasting company would probably say they do not have time to cover each nations candidate, but if they would stop talking about insignificant matters such as Bill Clinton's affair, they would have plenty of time to cover each candidate."
Amanda Cantrell, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"We choose our office-holders from the media's presentation of candidates…It happens at every election that there are candidates we do not even know exist that are election hopefuls. The reason we do not have any idea who some of the candidates are is because the media does not have the people on the covers of newspapers and magazines or on the news of radios and televisions. These people do not make it to the media so much because of shortage of funds or lack of notoriety."
Angela Ferguson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Yes, some candidates are bad but lets give them all a chance first. Everyone who wants a chance should be given one, no matter who they are or where they have come from."
Erica Hastings, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"There are two primary reasons that the media often chooses to cover one candidate over others. One is the popularity or name recognition of a candidate. For example, in Tennessee a couple of years ago, Fred Thompson ran against Harlan Matthews for a United States Senate seat. Since Fred Thompson had previously been an actor and was relatively well-known, he tended to get more publicity. Another reason the media often provides unequal coverage for candidates is party affiliation. Candidates of either of the prominent political parties in America, Democratic and Republican, get roughly the same coverage in the media. Any other candidates, however, receive virtually no publicity. If a person does not have a mainstream political party along with his name, he most likely has no chance of winning the election because the media will not present him and his stand to the voting public."
Eric Brantley, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The radio made Franklin Roosevelt famous and well-liked with his 'fireside chats', which were down-to-earth sessions of political openness and 'telling it like it is'. This began the age of media in politics. The television created quite a stir at the 1926 World's Fair. It seemed almost preposterous that now, images could not only be placed on transparent films, but could be presented through thin air. Needless to say, the idea caught on quickly, and the television, or TV, as it became fondly known, began widespread production in the late 1940's, much sooner than most World's Fair exhibits. Old style politics were at an end. The population of today was no longer where it was prudent to go around the country taking on votes in person. The media must be used to spread the message. Inspiration in speeches became far less important than showmanship. This was apparent in the Kennedy-Nixon debates when the radio listeners felt Nixon won the debate while TV viewers saw Kennedy as the victor.

How did Kennedy overcome Nixon's eloquence and, at the time, neighbor-to-neighbor charm? The answer is simple-using the media to 'stack the deck'. There is some evidence that Kennedy, who at the outset had better stage presence, used the temperature control on the set on an already sick Nixon to make him uncomfortable… Also, Nixon used no makeup, and this hurt him as well. but it was not just his one famous debate. Kennedy's campaign was better funded and therefore able to utilize the media more."
Morgan Hardy, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Much of the public have trouble forming their own opinions. They try and let others decide for them. They see the media's opinion and they side with the media."
Erica Hastings, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"It seems as if we in American go from one extreme to another. We either have not enough of something or way too much. Where can a happy-medium be reached? We need to ask ourselves just how much is enough of the media and how far we should allow it to go with certain topics."
Chris Hudson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"For the local elections, like: county offices. You see much publication from the local media. In the weekly paper we can see usually a write-up. and on almost every street corner a flyer about the person. In our local paper they have every detailed aspect of that persons life. Whether it is relevant or not. Our local media is out to destroy what little reputation a local runner might have. You see more trashy gossip from the local media than you do from state and national media's."
Lara Upchurch, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The media can and has played many roles. It can be used to inform. It can be used to entertain. It can be used for public awareness of certain problems and issues. However, it can also be used as a weapon- a hurtful, crippling weapon. We as citizens need to decide what role we want the media to play in our lives. If we do not take action in controlling the growing empire of media, it could very well end up as a Big Brother persona, and we as Winston will be forced to conform. Media can be very advantageous when used properly. Too bad we do not have a handbook."
Chris Hudson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The media plays a major role in choosing our candidates. This is their job. This is how they make their living."
Amanda Cantrell, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The only way to find anything out about the aspirants running for offices is through the media's information. Although it would be nice if we didn't have to depend on the media, it is not possible without forfeiting the education of the public."

"The media should primarily inform the public of what the candidates are doing and how they intend to try correct problems…instead of helping spread gossip…to get confused with the real truth regarding the candidates."
Angela Ferguson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"When hearing information about the candidates you have to decide if the things you are hearing are fact or fiction because sometimes the media has a tendency to blow things out of proportion. They also like to start conflict among the candidates which one will make up the most lies about the other candidate; the media has the right to publish anything they hear, whether it is the truth or a lie. They do this just to get attention focused on their articles and papers. The media sometimes judges the issues that they report on wrongly. Some issues that are important end up at the back pages of the newspaper in tiny print, when it should be on the front page in huge print. Some issues that the media reports on are more important that they make it out to be. The media focuses their time and attention on trashy issues that are usually not the truth, instead of the issues that need time and attention. These issues that they focus on get a lot of publicity, but only for a day or two. The issues that are really important that could have gotten a lot of publicity if they were not he front page do not because they are hidden in the back of the paper where no one pays attention to them."
Sarah Sparks, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"When Bill Clinton was asked if he had ever smoked marijuana and he answered 'yes, but I didn't inhale'. Of what relevance did that question have to do with the way he was gong to run our country? What teenage boy growing up in the 60's didn't try marijuana? Trying something early in your youth shouldn't be dramatized by every American, but that's what we wanted to hear. This altered everyone's thinking toward Clinton's ability to do his job. Whether for or against Clinton this changed their perspective. It may be silly, but his is one way the media alters the way we view things."
Lara Upchurch, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"I do not have much respect for our hometown paper because it does not care whom it hurts or whose family it destroys just as long as they have their story. I have seen many examples of this in our paper. They will print damaging headlines on prominent people on the front page in plain view for everyone to see."
Chris Hudson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Most people take into consideration famous or well know peoples opinions before an average persons opinion."
Erica Hastings, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Last, but not least, we should put an end to all forms of slander and 'yellow journalism'. This world has enough problems without having to worry about this garbage. So what, if one of the candidates has done something in his life that he would like to keep hidden? We have all experienced this. We have all done things that we are not proud of. We are all human. People should be allowed to choose candidates based on their works in office and deeds for the country ,not base on mistakes they have made. Too many problems are cause by this. Too many families are destroyed. Too many lives are damaged. Too many reputations are ruined. Let sleeping dogs lie and cover the present, not past, works."
Chris Hudson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"People want to hear all of the 'trash' the media can find on candidates."
Amanda Cantrell, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"In my country Denmark we have a time every year, where the news papers, and magazines especially, do not have anything to write about. We call this 'agurke tiden' that means something like 'the pickle time.' What is meant by it is that a pickle is sour, and the news they come out with is sour and boring. I know that the media is good for a politician, because he can get his ideas and views out through the media. But most of the time the media likes to see a scandal on the front page, than some important information. Only it is not always the media's fault, because they are just trying to give the people what they know the people wants. And that is what it takes to survive in any form of business, to give the consumers what they want."
Jacob Larsen, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Ross Perot has been made fun of for his age, voice and especially his ears. These are things that he cannot help, yet because of these features he is not taken seriously and is looked at more like a joke than a candidate for the presidency."
Angela Ferguson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Back to politics and the media. I think politicians favor the media much more than they dislike it."
Lara Upchurch, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Newspapers and television alike conduct opinion polls to get an idea of who is leading a particular race. Then the media presents it to the public as though the candidate with the greatest percentage of the votes is going to win. In actuality, polls do nothing more than influence the votes of Americans. They should not be reported because they do not give voters any news about the candidates' stands on issues or the candidates' personalities that might influence voters. A poll is only good for telling Americans how some of their contemporaries would vote. As was stated earlier, many people only want to vote for the winning team. The poll directly influences this type of person because it essentially tells him who the most popular candidate is."
Eric Brantley, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"[Polls] influences people more than anything. Since the beginning of time, if the majority of people are doing something, everyone else follows right behind. When a TV News show performs a poll in New York City, and it shows the majority of the people are supporting a particular candidate, the rest of America seems to join the 'bandwagon' and support the candidate not even knowing what they actually support."
Amanda Cantrell, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"One main way that the news media influences elections is especially evident in the United States presidential election. When polls close in sites on the East Coast, votes begin to be counted and reported to the media. In most cases, with only 1% of the vote from a state reported, the media predicts which presidential candidate will win that particular state's electoral votes. An hour later, states in the Central Time Zone begin to report election numbers as polls close. By this time, there is often a clear front-runner according to the news media's projections. Meanwhile, polls still have not closed in the Mountain or Pacific Time Zones.…So, people in the Mountain or Pacific Time Zones can be easily influenced by the media's projections and vote for the [predicted winner] because the polls are still open. Another possibility of the media's [predictions] is that voters in the West will not go to the polls at all because [they assume] their vote will make no difference. The media itself recognizes this possibility and openly admits it. In the last presidential election, I was watching election returns on an NBC station. At one point in the evening, after President Clinton had already been projected as the winner of the election, Tom Brokaw made a comment regarding this issue. He said that just because the winner had been projected by the media, people in the West should still go to the polls and vote for the candidate of their choice because their vote did matter."
Eric Brantley, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The media, from day one, said that Ross Perot had no chance of winning and that he would not win. Many Perot supporters changed their minds and their votes because they did not want to support a losing presidential candidate. Ross Perot could have been a good candidate but he never had the chance because no one thought he could win. They thought he would lose because the media said that he would."
Erica Hastings, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The media does not want to focus on the accomplishments of candidates; they would rather focus on the failures… because failures get more publicity."
Sarah Sparks, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"I believe that good media should cover all sides and let the people choose what to believe. I do not feel that it is the media's place to choose our candidate for us. I think the responsibility of the media should be to keep us well informed of all candidates."
Chris Hudson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"At times when choosing candidate it is …good for the public to individually think for themselves without being bothered by the media and what's been said. Once a person hears or reads something about a candidate, good or bad, it is not just forgotten. …If the media stayed with the facts without being so involved with telling gossip, people could make up their minds more easily."
Angela Ferguson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"I know, most young people today, in my country Denmark, where I am a citizen, don't pay much attention to whom they vote for. They most of the time just vote because they have to, or don't vote at all. All this is simply because they are not interested in politics. I think that is pretty much the same way here in the United States."
Jacob Larsen, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee                                       Back