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

Note: "Media" is generally used in conversation as a conglomerate and that is why you will sometimes see it written here as if it were a singular noun. Teachers in many schools, correctly had students consider it as a plural noun. Whether "media" is singular or plural is a controversy that we did not settle here.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
What role does the media play?
"Looking at a typical election year, one finds that the media are almost in control of the election. It is the media who decides which candidates we see or hear, and which issues we concern ourselves with. If a network does not want to give coverage to a specific candidate, or issue, the public is not informed. During an info-mercial, Ross Perot stated that he wasn't allowed to buy [enough] TV time."
Justin Peters, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"The media can and have played many roles. They can be used to inform. They can be used to entertain. They can be used for public awareness of certain problems and issues. However, they can also be used as a weapon a hurtful, crippling weapon."
Chris Hudson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The media play a big role in electing a candidate for national office. The coverage and the way the reporter feels about the candidate influences the reader, watcher, and listener…The candidate depends on accurate and truthful coverage from the media to get his name and beliefs to the voter."
Donald Tirpik, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Now, the media act like a public spaghetti strainer for information. The thin material gets through, while the meat gets left behind…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 they want to cover, and what will go further to advance their own agendas and bank accounts…media is [big] business."
Morgan Hardy, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The media do a good job letting the public know who is running for office and about that person. I also believe that the media do a poor job [discussing important] issues…the media feel…are too boring. I say print the issues so the public has a better understanding of the candidate. The media are…preoccupied by less important personal characteristics…when what [the public needs] to hear is how this person is going to make this country better. What is this person going to do for us, not what he is going to with his daughter or how often he jogs around the neighborhood. I believe the media need to [focus on] the important issues even it is boring; people [need] to know what they are voting for."
Ernest Ouellett, Wallace High School, Wallace Idaho

"I believe the media's job is to cover the important issues in a political race, but it should not be up to them to educate the electorate about the candidates in a race.…I believe that role of educating the electorate belongs to special interest groups, political parties, and the candidates themselves."
Lucia D. Gregory, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

Do politicians control their own image?
"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 Fair. It seemed almost preposterous that now, images could not only be placed on transparent films, but could be [transported] through air.…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.…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 this 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

"Kennedy was a forty three year old attractive senator, with an even more attractive young wife. He had well chosen words and a youthful vigor that appealed to the voters'… The view of the former Vice President Richard Nixon, was a totally different story. With poorly fitting suit and a five o'clock shadow Nixon had the look of a shifty car salesman. This made the people lose trust in him and view him as tricky".
Andrew Johnson, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"In today's society, tpoliticians are seen as lying, backstabbing, and filthy people. And in some ways the media are responsible for this…It seems like the press just reports or prints the things that are slanderous or that might be misconstrued in a slanted point of view. It is as if they are just looking for something to make the candidates fit every stereotype that society has come up with for politicians."
Colby Mattel, Wallace High School, Wallace Idaho

"Politicians must maintain a good working relationship with reporters. Candidates are so eager to be good friends with the media because any appearance or interview is like free advertising. They want as much exposure as possible. If politicians are negative or rude to reporters, it could hurt them in the future. Those same reporters could decide to give less attention to those candidates, or even cover other candidates for the same position more."
Lucia D. Gregory, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"I think politicians favor the media more than they dislike them."
Lara Upchurch, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Sometimes candidates do not answer the question in a straightforward answer in fear of losing votes…I believe it would be easier for the media if the candidates that were running for office would stand up for what they believe in and stop fearing vote loss and speak their minds and tell the public what they believe in a straight forward fashion."
Leesa Johnson, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"As part of the public, I have a problem understanding just what the candidates are saying because they can stay in the middle, and do not offend anyone."
Colby Mattel, Wallace High School, Wallace Idaho

"Are they [politicians] allowing themselves to be led by public relations people? How many of their decisions and actions are controlled by their wanting to please the media rather than what they know is best for our country? Are the hard and unpopular decisions being passed by in order to create the best image?"
Hannah Fawver, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

Role of media from the candidates' point of view:
"Jack Riggs [candidate for Idaho State Senate] believes that the media informs but at the same time they try to create a good story, even if it means stretching the truth."
Shiloh Tesch, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"On the candidates side of it, Jack Riggs and Dan Schierman, candidates for local office, stated that the media have done a good job quoting them. One exception, Sheriff Schierman had to say, was in October, the Shoshone News Press did not put his explanations into the article. They published the main quote but then left it to be understood in different ways, which is what often happens.

On Friday, October 25, 1996, Susan Drumheller, of the Spokesman Review, directly quoted Senator Jack Riggs as saying, 'It seems like there is so much discussion about a not-existent problem. I haven't seen a case of lead poisoning. I don't think it is a problem.' Susan Drumheller gave the impression that [Mr. Riggs] was talking about the area around the Silver Valley, which we all know has many cases of lead poisoning…but his comment was about the Coeur D'Alene lake area. That publication was a front page headline, while the retraction will not likely be on the front page or have a major headline."
Lisa Calabretta, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Jack Riggs…felt that the national media likes to create stories because they are just out to sell newspapers, magazines or to get a jump in the ratings. This may be true, but I still believe that they try to produce accurate reports. It was also the opinion of Mr. Riggs that the media sources in the Northwestern United States are more honest. I do not understand how he could possibly know this. I believe that the local media are more likely to keep stories closer to fact because there is less distance between the reporter and the politician. The local media is much more personal."
Lucia D. Gregory, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"When interviewed on October 28, 1996, incumbent Shoshone County Sheriff Dan Schierman was asked if the media were fair or if the candidate's interviews were ever changed to cut or increase the candidate's chances of winning. He answered that often time the media would not print parts of an interview if the result was not what was expected. He also stated that the truth is sometimes twisted to make a better story…When asked the same question, State Senate challenger, Jack Riggs, said the press may cut parts of the interview and fill it in with false details. However 90 percent or more of his interviews have been very accurate. Riggs also explained that some candidates may confuse what they say so that they may be viewed in a more positive way. An untrue report cannot always be blamed on the media. The candidates are often at fault."
Shiloh Tesch, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

Role of media from the media's point of view:
"My English class spoke to two representatives of the media in October, 1996. Steve Massey, from our regional newspaper, and Joni Lueck, from our local newspaper, came to answer our questions. Mr. Massey made it clear to us that it is not the media's job to print stories on every candidate unless they wish to do so. It is the candidates' job to publicize themselves."
Lucia D. Gregory, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Steve made an interesting point about how he decides what parts of a person's past are relevant to an election. His points related well to our own president. In many television stories Clinton's past (draft dodging, drug experimentation) are brought up. But that stuff, which occurred several years ago, is irrelevant as long as it hasn't been repeated, so it shouldn't be brought up. However, more recent incidents, like Whitewater, in addition to his past, bring up serious questions about Clinton's character and ability to run the country and so should be addressed. Also, Joni said that at their newspaper office they tried to make sure each candidate was equally covered, but added that it often appears to the public that the incumbent receives more coverage because that person has been in the spotlight longer and in the long run more articles have been written about [him or her]. Steve commented that reporters can't just report what the politicians say, they have to represent the candidates truthfully. "
Erika R. Cantamessa, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"When asked what role the media plays in choosing our candidates, Joni Lueck [newspaper reporter] replied that the media served as a kind of watchdog, reporting the goods and bads of both the candidates and the office holders, telling the problems they solved as well as the problems they have created. Joni Lueck believes the media does their job by informing."
Shiloh Tesch, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"In some cases, the incumbent has a harder time with the media than the challengers, because the press has had longer to dig things up about an incumbent's past, or something they have done while in office to irritate the public. Steve Massey…says, 'When the press digs up something about a person's past they are not just trying to make the candidates look bad, but show the public what kind of person the candidate is.' In my opinion, the media take things too far sometimes when they print things about the candidates. 'But who's to say what's too far, and what's acceptable,' says Joni Lueck and Steve Massey."
Colby Mattel, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Steve Massey…said '[The newspapers] deal too much with mudslinging, but it's an easy story.' An 'easy story'. From this statement, one gets the impression that journalists have become lazy and will use nearly anything to catch the public's eye."
Justin Peters, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"I asked Ms. Joni Lueck and Mr. Steve Massey how they each keep track of stories printed on both sides of a political race. I assumed it was in their newspapers' best interest to keep the coverage in almost equilibrium. Mr. Massey…told me of the computerized record at his newspaper office. The system works by typing candidates' names into the computer and a list of all previous stories about them or involving them are shown on the screen. At our local newspaper, …record is kept only by reporter memory. The media…must only be impartial in a professional sense."
Lucia D. Gregory, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Reporters Joni Lueck, …and Steve Massey…agreed that they have misquoted a candidate but never did they do it intentionally.…When Joni Lueck does not write a direct quote, she makes sure to paraphrase. She often feels that it is important to record all interviews with a tape recorder to delete any mistakes that might occur. She also will call to confirm a quote if she is not positive about it."
Lisa Calabretta, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

Role of media from one student's point of view:
"Before you could analyze and say what role the media should play, you have to first understand what role they do play in the election process. The media do not necessarily give all candidates equal coverage, but [the coverage] for national [candidates] is pretty even. During election time, national news stations do a thorough job of covering most candidates, which in turn adds to greater awareness in voters and influences [their] decisions ."
Ian Cotter, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

Although few students agreed with Ian, all agreed the media plays an important role in the election process:
"The media play a major role in choosing our candidates. This is their job. This is how they make their living."
Amanda Cantrell, Camden High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The media, whose sole job is to get information to the American public and be the watchdog of government, wield tremendous power. They influence people to think and vote a certain way. The media play a major role in choosing the national candidates by influencing public opinion, but in reality they should only play the role of public informer."
Sean Shelley, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"So what role do the media play? The media play whatever role will catch them a story. The media should play the role of truth-finder, watchdog, and most importantly, informer.…I believe that a story is not as important as informing the public so that the best choice possible is made when the votes are cast. Our jobs, our community, and the future of our country are being put in the hands of the candidates that win the elections, and media play a big part of that decision."
Shiloh Tesch, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"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

Many students mentioned the advantage of being well known by the electorate:
"In school when we hold class officer elections we don't have debates, and the candidates don't make big speeches. Winning is based on how well everyone knows you.[The media's] job is to make the candidates seem like peers; people we grew up with. In order to make an informed decision the public has to understand the candidates, how they think and how they react in different situations. The public needs to understand each candidate as though they had known them a life time. Only they need this understanding in a year or less and it is the media's duty to give them that understanding through articles, interviews and coverage of debates, as well as the candidates own campaign ads and commercials."
Erika R. Cantamessa, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

_"Most people…consider famous or well know people's opinions before an average person's opinion."
Erica Hastings, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"People know the names of those in office and if they do not have a real problem with the way things have been going, they will vote for them again and again. I suppose there is no real problem here but I feel that the people are being left out when they are not aware of what the candidates stand for. The voter could be pro-life and the candidate could be pro-choice and still be voting for that candidate…If the public is not well informed on the views of the candidates, obviously the people are not the ones running the government"
Krista Kinsey, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"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."
Eric Brantley, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"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." Jacob Larsen, Camden Central High School, Camden,Tennessee

Incumbents often receive more coverage:
"Often times the incumbent will get more coverage. This is mostly because the media know more about the incumbent than the challenger because the [incumbents] have been in the public eye so much longer."
Shiloh Tesch, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

But coverage is not always advantageous:
"When [Idaho State Senator] Riggs was asked whether he thought the incumbent had the advantage he had this to say: 'I think the incumbent has the advantage because people know what he has done and done well and he has the experience of working with the media.' While Sheriff Schierman on the other hand had this to say: 'The incumbent does not have the advantage because people have seen him work and do not all agree on his actions and often do not want to see that person in office again.' Mr. Schierman ended up winning the election, primarily because of these two reasons."
Scott Thomas, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

Steven is not sure how to determine coverage. On the one hand the media should decide:
"All types of the media can be helpful, yet threatening at the same time. There should be greater discretion on the part of the media…Radio stations should give candidates equal air time or no air time."
Steven Fleming, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

On the other hand, it is ultimately up to the candidate:
"The most interesting candidates do tend to get more coverage which may give them an unfair advantage, but it is up to the candidates to get votes and their character is probably a big factor."
Steven Fleming, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

Many students were distressed by the lack of coverage for third party candidates:
"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

"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 are 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 [every] candidate, but if they would stop talking about insignificant matters such as Bill Clinton's affair, they would have plenty of time."
Amanda Cantrell, Camden High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Another reason the media often provide 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. 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 media did not allow presidential candidate Ross Perot to debate in the 1996 presidential debates. They figured that Ross Perot would be unable to win, so they did not let him debate. According to the media, the electorate wasted their vote if they chose Ross Perot."
Sean Shelley, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Ross Perot spent 50 million dollars on four one-half-hour info-mercials to be aired the night before the election. This in part helped him get votes and get recognized in the nation."
Scott Thomas, Wallace High School, Wallace Idaho

"Sometimes the candidate that might have been better does not get elected because he could not get his name and what he wants to do for the nation in the minds of the voter."
Leesa Johnson, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"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.…we do not [know] some of the candidates…because the media do not have [them] on the covers of newspapers and magazines or on radio and television. These people do not make it…because of shortage of funds or lack of notoriety."
Angela Ferguson, Camden High School, Camden, Tennessee

Students discovered that in addition to what candidates to cover, how to cover candidates was a major problem:
"The problem with the media is how they choose to cover the candidates. In most cases it seems that they are more concerned with exploiting each candidate's past than telling what the candidates are like now and what they plan to do in office."
Erika R. Cantamessa, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Do the media have the right to judge or distort the public's impression by reporting actions that are not relevant? How involved should the media get in choosing candidates for national office?"
Lisa Calabretta, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"The media do 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

"The media should be aimed at covering the candidates and…issues rather than trying to ruin the reputation of another candidate."
Steven Fleming, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"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

"Our local media are out to destroy what little reputation a local [candidate] might have. You see more trashy gossip from the local media than you do from state and national media."
Lara Upchurch, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The media can raise you up high in the publics eye or punch you down low."
Erica Hastings, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

Do ads influence?
"Many people do not even listen to the commercials even though the candidates spend most of their money on ads that will be aired on a major television station."
Scott Thomas, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"And I personally listen to the radio more often than I read the paper so those ads have more of an influence on me."
Erika R. Cantamessa, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Political ads say nothing about the maker, but only bad-mouth their opponent. They try to show that their opponent is not qualified for the office. These ads…cause confusion and make it so America does not know where the candidates stand on the issues."
Sean Shelley, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

We have heard over and over that negative ads work. Apparently they don't work on Erika and Andrew:
"The other morning the alarm went off and the radio came on and instead of the usual hit song I awoke to a political commercial supporting Larry Craig, who ran for Senate from Idaho. The commercial basically just told of all the horrible things Craig's opponent, Walt Minnick, has done. About fifteen minutes later a commercial supporting Walt Minnick began. It explained all of the nice stuff he wanted to do for Idaho. I thought it was interesting that Larry Craig, the incumbent, felt he needed to bash his opponent Walt Minnick, while Walt Minnick simply presented himself and didn't even mention Larry Craig. To me, that shows a sense of insecurity in Craig and causes me to sway more toward Minnick."
Erika R. Cantamessa, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"On either side of the Boschwitz/Wellstone [U.S. Senate] campaign there were two very different types of ads. Rudy Boschwitz used a very negative and sometimes insulting theme in his ads. He was trying to make people mistrust Wellstone by saying that he had burned a flag, and in an earlier campaign by sending out letters to Jewish people that said that Wellstone was a poor example of a Jew.…Many of the things Boschwitz said did more damage to his campaign than to the Wellstone Campaign. Paul Wellstone used mostly positive adds that portrayed what he had worked for over the last years and what he stood for. Whenever Wellstone refuted the negative ads, he did so by using quotes from the congressional record to show where he correctly stood. Wellstone also used excerpts from the congressional record to show how he and Boschwitz had voted in order to truthfully show where they stood."
Andrew Johnson, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

Are the media biased? Some students seem to think so:
"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

"In the past, newspaper coverage has leaned toward the side which is most often endorsed editorially by the press, namely Republicans."
Kari Petersen, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"It is evident that even the most conservative newspapers are staffed largely by writers and editors who would call themselves liberals."
Akiko T. Graves, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"Most Criticism of the news media in the past has involved liberals attacking the conservative bias and domination of the press. Spiro Agnew's claim of a liberal bias is contradicted by all the major studies of bias conducted during the past thirty years. That the people were not shocked by Agnew's accusations is itself testimony to the fact that for over thirty years the media have been using their power to spread corporation propaganda, protect the establishment from unfavorable news, and prevent a true competition among ideas. The subsequent popular support for Agnew's position is a function of media's intentional failure to communicate the most basic ideal of democracyóthat all ideas, popular or unpopular, should be given a chance to compete fairly for public acceptance."
Jason Nichols, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

There is a difference of opinion:
"Most reporters and publishers put aside their biased attitudes when doing a story or an interview."
Steven Fleming, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"The writers and broadcasters with whom the public has become familiar present candidates' standings on issues. These views, more often than not, are untouched by the journalist's own thoughts, beliefs, and opinions."
Justin Peters, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"The media do not want to be anyone's enemy. They have a job to do just like everyone else. I believe that reporters try their best to be impartial and to be sure that the truth comes out. They do not write biased articles in the newspaper, except in the opinion page. The media do not want to enrage the public with a slanted story or headline. They want to build up a reliable and scrupulous reputation. The media are privately owned, consequently they can endorse or cover a candidate as they wish."
Lucia D. Gregory, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

Leesa and Kari give the media credit for trying:
"If [the reporters] are Democrats and they are covering a Republican they can't show that they disagree with the Republican candidate, which must be very difficult. Even if it is just an issue they disagree with, they can't show they disagree in their articles because it will influence the readers."
Leesa Johnson, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Overall I think the media are a big help to society. Somehow they are always present when news is happening. They give us information we wouldn't always hear on our own."
Kari Petersen, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

Others offer advice:
"When coverage is given to one candidate, the opponent should be given an equal chance to defend [him/her self]."
Justin Peters, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"With columns that compare and contrast the candidates and their views, everyone would be fairly and equally represented."
Shiloh Tesch, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"The incumbents of any election should share equal media coverage with their opponents. Elections should not be a man vs. man conflict. They need to be the people of the United States vs. the problems facing our country. Once we start looking at it from that perspective, then we will have a stable and reliable election system where the people believe their votes really count!"
Alysse N. Nockels, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

Mia believes the Pioneer Press has the problem solved:
"Some newspapersósuch as the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, have regular columnists one who has a liberal bias, and one who has a conservative bias. I believe that is a fairly good way of covering the presidential election, because you hear more than one person's opinion."
Mia Van Der Paardt, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

What can we believe?
"The media need…to differentiate between a news story based on fact and an editorial based on opinion."
Alysse N. Nockels, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"News is everywhere, television, radio, newspaper, even the internet. People don't know if we are better informed or just overwhelmed, and can we believe everything we hear in the news? There seems to be a shift from in-depth coverage to very short, superficial coverage."
Hannah Fawver, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"The media should primarily inform the public…instead of helping spread gossip…to get confused with the real truth regarding the candidates."
Angela Ferguson, Camden High School, Camden, Tennessee

"The media aim to please the public and they do generally seem to do that, although their idea of pleasing may mean the misrepresentation of a candidate."
Steven Fleming, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Information can easily be organized in ways that make it not dishonest, but at the same time creates a false image of candidates."
Amanda Pearson, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"In interviews with candidates, the media tend to twist words around…I can see how the media could take things wrong. They should just quote what the candidates say and put that into text or on the air and leave it to the public to take from it what they will"
Colby Mattel, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Reporters…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

"While I read and listen [to information] about a candidate, it is always in the back of my mind that what is being said just might not be true.…I have heard false stories in the media about my mother, who ran for re-election for the Idaho State Senate in 1992, so I know not to believe everything I hear and read. The media have a tough job but I think they make it too difficult…Let the candidates control what they say…Do not give them free publicity, make them work for it. The media should stay out of the personal lives of the candidates.…Another job for the media is to keep the campaigns honest by checking the accuracy of campaign advertisement. This year's election was closely [monitored] by CBS and KREM 2 with daily up-to-date reality checks."
Lisa Calabretta, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"When hearing information about the candidates you have to decide if the things you are hearing are fact or fiction because sometimes the media have 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 have 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 judge 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 report on are more important that they make them 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 on the 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

"Every time I would turn on the television, the radio, or look at the paper, there would be an ad or a story about something that one of the candidates did wrong. Who is right? How do you know what is fact and what is fiction? There is no real way of knowing the truth, unless somebody actually invests the time of looking into it [him or her] self."
Mia Vander Paardt, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

The unlikelihood of an honest media is disheartening but there is always hope."
Steven Fleming, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

Does the electorate get the coverage it deserves or what the media thinks it deserves?
"Is the media just providing what our society now wants due to everyone's increasingly busy schedules or is society just accepting what the media hand us in their attempts to grab a piece of the financial pie? The truth lies somewhere in between."
Hannah Fawver, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"Political coverage is becoming more of a theatrical play. Controlling the action and creating the scenes rather than reporting aspects of a political campaign. The media try to make boring political campaigning more exciting by touching up a little and leaving information out here and there, so the news will be more exciting and entertaining to the viewers. Reporters dig into anything and everything that may be a possible scandal in order to interest the viewers, rather than looking in depth at the issues that will affect our lives. The question I ask is this: Is this what we as a society, want and expect? Are we that shallow? Or, is this what the media think we want to hear?"
Hannah Fawver, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"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 going 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 this is one way the media alter the way we view things."
Lara Upchurch, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Thomas Jefferson was accused of seducing a Virginian blue blood, fathering several mulattos, and being an atheist. Andrew Jackson was called a murderer, gambler, and an adulterer. Grover Cleveland was accused of fathering an illegitimate child. He never admitted its paternity, but he accepted responsibility. His opponents made up this chant to taunt him: Ma, Ma, where's my Pa? Gone to the White House Ha! Ha! Ha! All of these men won office, as many others have who were subject to mud-slinging."
Kari Petersen, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"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 it has its story. I have seen many examples of this."
Chris Hudson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"Last, but not least, we should put an end to all forms of slander and yellow journalism.…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 based on mistakes they have made. Too many problems are caused 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 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 are good for a politician, because he can get his ideas and views out through the media. But most of the time the media [prefer] to see a scandal on the front page, [rather] 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 want. 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

Has television elevated the quality of election coverage?
"Wisconsin Representative Bob Dueholm says…voters use television or radio sound bytes to pique their interest to pursue an issue further and not to take a sound byte as the whole story."
Kari Petersen, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"Steve Massey, a reporter for the Spokesman Review[ said] 'We are an image-oriented society.' We relate better to people whose faces we have seen on television. People are more likely to vote for someone that they have seen on television than for someone whose name they do not recognize or face they cannot recollect seeing."
Steven Fleming, Wallace High School, Wallace Idaho

"The television audience…is broader, less educated, less sophisticated, and less interested in public affairs than the readership of newspapers.…What makes the television revolution even more destabilizing to the established order than earlier communication revolutions is its ease of accessibility to the least politically sophisticated strata of society. When Latin was translated into common tongues during the Renaissance, when the penny press emerged in the nineteenth century, the availability of information expanded for all groups, but the increase was greatest among the social, economic, and political elites. These elites served as a filter of political information; they explained government and politics to the masses. With television there is no need for intermediaries. People can see with their own eyes."
Jason Nichols, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"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 High School, Camden, Tennessee

"When presidential candidate Bob Dole went to shake a man's hand in the audience and ended up falling off the stage, it nearly scared my mother and me to death. Any person falling is dangerous, let alone a man in his seventies. I watched Extra on KREM 2 right after the incident and they played re-run after re-run of the falling. It seemed to me that they were mocking him when it would have been just as good not to laugh and not make that old man look or feel bad. If I fell off a stage, I would not like to see myself falling, replay after replay for days on television."
Lisa Calabretta, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Many historians believe that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington would have done poorly on television…Some even feel that Franklin Roosevelt would have made a weak impression on the world if he would have [engaged in] a television debate considering he was in a wheelchair."
Akiko T. Graves, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"It is becoming tougher and tougher to capture and maintain a share of the market. News, almost out of necessity, becomes tailored to fit a particular audience."
Hannah Fawver, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"In television, their main complication, I think, would be getting the information before anyone else."
Leesa Johnson, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Incumbent Senator Larry Craig and incumbent Idaho Representative Helen Chenowith visited our school here in Wallace, Idaho. Mrs. Chenowith spent about twenty minutes talking about her views and the things she is trying to do for the community. CNN was covering the meeting and filmed about a five minute segment of her speech. A question was asked about the mining and forestry industries. She did her best to run around it and avoid a straight answer. When I brought this to her attention, I immediately had a camera in my face and a microphone over-head. Our conversation lasted about seven minutes and the cameras never budged. This gave me the impression that the newscasters were trying to catch a glimpse of Mrs. Chenowith putting her foot in her mouth."
Shiloh Tesch, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"Television should get rid of the negative ads. The campaign season should be a lot shorter so the media doesn't have as much time to cut down the candidates. Also, television should just carry one presidential debate. Reporters should try to heighten what is important, rather than what is trivial. They should get more one-on-one interviews with the candidates and do more documentaries about them.…The media are going to be with us no matter what we do. As voters, we just have to be smart. We have to think through what messages the media are trying to send us about a particular candidate. We should pay more attention to the issues the candidate is trying to discuss and really think about the messages we see on television."
Shane Swanson, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"Television can turn a political race into a name-calling jamboree. Candidates choosing this option have an upperhand against opponents who have too much integrity to use the same hurtful tactics to gain a seat in office."
Steven Fleming, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

Should the following be allowed?
"In our local election for senator, our state senator's opponent was a former publisher of a newspaper. Our senator wrote informational news columns that were carefully omitted from his papers. She was shut out of the media in an entire portion of her district because of one individual. This is a prime example of how much power the media have."
Shane Swanson, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"Jay Griggs did nothing legally wrong by not publishing his opponent's news columns. That's exactly the problem. He did nothing wrong, so this can be happening all over the state and across this country."
Alysse N. Nockels, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

Should ownership of a newspaper, or money in general, determine coverage of candidates?
"There are places on the internet that promise to give you all the information, the candidate's message unfiltered and uncensored. There are chat rooms where you can actually talk to all the candidates. When reading the fine print, this program states that there is a price to those who want their messages to be shown. Computers and the internet are not available to all. Money talks, media listens."
Alysse N. Nockels, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"Since I work at the local newspaper, I am somewhat involved with the media…I feel that without the media, candidates would have to spend much more money on their campaigns. Without newspapers, television, and radio, broadcasting would be virtually nonexistent to the average candidate. The only people who would receive adequate recognition would be the ones with more money than the typical middle-class working person. The ordinary person would not be able to reach the entire electorate because of the lack of funds to advertise. I feel that without the interviews of the media, which I might add are free of charge to the candidate, candidates would not be able to sufficiently relay their views to the public. This would mean that the public would not really know the views of the candidates. Instead they would just be voting for the candidates whose names they recognize and on the political signs they see."
Krista Kinsey,Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"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.…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

"Jack Riggs told the class he spent twenty thousand dollars on his campaign, and Dan Schierman said he spent six thousand dollars…This money could be raised to help the state or the national deficit."
Ernest Ouellett, Wallace High School, Wallace Idaho

"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

"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."
Morgan Hardy, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

"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."
Chris Hudson, Camden Central High School, Camden, Tennessee

Is it time for reform?
"The McCain/Feingold Campaign Reform Act…would ban soft money and limit the amount of money given to each candidate."
Alysse N. Nockels, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"I believe that every person who runs for any election should have a certain amount of free air time so people can hear what they are planning to do during their term. That would help many people…vote [wisely] and would most likely make our country a better place because we would actually have the candidate who is best for our country in office. We would also have a large variety of candidates to choose from. Therefore, by allowing all of the candidates free air time, we could increase our voting percentage by a large amount."
Mia Van Der Paardt, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

Is it possible for the media to exert too much influence?
"Restrictions must be thrown at the media in order to prevent the destruction of the electoral process."
Steven Fleming, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

"I think we should start limiting the media…If people were to only see a candidate once a week, rather than every other day, maybe America as a whole will become more interested in the issues, instead of the candidates."
Ian Cotter, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

What about the First Amendment?
"Clearly stated in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of the press."
Lisa Calabretta, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho

Doesn't the voting public have responsibilities?
"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

"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…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 general population seems to believe what is written in newspapers, magazines, or on TV as the truth. We all need to look deeper and so some of our own research on the topics at hand. We must begin to care about our country again and who our nations leaders will be."
Kari Petersen, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"Why is everyone so worried about articles being interesting? I don't want 'interesting' to run my country or state or even my town. I'm more interested in what the candidate is going to do for my country or state or town. That is what is really important and interesting."
Ernest Ouellett, Wallace High School, Wallace Idaho

"At times when choosing candidates 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 High School, Camden, Tennessee

Do polls have undue influence?
"[There should be] less emphasis on polling. The media comes out with a new poll every week. We need to look at the whole picture instead of always looking for who's on first. We can worry less about what is going to happen tomorrow and worry more about what happened yesterday."
Shane Swanson, Luck Community School, Luck Wisconsin

"Newspapers and television alike conduct opinion polls to get an idea of who is leading a particular race. Then the media present 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.…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 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

Should early election results be publicized?
"When polls close in sites on the East Coast, votes begin to be counted and reported to the media. In most cases, with only one percent of the vote from a state reported, the media predict 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.[It is possible] that voters in the West will not go to the polls at all because [they assume] their vote will make no difference. The media recognize this possibility and openly admit 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

"Even though the newspapers think they do a public service by presenting…survey results and information [about] who leads in the polls, they only help one candidate to win the election. By showing one candidate's very large lead over another candidate, they make [people] feel that their votes would not count if they voted for anyone but the person in the lead.…By presenting early results, [the media make] Americans feel [voting is] pointless."
Sean Shelley, Wallace High School, Wallace, Idaho                          
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