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Media and the Presidency: Crossing Boundaries
of Ethics, Culture and Countries
Mass media content is a socially created product, not a window
on one true reality. But because of the role of media in democracies,
its political impact can be far-reaching. After all, most
of us do not know our presidents personally, and must rely
on media or communications produced by political organizations
to inform our political decisions.
Central to panelists’ papers are the themes of journalism
boundaries, cultural boundaries, and national boundaries.
Why are some “realities” about presidents and
presidential campaigns included and some not? How do political
actions and campaign strategies influence how presidents,
presidential candidates, and issues are covered? How do political
organizations employ communication to traverse cultural boundaries
and engage constituencies? And what are the links between
foreign policy and coverage of presidents across national
borders -- or domestic policy and coverage of cultural groups
here in the U.S.? A focus of the presentations is what accounts
for reporters crossing ethical, cultural, and/or national
boundaries to include or exclude particular information and
images.
The researchers examine media coverage and communication
campaigns of presidents in the United States and Mexico. Two
papers focus on the U.S. presidential campaigns in 2000, and
two papers compare coverage over various time periods –
one examining U.S. presidents and one studying Mexican presidents.
Methodologies include quantitative and qualitative analysis
of news transcripts and news abstracts, quantitative and qualitative
analysis of news footage, and in-depth interviews. The papers
contribute to our understanding of political theories, identity
theory, and media theories. Implications for political candidates,
political parties, the electorate, public opinion, and foreign
policy will be key in the discussion.
Participants:
Melissa A. Johnson, North Carolina State University, USA
(Chair and Presenter)
Robert M. Entman, North Carolina State Unviersity, USA (Presenter)
Joseph P. A. Villescas, University of Texas - Austin, USA
(Presener)
Frederico Subervi, Pace Unviersity, USA (Presenter)
Stacey L. Connaughton, Rutgers University (Presenter)
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