The Influence of Television in Politics

Technology has forever changed the way we receive our news and has irreversibly changed the landscape of the media. The growth of cable television and the shift from television to the internet have facilitated the growth of both infotainment and narrowcasting. The main question that we’re asking today is how both infotainment and narrowcasting have an impact on politics in America. To better understand this question, we must first know what infotainment and narrowcasting are.

In the United States, television has been influential in presidential elections since the 1960’s. Television has a way of “turning away from policy sphere,” it judges candidates based on their appearances, not their message. Television has shifted the key point of presidential debates: from pursuing issue to pursuing image. Therefore, television is misleading, having a negative impact on presidential elections.

Television has been influential in United States presidential elections since the 1960’s. But just what is this influence, and how has it affected who is elected? Has it made elections fairer and more accessible, or has it moved candidates from pursuing issues to pursuing image? The media only impacts the American Society, especially for the presidential election as it increases the talks in politics and gives the president a higher role to follow. The television race captures more popularity than what a citizen is actually voting for.

The broadcast of television and its contents have influenced society as a whole. Whether it being commercials or news incidents, the television covers it all. With the vast amount of information being introduced to a wide span of audience, the television has altered the way a person takes in the given info. Despite all the advantages of the television, it generates bias amongst its viewers and converts their attentions on a certain issue, such as politics, for better or for worse. Although the invention of the television ventures to address political issues to the world, the television manipulates information so that a negative outlook would be pronounced on a particular candidate for a presidential election.

In chapter two, Wattenberg discusses television broadcasting and its impact with news networks such as NBC, CBS, and ABC. He quotes a 1972 study by Patterson and McClure in which they believed that although broadcasting allowed for Americans to see the campaign, it did not help teach voters anything of importance (32). TV news has become increasingly directed towards the elderly, with young people elsewhere or watching something else when politics are broadcasted (33). He illustrates this point with an example of the types of commercials aired for medications that while are suited for any age group, they are remedies for maladies or health concerns that older generations experience more than younger ones. Today, there are multitudes of television channels available for specific topics such as sports and music rather than the general topics the original major networks broadcasted, making it easier for young people to avoid the political events that once captivated the attention of Americans in previous generations. One study found that 21% of respondents under 30 years of age learned about the Presidential campaign or candidates from a comedy show instead of from newscasts (40). Although some find information indirectly through entertainment TV, a 2004 survey proved that 7% of respondents who followed the campaign closely enjoyed it and were familiar with facts heavily relied on cable news channels as a source of information, proving that if

Neil Postman is deeply worried about what technology can do to a culture or, more importantly, what technology can undo in a culture.  In the case of television, Postman believes that, by happily surrendering ourselves to it, Americans are losing the ability to conduct and participate in meaningful, rational public discourse and public affairs.  Or, to put it another way, TV is undoing public discourse and, as the title of his book Amusing Ourselves to Death suggests, we are willing accomplices.

Presidential candidates have power over how they’re shown in TV, whereas before TV they didn’t have much choice but to show up and campaign to just be the best leader they can persuade others that they’ll be. Source A explains the immediate contact the media can give, it can penetrate people’s mind and get viewers like never before, but just because that’s available doesn’t mean it’s the best option on how to portray our presidential elections. If anything, maybe television made the viewers feel closer a few decades ago, but now it’s nearly a barrier we can’t get past, so instead the television‘s impact on showing presidential elections has given the elections a negative impact. No one wants to watch short answered arguments where quality of imagine does better than the impact of your real words and actions. All the TV has done is go for someone’s image, quick answers, and the unfocused aspect of what truly matters, if your president is who will make your world a better place or

The popularity of television developed in the 1950’s, but the power of television as a medium secured its place in the 1960’s. This is demonstrated statistically in a Roper research poll aimed to investigate American television habits and related attitudes (Small 12). Adult participants were asked how they received most of their news about world current events and were then given options including television, newspapers, magazines or radio. In 1959, 57% identified newspapers over television; by 1969, television had taken the lead as the preferred source as stated by 64% of individuals (13). Participants were also asked which source they would be more inclined to believe if they experienced conflicting reports of the same news story. In the 1959 poll, the results showed television slightly behind newspapers, but the 1969 responses showed an increase of 44% choosing television as a more trusted source over 21% identifying newspapers. Again, the enchantment with television was revealed when more than half of the respondents identified TV as the option most likely to keep if forced to choose between the four previously mentioned mediums (13). The changes exhibited over a decade reveal the public’s budding dependence on television broadcast news.

Television is a form of communication that can be used to transfer information to the general public, and its full value and effects can be seen at all times, especially during election seasons. To some extent, this medium has helped people make informed decisions on which candidate is suitable to be president. However, this positive influence could distract people from focusing on policy and turn the election into a popularity contest.

According to research obtained by Cornell University scientists, 92% of Americans watch TV, 87% read newspapers, and 81% specifically watch local or national televised news stations…

According to the book Celebrity Politics, approximately 10 percent of Americans get national political news from nightly entertainment shows such as the Tonight Show. For Americans under 30, the number is nearly five times as many (Orman and West 100). Citizens are looking to be entertained rather than simply educated by the nightly news. As David Schultz aptly put it, “ The new media cover politics, but only politics as it entertains, in part, because the audience the new media attract is a less politically interested audience than traditional news audiences” (20). The fact is that this American audience is less interested in hard news and more interested in

The invention of the television has had an impact on all aspects of American's lives. It has affected how we work, interact with others, and our foreign relations. One part of American society that it has especially affected is presidential elections. Television has impacted who is elected and why they were elected. Since the 1960's television has served as a link between the American public and presidential elections that allows the candidate to appear more human and accountable for their actions; consequently this has made television a positive influence on presidential elections. But it has also had a negative affect on elections, making presidential candidates seem like celebrities at times and making it easier to publicize mistakes

Reality television shows are the usual genre of programs in the 21st century. These programs show the reality of what happens in real life. They are not like movies or series that are being acted or are done based on actual stories. The characters shown in these shows are the real people who act. Keeping up with Kardashians, Love and hip-hop, and the Police women of Cincinnati are some of the recent reality TV shows that are aired on American TV channels. Keeping up with the Kardashians is about the three sisters Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian. It revolves around their professional and personal life. Love and hip-hop is about various hip-hop artists around the United States of America. Such shows touch on the artists’ relationships and their careers as an artist. Policewomen of Cincinnati is about the lifestyle of four female police officers, who are working in the Cincinnati police department.

When the White House felt a retraction was not enough because so much harm had already been done, the media got extremely upset with the White House, due to the pressure they were putting on the publication (52-53). Begala agrees with Hewitt that the media has a bias, but argues that it is a liberal bias. He cites the media's obsession with the Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal and how, "Even when Clinton was leaving office, he was hounded and pounded by the press" (199). He argues the news coverage was unfair, brutal and unethical in the way both Bill and Hillary Clinton were treated during the scandal (200). Begala also says Al Gore was treated very poorly by the press during the election, by being misquoted. Gore made major contributions during the early phases of the internet and made a comment on CNN saying he "took the initiative in creating the Internet." Begala argues this was blown out of proportion and more than a thousand articles have been written quoting Gore saying he said he "invented the internet" (202). The people's perception that certain publications are bias can have a negative affect on journalists as a whole. While the public demands that the press question politicians, Robinson says there is public discontent when bad news is reported due to the publics distrust in news and a "kill the messenger syndrome." At times, the public will assume all media is the same and when one publication is guilty of inaccurate or bias

Between 1960 and today, there have been many milestones in mass media and the way it has been presented to us. In the 1960’s television sets were becoming very popular in many households across America. The first televised presidential debate took place on September 26, 1960. “1963: Polls show more Americans report that they rely on television rather than newspapers as their primary source for news.” (“1963: Polls show…” PBS, n.d.) With the television becoming the new medium for people to gain information, this was a major milestone in how information was gathered and perceived. Also in the 1960’s the first stages of development of the internet began. Early computers were also being produced. This had set the stage for upcoming years in technology that would affect the experience of presidential elections by all.