Political Control of the News:
Bennett/Edelman Readings
Milburn
Psych 335

Bennett—Politicians’ Control of
News
• What are different types of news (in terms of political control) that Bennett identifies?
• What ways do politicians try to manipulate news and their images in them?

Keepers of Bush Image Lift
Stagecraft to New Heights (NYT)

9/11

Mission Accomplished

Mission Accomplished

Mission Accomplished
URL

What are the cognitions that
Edelman argues that governments try to generate?
• There is popular participation and influence on policy making
• Particular groups are hostile and evil
• Political leaders can cope and will cope with issues that baffle the public
• Particular groups are friendly and benevolent
(allies”)
• Particular kinds of actions are evil and immoral

What does this mean?
• Governments try to influence the way the public thinks about political issues and events

So, our 8 th grade model of democracy is again seen as too limited:
Public Opinion Government actions
We need to keep in mind a more complex model:
Public Opinion Government actions