Media Portrayal of Presidential Elections
Candidate centered: The advertising and theme of the campaign focuses on the candidate and not as much on the party or the issues.
Issues centered: The issues and the stance/record of the party is more of a focus than the personal attributes of the candidate.
Trend: Presidential races have become more candidate-centered. This is due to two factors: how the media chooses to cover presidential
campaigns and how candidates choose to use the media.
The Media’s Contribution to Candidate Centered Presidential Campaigns
Coverage of candidate’s background
 Human interest stories captivate the viewing audience and make
for good TV. Example: Obama and Romney’s life story
 This type of coverage causes the public to sympathize/relate to the
candidate while reducing emphasis on hard news stories related to
the stance of the party/candidate on the issues.
Image-centered coverage/personality
 Media coverage of the candidate’s schedule of appearances, the
speeches he gave, the size of the crowds, the enthusiasm of
supporters, the candidate’s mood (upbeat, etc.). This leads the
public to focus on what the candidate is doing, rather than the
substance of what he/she is saying.
Talk shows/TV debates
 Leno and other shows tend to focus more on the candidate as a
celebrity (to boost ratings) instead of asking tough questions
 Debate coverage often focuses just as much on the candidate’s
image (looking presidential) as the ideas he/she expressed.
Horserace, reporting polls
 Watch the evening news during an election year and the focus will
often be on the latest poll indicating the margin separating the two
candidates in the race for the presidency. This promotes a
candidate-centered campaign by emphasizing the race itself (and
the candidate’s position in it) instead of discussing more
substantive topics.
The Presidential Candidates’ Contribution to this Trend
Negative commercials/mudslinging
 The candidate uses the media to highlight past
transgressions or weaknesses in the character of their
opponent (focus on candidate more than issues).
Mudslinging might involve half-truths or blowing
incidents way out of proportion for political gain.
 Hilary Clinton “3 a.m. phone call”
Attention-getting: public appearances to enhance public
attention to individual qualities; timing of candidate activities
to make free news coverage
 George W. Bush fighter jet news story
 Attend public event (i.e. 4th of July parade, etc.) and kiss
babies/shake hands,etc. Gain free news coverage and
look presidential. The focus is on the candidate, not
the issues.
Seeking contributions
 President Obama seeking money from donors (with an
element of attention-getting)
Leaking information
 A candidate (or supporters) might leak information
about his/her opponent that would be damaging to
their campaign. The focus of the media shifts to what
the candidate said or might have done, instead of indepth examination of issues.
 Leaked video of Romney fundraiser
Candidate sound bites
 News programs dedicate less time to talking about hard news
(issues in depth). When interviewed, candidates provide short,
concise statements to summarize their point of view. These
statements often lack depth or real substance (may be completely
off topic). The sound bite may be useful to the media if it goes
along with their narrative regarding the candidate (i.e. the tough
guy image of Bush or the under-qualified image of Palin)
De-emphasizing party – The media will talk up flattering/interesting
personal characteristics of the candidate and avoid discussing views of the
party that might undermine the candidate’s chances of winning.
(FOX/MSNBC)
Feeding frenzy
 This is when a news story breaks and the media swoops in and
blows it up to where it is covered expansively on every network.
The coverage can last for several news cycles reducing
opportunities to discuss other important topics related to a
campaign.
 Example: Herman Cain and accusations of sexual harassment.
Coverage of convention
 A big pep rally. Focus is often on how presidential the candidate
looks/acts and whether his/her charisma is able to ignite a crowd.
The candidate’s acceptance of the party nomination is the focus
rather than real discussion of the issues.
Investigative reporting/personal scandals
 Dig into candidates’ past, find something unflattering,
sensationalize it to gain viewership (to be fair – this is a pessimistic
view of the media’s motives). Again, the candidate’s
personality/behavior is the focus.
 Example: Gennifer Flowers and Paula Jones (Bill Clinton – 1992)
Focus on candidate gaffes
 Romney gaffe in London
Image building: positive ads; hiring consultants; TV debates
that focus on individual appearance/qualities; getting on talk
shows
 Bill Clinton on Arsenio
 Romney trying to appear more “likeable”
Candidate creating choreographed opportunities
 A candidate seeking to present himself as a family man
might take his entire family to a public event (i.e. a
sporting event) where he knows he will likely be
spotted and mentioned by the press (appears
spontaneous/free press).
Use of the Internet to disseminate information
 This involves candidates creating websites or
contributing information to allied online news agencies
that focus on the narrative they want to present to the
public (putting a favorable “spin” on news events).
 Sites often focus on brief messages with images known
to resonate with the voters (through focus group
research). Portray favorable features of the candidate
(i.e. carefully choreographed pictures with diverse
crowd, multiple locations to show campaign is wellfunded and active, candidate looking vibrant and
energetic, etc.)
Sound bites
 Provide media with short sound bites that don’t really
say much (thereby avoiding the possibility of offending
a segment of the electorate), but stay “on message”
regarding how the campaign wants the public to view
their candidate (in general).