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Politics in Action: The Increasing Difficulty of Getting out a Presidential Message
• One of the biggest aspects of policymaking is the ability to communicate with the general public. o Even though many politicians expect that the rise of news and technology would help spread their message, it is seen the opposite is occurring. o This was especially clear when President Obama was fulfilling his first term of presidency. o Less than a quarter of the nation was watching his televised speeches while Ronald Regan got the attention of over half the nation back in the 1960’s. o This is very ironic considering Obama became president in a more technological age just back in 2008. o The more time has passed however, people have become more
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The Mass Media Today
• Politicians today try to control the media as much as possible by giving them scripted stories to release to the public. o Media event- Events that are purposely staged for the media and that are significant because the media are there. o Obama took advantage of this by going out and meeting just ordinary people to show that he was extending out to the general public, not just political activists. o Another important use of technology is forming clever political commercials, as advertisement is often a major aspect of a candidate’s campaign spending. o However, it has been seen many of these commercials are negative towards an opposing candidate, arguing these are making American politics look bad. o Due to the rise and influence of technology, it was seen that the white house operated on seven new beliefs:
Always be one step ahead, be on the offensive, always stay on top of the information being released, talk about issues that are relevant, limit news press access to the president, speak in the same voice, be repetitive in the messages released.
The Development of Media