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The Fox News Effect: Media Bias And Voting

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Significance & Background of the Problem:

Mass media serves two vital functions for political players: media as a source of information and the arena it provides for politicians to promote themselves (VAN AELST). Per Mary Stuckey (2000), “No campaign can succeed without the media, just as no campaign can succeed without organization, money, [and] some semblance of issue positions.” The media serves to connect the political arena to the people and vice versa.
Legislators rely on the media in order to gage constituent demands to vote accordingly during an election (ARCHENEAUX), as voters tend to punish politicians for partisan behavior (LINDSTADT). Meanwhile, when an election is distant, legislators will vote along party lines, because news …show more content…

The data estimated that “3 to 8 percent according to the more inclusive audience measure, and 11 to 28 percent according to the more restrictive measure,” (DELLAVIGNA 1228) voted for the Republican party based on their exposure to Fox News. They concluded that “The Fox News Effect” could be temporary for rational voters or a permanent effect for non-rational voters’ subject to persuasion (DELLAVIGNA 1228). This demonstrating the influence and reach of the mass …show more content…

Although, not a news based study, Rosanne Scholl and Chance York (2005) found that parents who frequently read the newspaper, also tended to discuss the news with their children, thus resulting in increased youth newspaper reading long-term, as seen seven years later. Another study found that television news has a direct effect on how adolescents (high school students) view and relate with politicians (HOFFMAN & THOMSON). An analysis of television news stations in 2002, found the top five methods for increasing viewership: (1) do more enterprise reporting, (2) cover more of the community, (3) air stories longer in length-more news segments, (4) source all stories and information, and (5) hire more reporters (ROSENSTIEL & JUST). However, this is only a small portion of a much larger picture; this article did not analyze how the overall layout or presentation, as well as the usage of positive and negative language in news programs affected viewership. The following proposed research project seeks to analyzing what influences individuals to watch CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News, utilizing cultural

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