Courses: Media and Politics, Political Communication, Political Rhetoric, Media Effects. Objective: By taking part in a classroom activity, students will explore how cognitive frames and media frames play a role in learning from political debates.

This study explores whether and how campaign-induced changes in local information environments influence citizens' everyday communication activities. The empirical analysis in this study centers on a comparison of two New Jersey media markets that showed idiosyncratic differences in the amount of political advertising during the 2000 presidential…

In this article, I deconstruct the macro-micro dichotomy by arguing that the very same mass-media messages that appear culturally homogenizing (like catchy tunes and phrases) also invite creative recontextualizations (Bauman and Briggs 1990). Moreover, "the more widely circulated and mass-produced a message is, the more highly diverse the…

The emergence of the SuperPACs in American politics is a major issue in the current election. SuperPACs, and the media campaigns they fund, also present a major challenge for media and democratic education. This article explores the issues surrounding SuperPACs and the rise of media in elections and politics in general, and presents some starting…

In this article, I reflect on the pedagogical decisions I made when I taught a course on gendered literacies during the 2008/2009 presidential campaign. I specifically focus on what I term the "Hillary" phenomenon, the media's often negative and unflattering portrayal of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. I start with a brief…

There are two distinct purposes to this investigation: to develop the predictive power of the theory of political information efficacy and to determine how exposure to political information formats on the Internet under distinctly different interactive conditions affects cognitive and affective processes. Examined in the first section of this…

The first campaign commercials were aired on television in 1952, and from their inception, children have played a critical role in the framing of political ads. Understanding these frames provides important insight into a powerful communication element that is used to influence opinions by connecting with deeply held beliefs about American…

The next American president will likely be the candidate who crafts the best "impression" in the media. It is the job of social studies teachers to help students separate impressions from substance and to understand the role that media play in crafting people's meaning making and shaping their decision making. Social studies teachers can help…

Examines the fundamental qualities of the television advertising from the 1984 North Carolina senate race between Jesse Helms and James Hunt, using Burke's method of the "representative anecdote." Argues that thematic continuity is a fundamental ingredient of effective electronic storytelling. (SR)

Compares local radio advertising with small daily and weekly newspapers in influencing the outcome of 11 New Mexico mayoral races in 1986. Reports that the 11 winning mayoral candidates paid attention to radio political advertising in their media mix. (MM)

Analyzes the media treatment of the 1996 Australian election to illustrate the power of the media to disseminate corporate propaganda and to persuade the public to accept the political and economic changes of globalization. (SK)

Claims that pre-election polls provide newsworthy checks on the validity of the polling process itself, but that pollsters and the media often prefer to avoid such checks and blame any ambiguity in the results on the percentage of undecided respondents. Argues that pre-election polls should be presented so that straightforward comparisons can be…

Examines how news frames in campaign coverage affect an individual's interpretation of campaigns. Conceptualizes framing effects in terms of a construction of a mental model and emphasizes how news interpretation is influenced by news texts and by interpreter's social knowledge. Explores message structures of the strategy and issue frames, and…

Analyzes editorial endorsements on the basis of ownership. Suggests that neither group-owned nor independently owned newspapers had much impact on the outcome of the statewide elections examined. Reveals that group newspapers are slightly more liberal in their endorsements. (MM)

Contributes to scholarship on rhetorical criticism, political science, and feminism by examining one aspect of the 1992 campaign year known as the "Year of the Woman." Discusses how the mass-mediated discursive formation positioned five female Senate candidates outside of perceived mainstream cultural beliefs. Investigates ways the…