How powerful is the Media during general elections?

[NattPang]

Does the corporate media have undue influence
over our general elections?

How well must a Presidential Candidate
manage the media to win a general election?

Name a candidate who handled the media well and won.

When measuring media influence,
remember The Telecoms Act of 1996
that changed everything.

Please Vote the media's strength
and make your comment.

[NattPang]

1. General election, not the primaries.

[Selatius]

2. The internet has kicked a hole, but the national narrative still prevails excluding foreign outlets.

Most folks, though, do not get foreign news outlets like the BBC and don't read papers like Le Monde. As a result, I voted for the second option.

[AZBlue]

3. WAY too damn much power.

[renegade000]

4. I would mix the two top options.

I don't think they are "all powerful", but they do have quite a bit of power because they do "set the narrative".

[NattPang]

5. Can you name a candidate who won and managed the media well?

[Overseas]

27. Does that include stealing an election and managing the aftermath

with predetermined talking points about Guns Gays & God?

[Imagevision]

6. The M$M voices their opinions as news, or what if the sky should fall scenario's...

[invictus]

23. Exactly! n/t

[NYC_SKP]

7. You missed a few possible choices,

Like:

"Not that powerful, people vote their pocketbooks and their fears and their misconceptions."

Activists and net savvy folk are a tiny minority, I'm afraid.

[NattPang]

8. Can you name a general election when a candidate won

due to people voting their pocketbooks
and their fears and their misconceptions
although the media had a negative narrative for them?

[NYC_SKP]

10. Sure, though your premise is weird.

"due to people voting their pocketbooks
and their fears and their misconceptions
although the media had a negative narrative for them?"

To find one that fits all three criteria? Well, it's a silly challenge--why not add "and wore a size 10 shoe"?

I'd say Bush won largely out of voter's fears.

Many local elections are all about hopes and fears.

Look, not everyone visit the internet or watches cable news.

That you and I do tends to blur our perception of others, I'm afraid.

More people watched than American Idol finale than voted in 2004.

[NattPang]

14. But the media liked George Bush.

The media didn't make it difficult for Bush.

My premise is that people forget that the media is ruthless.
Obama inoculated himself with this vote because he had to.
He didn't really have a choice.

to feed fears about
Obama becoming President,
a No vote on FISA
would have given the media
the tool they needed.

Sure, they can now portray him as a flip flopper
if they try hard enough,
but Obama is running against an even bigger
flip flopper, so that won't be as easy for them.

Obama, who some voters already believe is Muslim
and whose patriotism has been questioned,
cannot win this election with a media narrative
that can portray him as soft on terrorism.

Obama is in it to win,
and his choices was to win
or to satisfy some principle
that would not change a thing.

[Bluerthanblue]

9. way too powerful. Unfortunately

quite a bit of the America relies on quick 'sound-bites' and the 'in your face' item of the moment- for their political information. Researching a subject takes time and effort- Some people really don't have much of either left over from trying to make a living- others don't even realize how much the constant undercurrent of garbage is effecting them.

IMO-

peace~

[NattPang]

11. So far, no one has named a candidate who won

while managing the media's power.

[Dagaz]

16. Reagan

He was a master of the media

[NattPang]

19. But that was before he gutted the Fairness Doctrine

and before 24/7 cable.

It was when elections
were more fair,
and managing media
was a realistic
political skill.

[Median Democrat]

12. More Powerful Then Ever Before

With media consolidation, they dictate what most people think. For example, Rupert Murdoch controls Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the Associate Press as a board member, Direct TV, and several other newspapers and media outlets. They pretty much dictate which issues get attention. Look at this board. Often times the topics are dictated by our reactions to the MSM spin such as Obama's alleged rightward shift.

[NattPang]

15. I agree with you.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

13. THEY ARE SALES PEOPLE TURNED PROPAGANDISTS

PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS PROPAGANDISTS

[AndyTiedye]

17. With the Aid of Television, They Can Fool Most of the People Most of the Time

[MrSlayer]

18. Extremely. Very rarely do the media driven trends get bucked.

And the media is owned and operated by "Them", the neos, the fascists. Obama's primary victory is a rarity which we'll probably not see again for years.

[zbdent]

20. hmm ... let's see ... here's two examples ...

1. Non-political person, but son of a former Presidential candidate and former VP, Albert Gore III is caught speeding in a hybrid car, marijuana found. Before 6am the next day, is the butt of many morning drive DJs' jokes ...

2. U.S. Senator Larry Craig is arrested for propositioning a male police officer in a public restroom, asking for homosexual sex. Craig, a rabid anti-gay activist, remains out of the news for months ...

Gee, ya think that the MSM can influence things?

[Phoonzang]

21. All powerful

Whoever the media wants to win will win. They set the narrative and the people follow it.

[AlinPA]

26. Exactly.

[invictus]

22. The MSM is too powerful and too pro-corporate/special interests. That is why we need netroots to ..

... counter them.

[NattPang]

24. But I don't think we are enough.

During a Democratic Primary,
we can affect things more,
because more Democrats
will read progressive bloggers.

During a general election,
corporate news trumps the internet
for those voters who are less informed.

That's why Hillary Clinton could campaign
in Penn and Indiana as a
gun toting wiskey drinking
tough and hard hitting
candidate.

Many here found Clinton's new image ridiculous,
but the Hillary's act worked in those states.
That's because the media didn't ridicule her,
and legitimized her act instead.
Meanwhile the corporate media played up
Obama's bitter comments, over and over again.

[AlinPA]

25. They control everything in election campaigns. The can make or break it any way

that they choose. Most 'murcans are sheep.