Impact of Media on Politics Essay Example

many Republicans against CBS staff. However, amidst these controversies, an unexpected and strategic move was made by former presidential candidate Bill Clinton during his 1992 campaign. He made a surprise appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show as a smart tactic to connect with younger voters, considering his low approval ratings at that time.

Clinton wore sunglasses and played the saxophone while performing "Heartbreak Hotel". This performance is believed to have had a significant impact on the election, as Clinton ultimately won with 43% of the vote, surpassing George Bush and Ross Perot. Many analysts credit this performance for his success. Undoubtedly, talk radio is currently the most divisive force in today's media landscape. In 1987, the FCC repealed the Fairness Doctrine.

This regulation, which mandated stations to offer free air time for responses to controversial opinions, has now led to the possibility of highly partisan programming. According to Wikipedia, talk radio offers a level of emotion and immediacy that is rarely seen on television or in magazines. A study conducted by Pew researchers in 2004 revealed that 17% of the public regularly tunes into talk radio.

The talk radio audience primarily consists of middle-aged conservative males. Among regular listeners, 41% are Republicans and 28% are Democrats. Moreover, 45% consider themselves conservatives while only 18% identify as liberals. Rush Limbaugh was instrumental in the talk radio movement in the 1990s, highlighting the necessity for trustworthy conservative Republican commentary combined with humor.

Rush is still a daily commentator on current news, events, and social trends. Other conservative radio talk show hosts such as Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy, Laura Ingraham, Neal Boortz, Michael Savage, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, and Michael Reagan

(adopted son of former President Ronald Reagan) have achieved success by emulating Rush's approach. Conversely, liberal talk radio has also emerged but with lower ratings.

In 2004, the Air America Radio network was established to provide a "progressive alternative" to conservative talk radio. However, it has faced legal and financial challenges since its inception. Critics argue that National Public Radio's extensive news programming exhibits a liberal bias. The dominant conservative talk radio format may encounter an undisclosed threat.

S. Congress is considering reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, which has been threatened by the recently elected Democratic majority. If enacted, this would require a three-hour Rush Limbaugh program to be followed by a three-hour Al Franken program. This poses a revenue challenge for broadcasters and their companies, particularly because liberal talk radio does not generate much profit.

The internet's new media is becoming a political force, with many candidates having webpages and profiles on popular social networking website Myspace. Additionally, the rise of blogs and viral video content has accelerated the speed at which a seemingly insignificant event can transform into a "news" story. In 2006, during a campaign stop, Virginia Republican Senator George Allen was being filmed by a "tracker" named S.R. Sidarth from the opposing campaign of Democrat Jim Webb, who had been documenting Allen's activities at every stop.

Sidarth, who was born and raised in Fairfax County, Virginia, despite being of Indian ancestry, was targeted by Allen. Allen used the derogatory term "macaca" towards Siddarth, which is a word meaning "monkey" in francophone African countries. The Webb campaign uploaded a video of this incident on the popular video sharing website, Youtube. This video quickly spread to various national

news organizations. Allen later apologized, claiming ignorance about the word's meaning. However, it was suggested that he did know its meaning due to his Francophone mother who grew up in French-colonial Tunisia.

The impact of the "macaca" incident on Allen's election loss is uncertain, but some bloggers and comedians labeled him as a racist by referring to him as "Senator Macaca." The media has significant influence over politics, which will be evident at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver next summer. We can expect biased media coverage and witness firsthand reporting.

References:
1. http://www.usefultrivia.com/political_trivia/u_s_presidents_trivia_006a.html Accessed June 8, 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_radio
2. Accessed June 8, 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rathergate Accessed June 8, 2007 http://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Macaca_%28slur%29 Accessed June 8, 2007