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| 02-24-2004 | Previous edition: 02-23-2004 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Speakers suggest media may negatively affect 2004 electionsBy Abby GustusCampus Editor The 2004 elections are going to get ugly. That’s the consensus of two distinguished Purdue professors and one radio announcer for WBAA radio. Tuesday, the three were speakers at a Lambda Pi Eta forum for students about the upcoming elections. Hilary Heintz, president of the communication honor society and senior in the School of Liberal Arts, said, "We sponsored this event in order to inform Purdue students about what goes on in an election." The three speakers focused on what happens in an election from a media standpoint. They addressed the media’s effects on past, present and future elections. Charles Stewart, professor of communication, brought 10 issues of Newsweek with him to show the effects that media are able to have on the public, through pictures alone. A single picture can depict the rise and fall of a candidate, he said. As evidence, he showed Howard Dean, former Democratic presidential candidate. Dean was "glorified briefly and then attacked," he said. "Research shows candidates are under far more scrutiny than they used to be," said Stewart. "We are much more into individual campaigns and everything is under the microscope. Every single thing a candidate has ever done — now more than ever — is under the microscope." Henry Scheele, associate professor of communication, credits television as the cause of scrutiny. He pointed out that the 2000 campaign and now the 2004 campaign are the "meanest and longest" campaigns in history. Television has revolutionized elections, he said. Because of television, the media are taking a close look at the military combat involvement of all the candidates. However, Scheele said, the issue should be cast aside. "We need to focus on who’s going to be the best president," he said. "It seems this is the phoniest issue of all time." Both Scheele and Stewart agreed the media can shape voters’ opinions in a negative way. "I think it will get very ugly," said Stewart. Scheele agreed, saying, "I think it will continue to get worse; it’s one of the hardest hits in a long time." Chris Maloney, a National Public Radio representative, said hard hits are part of the news business. Getting the news out first is a business and creating conflict is a goal, he said. "The media are looking for a good debate. It’s good business," said Maloney. Maloney advised people to look at many different sources before forming an opinion. He said it is important to not just take one or two sources, because you need to look at the "big picture." Printer-friendly version |
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