Handout 1
Election 2006 Online Lesson:
The Role of the Media In Elections

In our democracy, people get much of their election information from the media. This means that the media play an vital role in shaping the way the public evaluates political and social issues and how people choose candidates. Are the media doing an adequate job in keeping the public informed about the elections? During an election we (the public) rely on the media to:

Media Tasks

• Inform us of the issues at stake in the election.
• Provide us with information that covers all sides of these issues.
• Describe how electoral candidates stand on the issues.
• Demonstrate (through polls and interviews) how the public is responding to issues and campaign races.
• Update information about issues as they develop or change; and
• Report on the election process and its outcomes without (a) “grandstanding,” (creating a false or unnecessary sense of drama) or (b) rushing to report election results in order to compete with other media outlets.

Many people have expressed conflicting opinions about how well the media accomplishes these tasks to keep the public informed about elections. Some believe the media does a fair and accurate job of covering elections. Others believe that the media are biased and sensational in their election coverage. To prevent bias or sensationalism in media election coverage, media critics have called for changes. Several media critics have suggested the use of guidelines (journalistic ethics, goals, and principles) when they cover elections.

Media Guidelines

According to some media critics, the media should talk

• More about the nation's real problems (currently, the war, the economy, terrorism, immigration, and more) and their possible solutions.
• Less about political “infighting,” or inter-party conflicts.
• More about what political campaign races are actually saying about the issues.
• Less about electoral “horse races,” or campaign battles and scandals.
• More about how political campaign races intend to improve the lives of Americans.
• Less on the personal lives of public officials.

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