University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, November 3, 1987
Tuesday Forum
5
Do media mold presidential bids? Press evokes dramatics from candidates
BV IAMES DAVID BARBER
What is new is not mass communication as one of the major forces in politics, but rather its emergence to fill virtually the whole gap in the electoral process left by the default of other independent elites who used to help manage the choice.
Journalists' power is all the stronger because it looks, to the casual observer, like no power at all. Much as the old party bosses used to pass themselves off as mere "coordinators" and powerless arrangers,
so some modern-day titans of journalism want themselves thought of as mere scorekeepers and messenger boys. Yet the signs of journalists' key role as the major advancers and retarders of presidential ambitions are all around us.
Smart candidates recognize the power and hurry to adapt their strategies to it. They learn to use journalism, as journalism uses them. They and the journalists grapple in a reciprocal relationship of mutual exploitation, a political symbiosis. If the journalists are the new
kingmakers, the candidates are the new storytellers.
Nowadays when a man sets out to be president, his first plan is a media strategy. Give him a choice between a spot on the "Today Show" and a gathering at national party headquarters and he will hardly pause over the choice. If he has his modern priorities straight, he is first and foremost a seeker after favorable notice.
The drama of politics has been there since the first, and journalists have written it. What demands attention to the way they do that today is, first, the conjunction in our era of an enormous mass electorate who must be addressed through the mass media; second, the root and branch democratization of the process traceable to mass political disillusionment — which has virtually removed other traditional middlemen from respect and authority; third, the opportunity a much longer campaign offers for dramatic development; and, fourth, the emergence of the individual candidate — the potential president — as
the star of the story.
The parties, as we inherited them, failed. Their giant ossified structures, like those of the dinosaurs, could no longer adapt to the pace of political change. Journalism could adapt. Attuned to change — owing its very existence to ability to tune in to change — journalism took over where the parties left off.
James David Barber is a political scientist. His views are taken from "The Pulse of Politics: Electing Presidents in the Media Age" and appeared in Editorial Research.
Press reflects nation's values, gives exposure to candidates with intense,dramatic stories
By DAVID S. BRODER
In this age of mass democracy and mass media, when millions of people participate directly not just by voting in the general election but by selecting the candidates for both major parties, it is not surprising that many resent the way reporters intrude on the process. Voters are not dumb. They can see that we are privileged characters. Any voter who goes to a political rally will likely leave hating the press and TV.
suspicious — and resentful — of our power.
It does no good to tell them that their candidates have decreed this arrangement because the national audience for the nightly television news shows is more important than the few thousand gathered in River City. They don't want to blame their candidate. They blame the damned press. But it goes deeper. Most of the campaign is out of the voters' sight. Some voters may glimpse a presidential candidate for a half hour in their hometown, but most will get almost everything they know about those candidate indirectly through the media. Small wonder that they are
There is no escape from this situation, unless we return to a system
The winner of the early contests gets a big megaphone with which to say,'Look at me, folks.Am I not wonderful? Are you not lucky to have me as your candidate?'
whereby the candidates are selected by a few score bosses, professional politicians, influential givers or interest-group leaders.
Because the press is shaped by, and even contributes to, the shaping of the values of society, we cannot report the results of primaries and conventions without emphasizing who won. Does that distort the process? Absolutely. The winner of the early contests gets a big megaphone with which to say, "Look at me,
folks. Am I not wonderful? Are you not lucky to have me as your candidate? Horse-race journalism does everything the critics say. It short-circuits the system, denies voters in the later primary states an equal voice, reduces the chances of detecting a fraud and lessens the likelihood of pausing for second thoughts before the nomination.
The considerations argue for changing the nominating system and decreasing the number of primaries. But it is important to remember that the primaries grew not from the press, but from rule changes by a group of Democratic Party leaders. Reporters will cover the process any way the parties conduct it — open or closed. Despite the TV preferences for primaries, many of us political reporters recognize that the more closed system of the past provided greater suspense and greater rewards for journalistic enterprise.
David S. Broder is the Washington Post's lead political reporter. This excerpt was taken from "Behind the Front Page: A Candid Look at How the News is Made" and appeared in Editorial Research.
THE FAR SIDE
By GARY LARSON
"Well, Mr. Rosenburg, your lab results look pretty good — although I might suggest your testosterone level is a tad high."
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OPRYLAND
Set the stage for your career in entertainment!
For the 1988 season, Opryland will cast more than 400 talented performers, instrumentalists, stage managers, and stage crew members in a dozen laziny productions featuring high-quality music. We want talent that sparkes with professionalism and professionalism.
You'll work with top professionals and polish your performing skills before an audience of over 2 million in one of the nation's music nashes. *Nashville: Music City, USA!* You'll get good pay. And best of all, the opportunity to step into the lime-light like numerous other Cypresslandy individuals including of "Restless Heart" Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Gyntia Rhodes, and "The Girls Next Door" Mary Elizabeth Amoreno. A ninth account, record and cassette
No appointment is necessary. A piano accompanist, record and cassette players will be provided at auditions.
For more information on any of our 23 city auditions, contact Opryland Entertainment Department, 2802 Opryland Drive, Nashville, TN 37214. (615) 871-6656, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CST)
Monday through Friday.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
Tuesday, November 10, 1987
12:00-3:00 p.m.
University of Missouri
The University Center
Pierson Hall
You wanted them back!!!
Members of the
Guarneri String Quartet
John Dalley, Violin Michael Tree, Viola David Soyer, Cello with
Claude Frank, Pianist
3:30 p. m. Sunday, November 15, 1987
Crafton-Preyer Theatre
Program
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, K. 478
Mozart
Serenade for Violin, Viola, and Cello in D Major, Op. 8
Serenade for Violin, Viola, and Cello in D Major, Op. 8
Boehmer
Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60
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Senior Citizens and Other Students: 99 & 57
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