mediacrit.com » Elections

Why Does Anyone Take Andrew Breitbart Seriously?

Christopher Martin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:08:42 +0000

Andrew Breitbart has a job to do and he does it well. Breitbart’s job is to lie and distort the truth in order to advance a right-wing agenda, embarrass liberals, and undermine the Obama administration. Breitbart is not a journalist, researcher, or pundit. He is a propagandist. Read the entire post by Peter Dreier and Christopher [...]

Spitting, racial and gay slurs? Just isolated instances of emotions running high

Christopher Martin — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:02:25 +0000

On the Saturday, March 20, the weekend of the historic health care vote in Congress, Tea Party protesters outside of the Capitol apparently spit on and hurled racial and gay slurs at Democratic lawmakers. Republican Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Amy Kremer, coordinator of the Tea Party Express, both denounced the incidents, and characterized [...]

Manipulating the Public Agenda: Why ACORN Was in the News, and What the News Got Wrong

Christopher Martin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:18:58 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A study by Christopher R. Martin, Ph.D. and Peter Dreier, Ph.D. Using the controversy over ACORN as a case study, this report illustrates the way the media help set the agenda for public debate, and frame the way that debate is shaped. It describes how “opinion entrepreneurs” (primarily business and conservative groups and individuals) [...]

Obama and the End of Identity Politics

Christopher Martin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:24:14 +0000

One of the most unfortunate book titles of the last year was Shelby Steele’s A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can’t Win. The book was published in December 2007, and beginning with the Iowa caucuses the following month, Steele had to explain with increasing difficulty why Obama still wouldn’t [...]

Candidates Respond to Wall Street Failures: Is Government the Problem or the Answer?

Christopher Martin — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:13:52 +0000

The recent collapse of several investment banks on Wall Street is one of those stories that is hard to understand and easy to dismiss. But the financial meltdown tells us plenty about how a McCain or Obama administration would handle the country’s economy, and whether we will bring stability back to the financial market, or keep blindly repeating the boom-bust cycle.

WE SURVIVED THE STRIKE! Of course we did.

Christopher Martin — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:24:09 +0000

Back around November 5, when the Writers Guild of America first called a strike against the major entertainment studios, there were almost hysterical reports in the news media -- what are we going to do without new episodes of our favorite TV programs? Like, Omigosh! The January 25 Entertainment Weekly even had a special "Strike Survival Guide" issue with cover of a bearded Conan O'Brien (who, along with David Letterman, used the time off the screen to watch his facial hair grow) that boasted "67 tips to beat the entertainment dry spell."

New York Times Endorsement of Hillary Clinton Violates Its Own Ethical Journalism Standards

Christopher Martin — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 07:04:02 +0000

A clear conflict of interest, or at least the appearance of one, exists. Two of the board's 18 members are former (Bill) Clinton administration officials...The Times lists this biographical information on its web site, which is a good move towards transparency. But, the Times does not note this conflict of interest anywhere in the editorial itself, where such information would be most useful to readers.

It’s Time for Change — In the Caucuses, Too

Christopher Martin — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 06:26:48 +0000

Before Iowans savor the successes of this year's caucuses, perhaps we should be thinking about "change," too, because the drumbeat to take away Iowa's lead position in the nominating process is much louder than in previous years.

The News Media’s Low Standards for the High Office

Christopher Martin — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:10:45 +0000

It's at times frustrating to watch the national news media cover the caucus campaigning in Iowa -- as if we're all about ethanol, hogs, and loose-meat sandwiches.

October Surprise?

Christopher Martin — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 21:48:53 +0000

I was just a bit wary of politics at play when gasoline prices topped out over $3 a gallon during the summer, then dropped more than $1 this fall. I find that Iâ€™m not alone in my mistrust. A nationwide USA Today/Gallup Poll conducted in late September found that 42 percent of Americans think â€œthe Bush Administration has deliberately manipulated the price of gasoline so that it would decrease before this fallâ€™s elections.â€