Quote:
Originally Posted by Gozer
This is a really good column on my biggest criticism of the press.
It seems to me that the media over-learned the lesson of the JFK-Nixon debate.
(Nixon was smarter and impressed radio listeners, but looked awful on camera - so TV viewers vastly preferred JFK)
The press seems so obsessed with anticipating the reactions of low-information voters that they shirk their duty to inform voters.
I wish these institutions had no audience feedback whatsoever for debates. I dislike polls generally, but I abhor them during a debate. You're not covering the audience - you're covering the politicians.
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I generally agree with you here. I found in Canada too that polls often seem to affect momentum and trajectory. There are a lot of people that just want to be on the winning side and are easily influenced by whatever is popular among the majority (or what the press would lead you to think the majority is). It's the audience that demands to be entertained over informed. The people want to feel included and the press is giving them that. Most media companies primary concern is making money like every other business for that matter.