Application of Mass Media Theories - Research Paper Example

The images of Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton and the Application of Mass Media Theories I. Introduction When Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton ran for public office in the US Presidential elections last year, a lot of hype and media coverage was done for both women in order to create their image to the voting public as potential leaders. As with all campaign trails, a candidate has to influence the voting public with their political agendas and programs in order to win in the elections. Both women received their fair share of good and bad publicity. For Hilary Clinton, media exposure was able to produce good results after she backed out from the presidential race following the primary election, while Sarah Palin lost in the Vice Presidential spot to Joe Biden and produced a lot of critics who lost confidence in her ability as a leader (Forsloff 2008). They both used the traditional mass media vehicles such as campaign posters, slogans and ads and political part rallies. They also made much use of the television and the internet in order to have farther reach of influencing the voting public through interviews and debates with their opponents. In influencing the voting public, they made much use of the Dependency theory in mass media where one has to rely on these media channels in order to get information about the candidates. This was especially true for Sarah Palin who was not publicly known outside of Alaska where she is the Governor (Anon 2004). After the election campaign, Sarah Palin blamed media critics as the reason why she lost in the electoral campaign. While mass media has been known to give more preference to male political candidates by being gender biased, a lot of her interviews have been dissected to point out what could have gone wrong and why there was such a negative portrayal of media for her image (Panti 2004). Palin’s interviews and statements have been the subject of spoofs and critics making her leadership image tarnished (Forsloff 2008). Both women made use of all mass media channels available in order to influence voters in their candidate choices for the elections. From their speeches to the way they dress, they or their image consultants have made sure that the public will see them as how they come across as strong women capable of leading the nation. They have been closely scrutinized by the voting public. They used TV interviews and even the internet to produce media hype to help them in their election campaign. The most evident theories of mass media seen in their pictures are the following: the Dependence theory, the Magic Bullet theory, Agenda Setting theory and the Uses and Gratification approach. Theory clusters (2004) II. Theories of Mass Media Applied In analyzing the public images of Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin as leaders, one can see more than one mass media theory applied. Each one may have used these theories to their advantage in order to promote their public image. Hilary Clinton has received good media reviews even before last year’s elections because of her active involvement in education and health issues (Panti 2004). When her candidacy was announced as the running mate of John McCain, there were good reviews on her work as the Governor of Alaska for Sarah Palin (Rees-Mogg 2008). The gender biased media when it comes to reporting women political candidates have not changed; meaning that mass media will still give preference to male candidates on issues such as military, economic issues and how they can rule the nation than women candidates who may give their views or capability to handle the same issue. Mass media may still typeset women politicians to feminine issues thinking that they are not qualified to handle more complicated national issues. It is this gender bias that makes women politicians have a disadvantage over male opponents. Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin have both fallen prey to this gender bias mass media during the campaign period of last years’ elections (Panti 2004). The Agenda Setting theory in mass media means the creation of what the public views as important issues or those that will affect their daily lives and those around them. There are two important elements in this theory which is information and awareness. Both women tackled issues that were of significant importance with different views or takes on the matter (Universiteit Twente 2004). Sarah Palin has always been outspoken with her views regarding abortion and guns. This is where her views differ with Hilary Clinton whose views on abortion are more liberal, saying that a woman has a choice on having or not having an abortion. Both women acknowledged the importance of this issue and its sensitive nature during their campaign. For Palin, she refused the women’s right to choice on the issue (Anon 2008). There were people who applauded Palin’s strong views against abortion especially when her fifteen year old daughter became pregnant during the campaign period. She issued out a statement that even if her daughter were impregnated by a rapist, she would still not resort to abortion. She has been pro-life and used her choice not to have an abortion with her Down syndrome child even when the option was available (Rees-Mogg 2008). Another issue where both women differed in opinion was with the right to arms or gun control. Governor Palin supports this as chartered right in the United States Constitution, while Hilary Clinton is proposing stricter rules for owning, buying or carrying a firearm. Clinton is pushing for changing the guidelines on owning a firearm given the high incidence of gun related crimes in schools. There are many images of Palin holding a gun in order to enforce her views that support the right to carry arms. There is even a calendar for 2009 showing Palin with a rifle slung over her shoulder (Anon 2008). The gender biased mass media may have played a part in showing the inadequacy of Governor Palin on issues such as foreign relations. Because these issues are viewed as better handled by male politicians, she was shown as a candidate who had no strong views or information on the issue when she was asked about it (Panti 2004; Anon 2008). Hilary Clinton, on the other hand, is able to answer questions regarding global warming and foreign relations that satisfied both the interviewer and the public interest. In contrast to Palins’ statement that there is no global warming issue in Alaska. This statement was retracted by Palin after she got negative responses to her statement on global warming (Anon 2008). III. Mass Media Theories on Sarah Palin’s Public Figure During the campaign period for last year’s US presidential elections, media has tried to compare both women in their ability to lead and hold public office. Because she was virtually unknown, some of her publicists may have tried to make a comparison between Palin and Hilary Clinton. Supporters of Hilary Clinton came out with banners, fliers, bags and even a website discussing the dissimilarities of the two women (Anon 2008). First, Sarah Palin was a virtual unknown to the American public before John McCain chose her as his running mate for the US presidential elections. They had to create a public image for Palin, the governor for the state of Alaska. Their campaign publicist employed the Hypodermic Needle theory in order to endear her to the voting public. Pictures of her family, office and community were used. The goal of this public imaging is to send out a message that she has good moral character and a capable leader. She has shown herself as an able woman who can balance family and political life (Anon 2004). But even during John McCain’s announcement of having her as a running mate, there were already doubts put upon her and her capabilities. The gender biased media had already created an image that Palin will not be able to manage the issues of the nation if in case she succeeds McCain if he succumbs to cancer while holding office in the White House. Even before the actual win, mass media has already put together an inkling of doubt of her capabilities as a leader among the voting public (Rees-Moog 2008). There is a Dependency Theory for both women in the way that they used the most influential media channel today which is the internet and television. People attribute Barack Obama’s presidential win to his use of the internet in order for people to view his programs and political agendas by visiting his website. For Sarah Palin though, most of her internet articles and videos point out her inadequacies as a potential political leader because of her unfamiliarity with the issues (Anon 2004). Some critics set up excerpts of her interviews where she failed to answer questions regarding important national issues in the internet. Through the use of this media channel, people were given the perception that Palin is not prepared to deal with these national issues. Instead of getting the same positive results like Obama, the image that was created instead was someone unfit to be a leader (Forsloff 2008). Governor Palin criticized Obama from the start of the election campaign up to the time that he was sworn into office as President of the United States. She frequently attacked him and his character, but the downside of her criticism is that some of her statements were not true. This was one of the few inadequacies that media was able to find out about her through her interviews with known television news hosts (Forsloff 2008). With her critical remarks, she used the Magic Bullet Theory or Hypodermic Needle theory. This theory is about making the public believe ideas and theories by injecting ideas via mass media such as television or radio in order to gain a desired response. The response that she was trying to gain thru her statements is for people to lose confidence in Obama by attacking his character and elects her running mate McCain instead (Anon 2004; Forsloff 2008). The problems with her statements became apparent when people corrected her with data and was able to prove that she had no solid basis on what she was saying or implying. She even blamed a news anchor when she was not able to answer her questions directly on current event issues such as global warming and foreign relations (Forsloff 2008). This leads to the Cultivation theory in mass media which explains her actions and statements. One ought to try and search her name in any search engine and he will find various blogs and articles with negative feedback about her. The Cultivation theory is observed when television or other forms of mass media such as the internet are responsible for creating the publics’ perception of social reality. In Sarah Palins’ case, the public’s perception of her is that she has no strong views on issues such as global warming or foreign relations. One article has even tagged her as being a liar. Because of people’s access to information, a lot of her statements and retractions were put together. The end result of it was a lot of inconsistencies in her stories and statements. This has given a negative effect on her image as a capable leader (Anon 2004). IV. Hilary Clinton Hilary Clinton is no stranger to public scrutiny. She was First Lady of the United States when her husband Bill Clinton was elected as President of the United States from 1992-2000. She knows that being a public figure, every action that she will make will be scrutinized by the public eye. And as First Lady of the United States, she had to make sure that her public image will not taint her husbands’ image badly. When her husband got involved in a scandal during his office term, she stepped back from the limelight and formulated her own political career. Clinton knows the power of the media on how it can create or destroy one’s image and political career as she saw evident in the wake of her husbands’ scandal (Anon 2008). When she ran for public office, she knew that she had to create her image far from her husband and would not be affected by the scandal. By staying away from “hard” political issues that media perceived to be handled more effectively by men, she was able to get the approval of gender biased media by acting out the traditional feminine roles (Panti 2004). But she was still a victim of gender bias in mass media during the primary campaign for last year’s US presidential elections. There was much outrage in the way that she was given less coverage and preference against her then opponent Barack Obama. In an interview she refused to name the people whom she received this gender bias but the incident did not come unnoticed by her supporters. She did acknowledge the person who brought up the incident and commented that gender bias was one of her reasons for running for office (Nacos 2008). She was also able to step away from her husband’s shadow. During her electoral campaign, they were rarely photographed or seen together. This was done in order for the public not to associate her with the scandal affecting her husband. Her publicist was able to use the Magic Bullet or Hypodermic Needle theory by injecting into the public’s view of Hilary as a capable public servant and leader without the aid or influence of her husband. They were also able to create for her an image of a caring mother through the success of her daughter as a volunteer worker for the Red Cross (Anon 2004). Media has been able to show Hilary Clinton as an effective political figure capable of leading the nation. In contrast to Sarah Palin, her slogans and views focus more on what she can do for the public. Moreover, also unlike Palin, she rarely made any criticisms of her opponents (Anon 2008). V. Critics and Ridicule Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton have both been spoofed by comedians, but the one that got the most attention was the one impersonating Sarah Palin, actress Tina Fey. The gender bias in mass media for both women is also evident in the spoofs that have been made about them. The spoofs have shown that these two women are incapable of being leaders (Forsloff 2008). Governor Palin at first welcomed the comedy stint. But after she lost in the elections, she issued out a statement that the actress only became famous because of this, a statement that was again corrected by people in the entertainment industry. But the spoof has indeed given Sarah Palin’s leadership image a negative connotation (Forsloff 2008). Both women have endured gender biased media in their campaign and as they hold public office. Politics as they say is a man’s world. But with the influx of women entering and excelling in the political arena, women have proved that they are as capable as men in handling political issues and showing leadership skills. Mass media plays an important role in creating the image of a person, especially for politicians. Television and print media, as well as the internet are used by politician in order to catch the publics’ attention in order to gain their trust and votes. But because of Palin and Clinton and their high profile media exposure, more women are considering entering the political arena. Skiba (2008) Using the Uses and Gratification approach, a poll was conducted on how women reacted to the media coverage given to both women. The polls showed that there was indeed a gender bias on mass media coverage and it was particularly negative for Sarah Palin. While it was the same for those who responded on Hilary Clinton’s coverage that it was also gender biased and focused on the negatives, rather than the positive attributes of both candidates. Skiba (2008) VI. Conclusion The uses of mass media theories are very evident in the pictures and slogans of Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin. While the end results may or may not be favorable for both women, they still use mass media in order to promote their image because both are aware of its power to influence the public. Panti (2004) Sarah Palin is still holding public office as the Governor for the state of Alaska. While people are still criticizing her with her statements and retractions, something is also being done in order for the public to view her in a favorable manner in order to gain public trust of her capability as a leader. Her popularity may not have given her positive results. While Hilary Clinton is now part of Barack Obama’s cabinet and still serving as a US senator. Her popularity and the public’s belief in her capabilities as a leader are still unchanged. In analysis, her husbands’ scandal has made her more careful in the way that she shows and composes herself in public. Anon (2008) This may be one of the advantages Hilary Clinton has over Sarah Palin in sending out a message to the public that she is a capable leader. But before both can project through mass media this message, they will have to overcome the gender bias that is so prevalent among women political candidates. Panti (2004) The gender bias has made the campaign run for these two women difficult. Even with their strong political achievements to back them up, as long as mass media still perceives women politicians as weak leaders, they cannot be given the same mass media coverage and exposure as with male politicians. Panti (2004) The media channels that were used effectively in order to promote their leadership abilities are television and the internet because of their wide scope and real-time access to information. Mass media Dependency theory is used when a candidate needs to make him known to the voting public. For political candidates, they need to make sure that they are visible in the voting publics’ eye. For Clinton and Palin, they have to maintain a good public image in order for the public to regard them as women capable of leading the worlds’ most powerful nation which is the United States of America. References Rees-Mogg, William (2008), Sarah Palin has just 65 days to prove herself, Times Online http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/william_rees_mogg/article4647709.ece [viewed 04/23/2009] Skiba. Katherine (2008), Women say that Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton received unfair treatment in their political campaigns, US News and World Report http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/politics/2008/12/04/women-say-that-hillary-clinton-and-sarah-palin-received-unfair-treatment-in-their-political-campaigns.html [viewed 04/23/2009] Panti, Mervi (2004) Portraying politics a toolkit on gender and television http://www.portrayingpolitics.net/research.php#1 [viewed 04/23/2009] Nacos, Bridgitte (2008) New York magazine on media’s gender bias against Hilary and her supporters http://www.reflectivepundit.com/reflectivepundit/mass_media/ [viewed 04/23/2009] Sarah Palin isn’t Hilary Clinton http://www.sarahpalinisnthillaryclinton.com/ [viewed 04/23/2009] Forsloff, Carol (2008) Liar, liar: whose pants are on fire? http://www.everythingsarahpalin.blogspot.com/ [viewed 04/23/2009] Cultivation Theory (2004), University of Twente http://www.cw.utwente.nl/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Mass%20Media/Cultivation_Theory.doc [viewed 04/23/2009] Agenda Setting Theory (2004), University of Twente http://www.cw.utwente.nl/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Mass%20Media/Agenda-Setting_Theory.doc/ [viewed 04/23/2009] Hypodermic needle Theory (2004), University of Twente http://www.cw.utwente.nl/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Mass%20Media/Hypodermic_Needle_Theory.doc/ [viewed 04/23/2009] Dependency Theory (2004), University of Twente http://www.cw.utwente.nl/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Mass%20Media/Dependency%20Theory.doc/ [viewed 04/23/2009] Uses and Gratification Approach (2004), University of Twente http://www.cw.utwente.nl/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Mass%20Media/Uses_and_Gratifications_Approach.doc/ [viewed 04/23/2009] Read More