Category Archives: Politics and Media

How do news and other forms of media influence our political process? How to people in politics use media to achieve their goals?

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Considering John McCain

A Memorial Communication Plan

 

I’ve been thinking about John McCain a lot this week.  That’s what he intended. We talk about communication plans in my Com Theory course.  A communication plan is a strategy to use media with specific messages to reach a specific audience for a specific purpose.  Content, target, and timing are all key elements.  We know that Senator McCain planned his funeral and memorial services in the year before he passed.  He wanted to the nation to hear his concerns for this country and the pride he had in it.  He knew there would be memorials, a funeral, and a burial service.  He knew there would be television coverage of it all.  It would be his last opportunity to make the point that guided his life: Doing what is right for this nation is more important than party or convenience or self.

I pray the services he planned for this week will accomplish the goals he set.I pray that his character, his patriotism, his courage and love and respect for all those who serve our nation will have a lasting impact on this nation.

Somehow we must heal the divisions among us. We must learn to discuss, not argue. We must listen and be willing to learn. We must stand our ground when it’s not popular to do so, and we must look those those who have gone before us and set a high example as John McCain did.

No one is perfect. No one gets everything right. The question is whether we do our best with intelligence, respect, dignity and honor.

God bless him and his family. May we continue to learn from his words and his example, whether we agreed with him on every issue or not.

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“Truth isn’t Truth”

Some Media Implications of Mayor Giuliani's Statement

Truth? I demand that my students understand nature and importance of truth. Yesterday Rudy Giuliani provided an example I’ll use in my classes for years to come. He said “Truth isn’t truth” in his interview on Meet the Press (8/19/18). He was referring to a “he said/he said…” situation in the Mueller investigation. You can watch the video and draw your own conclusions. But look at the headlines about Giuliani interview. Taken out of context, what we see is Giuliani says, “truth isn’t truth.” Is that factual? Yes. Does it accurately convey his meaning? Questionable.

Should Giuliani ever have used that phrase in a network interview? No. He set himself up for a public relations disaster because most people will only read or remember the headline. Cable news commentators will be arguing about it all day, beating him (and the administration) up, and everybody’s credibility (including media) will take yet another hit. The only thing lasting from Giuliani’s Meet the Press interview is not better understanding of an issue, but more shouting  on cable news. He sabotaged his own message. It would have been more productive to go to Krispy Kreme or just stay in bed.

It’s beyond difficult to be in the public eye. Every word matters ALL the time. That’s really hard in a live program. I’m sure I wouldn’t do well under that pressure. Giuliani is experienced. He should have known better. He provided a “nuclear” sound bite to his opposition. Media editors have a responsibility to truth as well.  They should insist on meaningful headlines not just eyeball bait.

Truth matters. We’d need to respect it more, abuse it less, and realize that while it may be “constructed” it is not a construct.