Media Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media - Research Paper Example Illustrative of this changing landscape are the 2004 presidential election campaigns. The top Democratic and Republican candidates were John Kerry and George W. Bush. Some of the key issues on which the campaigns turned included: the invasion on Iraq and generally the war on terror and defense issues, gay marriages, abortion, health, environmental issues, education, budget, trade and issues of gun control. It is on these controversial issues that voters divided between both the Republican and Democratic camps. It is mainly on media, specifically ad campaigning that opponents communicate ideas to the populace and it has proved instrumental in influencing voting patterns, voter turnout and even tipping the vote in tight races the main focus being in battleground states. The race between Bush and Kerry was so close that many issues were predicted to be likely to tip on the balance. One of these was television ad campaigns. The amount of financial resources spent was staggering. In 2004, with fifty sponsors, the Republicans having nineteen and Democrats the rest, hundreds of ads were aired up to over 670, 000 times in prime markets and on cable. Over $ 550, 000 was spent by these sources. Swift boating or shadowing can also be a function of election advertising campaigns; analogous to smear campaigns, these are attacks on an opponent’s credibility and patriotism. ... The Bush-Kerry race was a competitive one and one in which commercials were a dominant and decisive feature. The unprecedented amount spent on the 2004 election ad campaigns is one of its distinctive features. The second was that it commenced earlier than had been witnessed before, on March 4th and third was the record set by outsiders, non-candidate groups for example the SBVT, a veteran group which felt itself bound to step forward to apparently correct Kerry’s ‘exaggerated’ claims about his service in Vietnam. An anonymous source is of the view that while investigations into the effects of political ad campaigns hasn’t been proven to improve voter turnout or set the pace for the discussion of issues or other agenda they are widely agreed to affect a voter’s choice, stimulate interest in the election, help change perceptions about a candidate and generally increase knowledge on issues and policy. Candidates in election ads can acclaim defend or att ack. Research according to Gallup & Newport shows that attacks on policy rather than the character or person are more effective. There are two major ads that can prove the statistics right. Kerry's "fought for his country" ad and George Bush's "100 days" ad are perfect examples of what electoral electioneering encompasses. â€Å"Fought for his country†- John Kerry The words spoken are in normal print whereas the music is italicized and the images are in prentices. The ad opens with a three way split-screen. As the announcer begins on Kerry’s history and soft music starts in the background and piano strokes continue throughout the whole commercial. Its upbeat music that progressively increases in tempo and pitch throughout the