Race, Campaigns, and the Media

Overview

1. what media studies teaches us about race
2. what campaign studies teaches us about race
3. race, the media, & campaigns (discussion of the readings)

Race and Media Studies

Race and Media Studies

what is/are the media?

Race and Media Studies

(mass) media = communications that reach publics

• newspapers & magazines
• radio
• television
• films
• books
• music
• electronic/digital/internet-based

political media = subset of the “mass media”

Race and Media Studies

role of the (political) media

• decides what gets covered and for how long (gatekeeper)
• records who’s winning or losing (scorekeeper)
• investigates political actor/events (watchdog)
• shapes standards by which politics is judged (agenda setter)

Race and Media Studies

media effect = relationship between media and audience

• hypodermic needle / magic bullet (media outlets inject / shoot ideas into our minds)

Race and Media Studies

media effect = relationship between media and audience

• two-step flow (media messages are “pre-processed” by opinion leaders before coming to us)

Race and Media Studies

media effect = relationship between media and audience

• uses/gratifications (our media consumption reflects our needs and preferences)

Race and Media Studies

media effect = relationship between media and audience

• social learning (people reproduce what they consume [see bobo doll study])

Race and Media Studies

Cumulative impact of media (cultivation theory)

• prolonged exposure blurs lines between fantasty and reality
• in the case of race, this can have serious implications
• why? because negative racial stereotypes amplify media narratives (and vice-versa)
• also, distorted perceptions of race ultimately motivate policy, inspire behavior, etc.

Race and Media Studies

media depictions reflect (and shape) imagery in society

Race and Campaign Studies

Race and Campaign Studies

campaigns = organized efforts to incluence decision-making

important components of political campaigns

1. the rules of the election(s) being fought over
2. the political realities “on the ground”
3. the strategies employed for achieving goals
4. the key actors and agents involved in the process

Race and Campaign Studies

1. rules: laws and constitutional doctrines governing how:

• campaigns are carried out
• (ultimately) who wins elections

Race and Campaign Studies

2. realities: conditions that exist “on the ground”

• economic (“re-open businesses” vs. “flatten the curve”)
• social (racial justice; BLM protests, etc.)
• political (mobilization amidst a pandemic)

Race and Campaign Studies

3. strategies: impact of things campaigns actually control

• what they say (policies championed, messages crafted)
• what they do (host rallies, raise money, etc.)

Race and Campaign Studies

4a. the role of agents/actors in campaigns

• who’s involved? (candidates, parties, media, PACs and fundraisers, volunteers, paid strategists/consultants, interest groups, etc.)

Race and Campaign Studies

4b. the role of citizens in campaigns

• citizens make choices (voting, donating, etc.)
• many of them can’t be swayed (focus on “movable” voters)

Race and Campaign Studies

the significance of campaigns

• the question is not do they matter (of course they do)
• rather Gary Jacobson (2015) asks: when, where, why, how, for what, and for whom do they matter?

Race, the media, and campaigns

Race, the media, and campaigns

Things to ponder about the readings:

• How do racialized media dynamics play out in campaigns? (Use Jacobson’s framework)