06 Feb 2010
Media play an extremely important part in the modern society. In this respect, it should be said that the role of media has increased dramatically during the Presidential campaign 2008 because many media presented the Presidential election 2008 as a turning point in the history of the USA. In this respect, it is important to underline that the impact of media has increased substantially and today media can influence the public opinion and, what is more, they can even shape the social identity of people. In such a situation, mass media can be viewed as an effective tool that can be used by political forces to achieve their goals. On the other hand, it is necessary to understand that in a democratic country, such as the USA, the pressure on mass media is absolutely unacceptable. Nevertheless, mass media can hardly avoid external influences as well as pressure from the part of the owners of media which attempt to create certain image of the media and position the media on the market. In such a situation, the question of objectivity of coverage of the Presidential campaign naturally arises. Therefore, it is very important to analyze how the Presidential campaign was presented in media. In terms of this paper, the New York Times will be discussed, since it is one of the leading print media of the USA, which has a substantial influence on the public opinion nationwide.
In fact, the choice of the New York Times was determined by the fact that this newspaper is one of the most popular newspapers in the USA. Moreover, the New York Times is an international newspaper which is available not only to Americans in the USA but also to people living in other countries of the world as well as Americans abroad. Consequently, it is obvious that the newspaper has a considerable impact on the public opinion and the coverage of the Presidential campaigns 2008 could influence the choice Americans have done on November 4, 2008. In this respect, it is worth mentioning the fact that the daily circulation of the New York Times constitutes over one million. In such a way, the New York Times is printed mass medium which has a potential to shape the public opinion that actually determined the choice of this newspaper for the analysis. In addition, it is worth mentioning the history of the newspaper since the New York Times was founded in 1851 that means that the newspaper has already gained the public acclaim as a reliable medium that naturally increases the confidence of readers in the reliability of the newspaper. This is another factor in favor of the choice of this newspaper for the analysis and another factor that increases the impact of the newspaper on the public perception of the candidates.
In fact, the New York Times is a renowned newspaper with a long history. It is worth mentioning the fact that contributors of the newspaper won the Pulitzer Prize, while the historical experience of the newspaper which has existed since the mid-19th century allows the owner of the newspaper to develop a long-lasting strategy based on traditional values and standards which are comprehensible not only to the staff but also to the audience. At this point, it should be said that, at the moment, the newspaper is owned by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., whose family has controlled the newspaper since 1896. In such a way, the New York Times may be viewed as a kind of family business, which also increased the audience’s confidence in the reliability of the newspaper. Obviously, the ownership of the New York Times by the Sulzberger family contributes to the maintenance of traditions and standards existing within the newspaper for decades.
As for the values the New York Times traditionally stands for, it should be said that some specialists (Borosage, 28) argue that the New York Times tends to the left-centrist views. This means that, a priori, the newspaper tends to support liberal ideas oriented on the development of a balanced policy aiming at the well-being of large masses of people and maintenance of social stability through the formation of a strong middle class and support of low-income families. On the other hand, the newspaper can hardly be viewed as a left newspaper. Instead, it mainly supports liberal ideas, but its coverage traditionally conveys skepticism of conservative values.
In such a situation, it would be logical to presuppose that the New York Times could support the Democrat candidate during the Presidential campaign of 2008. Nevertheless, on analyzing the coverage of the Presidential campaign by the New York Times, it should be said that the newspaper provided or, at least attempted to provide, an objective coverage of the Presidential campaign. In this respect, it is worth mentioning the fact that the newspaper focused its attention on both Republican and Democratic candidates. Moreover, the New York Times attempted to explain the position of either candidate concerning vitally important issues, such as national economy, taxation policy, health care system and its reform, and many other issues (Baker). The contributors of the paper presented both positions when controversial issues were discussed by the newspaper. What is meant here is the fact that the New York Times did not openly support either candidate, instead, the newspaper attempted to cover the Presidential campaign objectively. At any rate, both candidates were presented by the paper practically equally.
At the same time, it is important to point out that the coverage of the current policies and situation in the USA could indirectly undermine the position of John McCain as the candidate. To put it more precisely, the New York Times focused on the coverage of news issues, such as the war in Iraq, which apparently created a negative image of the Bush administration. The latter was naturally closely associated with the Republican candidate, which put the Democratic candidate in an advantageous position because he criticized severely the current policies of the President administration, representing the Republican Party.
In this respect, it is worth mentioning the criticism of the current economic policies, which also weakened the position of John McCain in the perception of the mass audience. The New York Times revealed the weakness of the economic policies of the Bush administration and revealed its inability to overcome the current economic crisis. In actuality, such criticism could play a crucial impact on the perception of Presidential candidates by the audience because Americans were and still are very sensitive to economy-related issues. Moreover, today, the solution of current economic problems has been probably the determinant factor that determines the choice of Americans at the Presidential elections. Consequently, it is possible to estimate that indirectly, the New York Times contributed to the formation of a positive image of Obama and weakened the position of McCain. At this point, it is necessary to underline that such an impact was indirect because the newspaper presented the position of both candidates adequately, but the problem was the background information, namely the coverage of the current policies of the Bush administration, which weakened the position of McCain who was closely associated with the current President of the USA.
Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that the New York Times, being one of the leading American newspaper, which is distributed internationally, produces a profound impact on the perception of the audience, to the extent that it is possible to speak about the ability of the newspaper to shape the public opinion. In such a situation, the left-centrist position of the newspaper could have influenced the coverage of the Presidential campaign. Nevertheless, the New York Times has managed to present the Presidential campaigns of both candidates adequately. To put it more precisely, the newspaper clearly described the position of either candidates concerning the main issues which disturb ordinary Americans. On the other hand, the inclination of the New York Times to liberal ideas could be traced in its criticism of the current President and his administration, which could indirectly influence the audience. However, it is hardly possible to estimate that this was the official policy of the newspaper since it has the right to criticize the officials, regardless of the Presidential campaign and it is up to the reader whether to associate the current President administration with either candidate or not.
Works Cited:
Baker, P. “Rivals Clash Over Taxes as Contest Nears Climax.” New York Times, October 27, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2008 from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/us/politics/28campaign.html?scp=6&sq=Obama%20McCain%20defense&st=cse
Borosage, R. “Populism Rising: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton May Be Neophyte Class Warriors, but Their Populism Is More Than Just Rhetorical-And Must Be, If the Democrats Are to Win the Election and Govern Successfully.” The American Prospect. Vol. 19, Iss. 4, April 2004, p.20-34.
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