Media and Politics Essay

Over the course of the past two centuries political election and campaigns have become more financially and technically involved. One main reason for this is the obvious advances and continuing importance that technology has played in our society. Media campaigning has become even more involved in the past few decades due to the changes in our society and ups and downs in the fundamental values of each generation. Going back into the 19th century, we saw Abraham Lincoln going from state to state giving his addresses, even sometimes on the back of trains. Fast forwarding it a little bit into the 20th century you’re introduced to FDR’s fireside chats which were some of the first televised political talks. Now bringing it into the 21st century you can just flip on a television and see news on any of the countless channels, or you can even get on the internet where news can be accessed twenty four seven. The media has forever changed campaigns and elections, for the better might not be the right word. Today you seem to see countless television ads about a candidate. Many times it’s not even in the support or promotion of one candidate, but the degrading and negative focuses on the other candidate. The media tends to latch onto drama and public image, even when being involved with the politics. Going back to the 1968 election between Nixon and Reagan, it was clear that on television Reagan looked a lot better than Nixon had a tendency of doing and he had a better relationship with the media. From when the candidates are announced to the final election the media is always there. It seems that candidates almost have an unlimited budget when it comes to how much they can spend on ads. For Obama’s first campaign he allegedly spent around 430 million dollars on media ads alone. The media is really what drives the public’s opinion when it comes to a candidate, which is why it is important for them to have a good relationship. A PAC (permission in law) was created