POLSCI 242 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: John Boehner, Msnbc, Conservative Coalition
POLISCI 10.02 Lecture Notes – Partisan Media
A new jobs report
o Fox News: US Adds 4, Jobs in September, Badly Missing Expectations
▪ Ominous sign that usually suggests discouraged people are not even looking for
work
o MSNBC: Higher than original forecast by economists
▪ The average duration of unemployment fell to 26.3 weeks, its lowest level since
August 2009 – Fox did not report at all
Representative Kevin McCarthy – current house majority leader (R-CA 23rd)
o Will be the Speaker after Boehner resigned
o Said he will be a conservative speaker that takes a conservative Congress that puts a
strategy to fight and win
o MSNBC: Kevin McCarthy credits Benghazi committee for Clinton damage – surprising
admission from a party that has sought to portray the investigation as even-handed and
non-partison
o Fox: Dems Accuse GOP Leader McCarthy of admitting Benghazi panel is political
o Very different context of portraying the story
▪ One is Clinton is vindicated
▪ One is showing Democrats on the offensive, doing the accusing
o Salon: McCarthy’s silver-plated gift to Hillary Clinton: What his Benghazi blunder reveals
about the GOP’s warped priorities
o Redstate: Democrats Hyperventilating about McCarthy’s Benghazi Comments are
Hypocrites
Smith, Searles Partisan Media Effects
Why care?
o Intensifies party polarization
o Policy implications
How many people watch partisan news media?
o 3.3 million people a day
How many people voted in 2012?
o 129 million people
Vast majority of voters do not get news from these sources
o Most get their news from local and broadcast news
o Most who watch the partisan news also watch local and broadcast
o This is a special subset of people
o Something to consider when measuring the effects of this
Self-selection – if you’re already polarized, watching those sources may not sway you
Conventional view of news media
o Positive coverage of in-party candidates matters
▪ Leads to a more favorable view of the in-party candidate
Smith and Searles argument – negative coverage of the out-party candidate is much more
sensational and persuadable
o Focuses on fear – the costs of voting for this candidate
How did they go about their study?
o Content
▪ Identify partisan sources
• Fox – conservative
• MSNBC – liberal
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