Do People Really Pay Attention?

I decided to send out an email asking opinions on whether or not the media impacts decision-making on candidates. Here are some of the comments I received:

�The news media does affect a choice in the Democratic candidates. �

�Media coverage does affect me. It makes me mad! How many times a day do we have to hear the same thing? But what really irritates me is all the lies that are told and so convincingly that many people believe them. Voting should be left to the people who are interested in issues, not who can slam the other guy the most. We push so hard to get people out to vote that many vote on hearsay and not on knowledge of issues.�

(Media coverage affects my decision making)� Only to the extent that news coverage is a source of information about the candidates and the issues. Like most folks these days, I don't rely on local news as my only source of political information, especially with easy access to news on the web.�

�The general election campaign next fall has the potential for being one of the most mean-spirited in American history.�

�I haven't decided on a candidate yet and yes, the media definitely affects my decision. I know who I want to vote for, but I can't decide if I should vote for who I like or who I think can beat Bush. The idealist in me says I should vote with my conscience. The realist says I should vote for someone I could at least tolerate who is also likely to be popular with many other Americans. I think the media can manipulate most people�s opinions. The media has picked favorites, it seems, and the candidate I like isn't whom they like! I don't watch much TV, but I listen to the radio a lot and I read a lot of newspapers. I also receive e-mailed information and I use the internet for information. I will choose a candidate in the caucuses who claims he will prioritize domestic issues and who will work with the United Nations when it comes to foreign policy.
Other thoughts on the caucuses: There's not much information in the newspapers or on the radio that talks about the nuts and bolts of the caucuses. I hear a lot of this: "Iowans go to the caucuses," but I don't hear much that encourages people to go or informs them about the process, especially people who haven't gone before. Maybe that will happen in January, but I think it should start sooner. I think it would help if a direct mailing was conducted, explaining the caucuses - where to go, when to go, etc.�

�The media doesn't really affect my views on the candidates much, only because in our jobs we get to see the media at work, and understand how little they really know about things, and how skewed they are in playing to what they think the public wants to hear. Real reportage died years ago when marketing took over.�