Imus, Duke, Decoys, Debates and Scandal
Below are two stories that have received an excess of coverage at the expense of all other issues. Not to lessen the importance of either story, but the media applies a feeding frenzy strategy to many hot button issues that serve the bottom line of media companies more than the public interest to which adequate attention is a component of their license.
Week in Review: Imus, the Duke Lacrosse Case
In this week’s news: radio show host Don Imus loses his job, all charges are dismissed in the Duke lacrosse players case, another deadly week in Iraq, the United States extends military tours for service personnel and Sudan’s Darfur region is at the heart of protests against Steven Spielberg’s involvement with the Chinese government.
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Those who follow politics are probably aware of this ‘effect’ but maybe not by name. This article serves as a reminder of these political metrics or analysis and they might reduce some concerns in an early campaign season. Another conclusion drawn in some reports is that the one with the most money wins. It may make sense and it might even be accurate. Whether or not that is true, where’s the data?
Measuring ‘the Decoy Effect’ in Political Races
The presence of a third candidate in political races often has the unintended effect of benefiting one or the other of the two front runners. Shankar Vedantam of the Washington Post talks about the psychological phenomenon known as “the decoy effect.”
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This story has been out for some time. A post on this blog addressed it earlier. Not to let the thought vanish is helpful while considering campaign strategies that damage the process for the public. This is another opportunity to post a plug on behalf of Americans 4 Inclusive Debates. The candidates avoiding Fox News may have little to do with includive debates regarding who participates, however, avoiding a venue that disallows candidates to script the event is equally harmful. Canned debates are not in the public interest and the quality of most debates is pathetic because to a large degree they are staged.
Dem. Candidates Turn Backs on Fox, Black Caucus
Three of the major Democratic presidential candidates have decided not to participate in a debate to be broadcast on Fox News Channel in September. The debate is being sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, the caucus’ educational arm. Some Democratic Party activists say Fox doesn’t respect black Americans — or Democrats.
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The only thing to do with this article is ask the Whitehouse, what’s the upside?
White House Supports Wolfowitz Amid Scandal
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz faces demands for his resignation over a promotion he helped to arrange for Shaha Riza, a bank employee whom he has dated. The bank’s board of directors is considering what action to take.
Stanford Matthews
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