Question

Compare and contrast the ways in which the media cover the Congress and Courts versus the Presidency. YOU MUST GIVE EXAMPLES.

Answer 1

• Congress: also unfavorable attention or negative attention; large and decentralized so not as scrutinized; full time coverage of Congress by C-SPAN (a basic cable channel that offers coverage of congressional proceedings, major political events, and events sponsored by political groups); focus on conflict between members; lots of focus on investigations and scandal
• Congress is every bit as important as the presidency, yet it receives much less coverage and what it receives is generally negative.
• This lack of positive coverage has done much to reduce the status of Congress in the mind of the public.
• Covering Congress effectively is not easy, for two major reasons-
• Size: Congress has 535 members. The very size of the body makes it hard for the media to cover. Personalities and offices are numerous.
• Complexity: The procedures for making laws are quite complex.
• Because Congress reacts to and sometimes rejects presidential initiatives, it is often seen as being obstructionist. Its actions are often portrayed in the media as petty and quarrelsome.
• TV viewers now have unprecedented public access to the proceedings through the cable channel C-SPAN, which also broadcasts interviews and discussions on public-policy issues.
• In 1986, C-SPAN also began Senate coverage.
• The bulk of the media's coverage of Congress is concentrated on the party leadership in both houses.
• Presidency: president can address nation on all networks almost at will; press in White House; press secretary deal with press; president uses office and presidential press conference as a bully pulpit to shape public opinion and explain actions; lots of unfavorable attention
• The president receives more media attention than Congress because, for 50 years, that position has been the most powerful in the world.
• No person in the world is the subject of as much media scrutiny as the president of the United States.
• This scrutiny has often angered presidents, some of whom have lashed out, or had others lash out on their behalf, at what they perceive as unfair or biased reporting.
• The relationship between the president and the press seems to progress through three phases-
• 1.The honeymoon
• Many presidents experience what is called the honeymoon period at the beginning of their initial term.
• The honeymoon phase is characterized by cordial relationships, with the president accorded the benefit of the doubt and the press granted reasonable access to the functioning of government.
• 2.The hostilities phase
• This phase usually occurs after the new president proposes something controversial or makes a decision that is widely unpopular with some major group or interest.
• After the media focus on the controversy and pose questions that seem to legitimize the criticism, the president often feels betrayed and unfairly portrayed.
• 3.The reconciliation phase
• Hostility could evolve further into a state of permanent hostility or both sides become conscious of the need for moderation.
• Often, presidents will reach out through news conferences to mend relationships.
• Example;Reporting on rumors sparked by Texas Governor George W. Bush’s admission that he was once young and irresponsible.