Debates and the Disincentives of Democracy
How news norms and values influence moderator agendas
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12908696 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jason Turcotte (0000-0001-5496-2895, Schlumberger (Ireland), corresponding author) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 772-788 |
| Publication date | 2013-11-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journalism Practice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1751-2786 • E-ISSN: 1751-2794 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17512786.2013.861228 |
| OpenAlex | W2214869383 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 38 |
News norms and routines explain many of the factors influencing political news coverage today. In satisfying competitive pressures and the 24-hour news hole, scholars cite growing—albeit troubling—trends in campaign news coverage including negativity, soft news, and cynicism. This paper extends the theoretical conventions of news norms and routines to the spectacle of mediated presidential debates. Using a sample of transcripts from US presidential debates, 1992–2012, this qualitative content analysis explores the extent to which news norms and values in the new news environment influence moderator debate agendas, extending previous research to span multiple election cycles. I find that news routines condition journalists moderating debates to pose soft news, cynical and conflict-driven debate questions which may ultimately crowd out more informative policy-related content
Content analysis · Cynicism · Democracy · Media studies · Moderation · Negativity effect · News media · News values · Political science · Politics · Presidential system · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology
What Americans know about politics and why it matters
Spiral of Cynicism
After Broadcast News
Processing Politics
Post-Broadcast Democracy
Four Phases of Mediatization
A meta-analysis of the effects of viewing U.S. presidential debates
Markets, Ownership, and the Quality of Campaign News Coverage
Debate on Television
The Presidency in the Era of 24-Hour News
All the News That's Fit to Sell
Immediate and Delayed Responses to a Carter-Ford Debate
The Power of Television Images
Consumer Demand for Election News
The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media
High-Conflict Television News and Public Opinion
Game-Framing the Issues
A Research Agenda for an Institutional Media
"Mediatization" of Politics
The News Media as a Political Institution
Political Learning from Presidential Debates
Bad News, Period
Political Debate
Let the People Speak
The Influence of Format and Questions on Candidates' Strategic Argument Choices in the 2000 Presidential Debates
Social Control in the Newsroom
Reporting the News
Objectivity as Strategic Ritual
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,09 |
| Citation span | 2015 - 2015 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |