CAMPAIGN 88: PRIME TIME PRESIDENT
CAMPAIGN 88: PRIME TIME PRESIDENT
Master 11515 Tape 2 CAMPAIGN 88: PRIME TIME PRESIDENT - Documentary on the history of Presidental Campaingns and the part that the media plays in American politics. Panel discussion of the impact of the media and Television on the political process and political discourse with Bill Moyers
CAMPAIGN 88: PRIME TIME PRESIDENT
Host Bill Moyers asks if the politicians' goal of making people believe, the journalists' [avowed] goal of making people think can be served by the medium of Television, which exists primarily as entertainment. Lippert says 8 years of REAGAN have conditioned viewers to think that journalists are rude and self-aggrandizing, rather than responsible, if they puncture the bubble of perfection that surrounds a politician's image. Jamieson says that the short time spans of TV news don't allow, for example, showcasing of the general incoherence of a lengthy speech made by REAGAN since any 20 second bit viewed in isolation seems coherent. Attacks the premise that serious TV reporting won't attract viewers as a dangerous excuse for TV to cater to the lowest common denominator. Evans says there's no reason why TV can't get viewers for serious political analysis if it uses it's promotional machinery as it does for dramas and sitcoms. Lippert says that soundbites are unconducive to thinking.
CAMPAIGN 88: PRIME TIME PRESIDENT
Hertsgaard says that it's outrageous for politicians or TV to blame the public for "apathy" because the prevalence of fluff on TV is obviously serving the interests of Politicians and TV corporations. Discussion of whether "serious" programming can or should attain the ratings that sitcoms and "Dynasty" get.
CAMPAIGN 88: PRIME TIME PRESIDENT
Panel discussion on the impact of TV on Democracy. Evans says that beyond the dumbing down of information, TV ads cost so much money and require so many fat cat donations that the voters and citizens are alienated from the political process and their leaders. Moyers adds that the TV Corporations are the ones who profit from this. Discussion of TV generally, the decline of the American attention span. Discussion of can voters get enough information from television? Discussion of stratification between heavy seekers of information and casual receivers of information in American electorate.
CAMPAIGN 88: PRIME TIME PRESIDENT
Hertsgaard says that people like BUSH and QUAYLE are indicative of a sad development that candidates are no longer capable of improvising, and are not engaged enough with their ideals to speak without scripts and handlers. Discussion of FOCUS GROUP methods from the world of MARKETING to test POLITICAL SPEECHES, the dangers of scripting speeches to a lowest common denominator of appeal instead of conveying ideas, the inherent deceptiveness of politicians delivering speeches written by others as if they care passionately about the words. Discussion of the way TV makes candidates, like news anchors, all more similar than dissimilar-adherence to a formula of candidate appeal.
CAMPAIGN 88: PRIME TIME PRESIDENT
Discussion of how TV might better serve democracy. Jamieson says that the popularity of DEBATES indicates that extended debates on single topics would be a way for TV to get a large audience to watch substantive coverage. Evans compares TV coverage of American and British elections, advocates banning political advertisements in favor of free TV time for candidates.
CAMPAIGN 88: PRIME TIME PRESIDENT
Hertsgaard says that the press needs to be more committed to getting past the established formulas of visual images and meaningless soundbites.
CAMPAIGN 88: PRIME TIME PRESIDENT
Further discussion of the prominence of TV overriding people's faith in other sources of information, need to supplement TV with other information. Evans says he's pessimistic about the chances of Democracy for surviving TV, given the encompassing power of money. Moyers signs off.
CAMPAIGN 88: PRIME TIME PRESIDENT
DO NOT USE Closing Credits over political convention scenes/WETA credit/Funding credits/transcript information/PBS ID.