Campaign Media

The news media often anticipate televised presidential debates as a national event of great importance — a kind of Super Bowl of American democracy. But political scientists have noted that, in contrast to the party conventions, the general election debates do not typically have dramatic effects on voters.

Conservatives are more likely than liberals to endorse conspiracy theories. Many are highly knowledgeable about politics and have little trust in institutions, a new study finds.

From the infamous 1948 “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline in the Chicago Tribune to the reporting debacle around the “Bush v. Gore” 2000 presidential election, news media have sometimes under-served the public on Election Day, sowing confusion and mistrust.

Issue-specific political advertisements are ubiquitous during elections, and they’re often assumed to be effective in increasing voter turnout. Such ads frequently target specific groups — what political scientists sometimes call “issue publics” — such as veterans, parents or senior citizens.

Campaign observers and citizens often complain about the effects of negative ads and their perceived damage to deliberative democracy. But the reality may be more complicated, and the true results of such ads may depend on more than just their emotional or critical tone.

How do negative campaigns affect voters? It’s a question political scientists have studied for decades.