Peepshow: Media and Politics in an Age of Scandal - Hardcover

Sabato, Larry J.; Stencel, Mark; Lichter, S. Robert

2.86

14 ratings by Goodreads

9780742500105: Peepshow: Media and Politics in an Age of Scandal

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0742500101 ISBN 13: 9780742500105

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

The line dividing public life and private behavior in American politics is more blurred than ever. When it comes to questions about sex, substance abuse and family life, anything goes on the political desk in many newsrooms, including uncorroborated hearsay disguised as news. But some stories still never make it into print or on the air. What are the rules for politicians and journalists in the aftermath of WashingtonOs biggest sex scandal? Peepshow looks behind the scenes at news coverage of political scandals, analyzing what gets reported, what doesnOt, and why. The authors talk with top news editors to get a fix on what will make the evening news and what weOre likely to read about in the next campaign season. The costs of todayOs politics-by-scandal are mounting, with disaffected voters, discouraged candidates, and a news corps distracted from policy issues and substantive debate. But the forces driving Oattack journalismO have as much to do with voters and candidates as they do with what the press is organized to report. Peepshow offers an alternative view of the prurient side of election coverage, helping newsroom decision-makers and campaign managers see through the inevitable scandals of election year 2000 and gain insight into presenting a politics of public trust. CASE STUDIES include: _ South Carolina Governor David BeasleyOs denial of an unsubstantiated extramarital affair; _ Georgia gubernatorial candidate Mike Bowers' admitted affair with his secretary; _ Reporting on rumors sparked by Texas Governor George W. BushOs admission that he was once Oyoung and irresponsible;O _ Congressional affairs involving Representatives Barr, Burton, Chenoweth, Hyde and Livingston; _ The divorces of Bob Dole and John McCain; _ The outing of Arizona Rep. Jim KolbeOs and the sexuality of other members of Congress and candidates; _ Mississippi Governor Kirk FordiceOs off-again, on-again divorce; _ Coverage of Colorado Governor Roy RomerOs OaffectionateO relationship with a top aide and adviser. _ Speaker Newt GingrichOs relationship with a Hill committee aide; _ Coverage of once and possible first ladies and the children of political figures, including Chelsea Clinton and Sarah Gore; _ Reporting on unfounded rumors about Representative Bill PaxonOs retirement.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

We are now all well acquainted with the fallout of scandal-driven political journalism, but most of us have little sense of where it comes from, and even less of a notion of what to do about it. In Peepshow, Sabato and Lichter two leading critics of media conduct in the political science academy have teamed with Mark Stencel, politics editor for Washingtonpost.com, to pull back the curtain on the machinery of scandal, stressing the central role of campaign operatives in slinging the muck of 'character'.

About the Author:

Larry J. Sabato is director of the Center for Governmental Studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and author of numerous books including Feeding Frenzy: How Attack Journalism Has Transformed American Politics. Mark Stencel is politics editor for washingtonpost.com and coauthor with CNN's Larry King of On the Line: The New Road to the White House. S. Robert Lichter is president of the Center for Media and Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., and editor of the online magazine Newswatch. His books include The Media Elite and Good Intentions Make Bad News.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.