Author Archive
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Swing States Project
Do campaign gaffes matter? Not to voters
June 13, 2012 02:55 PMSince Friday, the national political conversation has been dominated by a debate over the importance of President Obama’s statement, at a White House press conference, that “The private sector is doing fine.” Unfortunately, most of the media discussion... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Journalists: do no harm!
May 31, 2012 01:19 PMIn a series of media interviews conducted before a Las Vegas fundraiser with presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, Donald Trump singlehandedly put the debunked birther movement back in the news. The resulting coverage is unlikely to change... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
The over-covered image war
May 21, 2012 10:50 AMThe message war in the presidential election got underway in earnest last week, with the Obama campaign releasing a new attack ad and super PACs on both sides announcing their own big buys. If... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
The entirely predictable failure of Americans Elect
May 18, 2012 11:03 AMOn Thursday, the board of Americans Elect folded its presidential nominating process after the set of declared candidates repeatedly failed to muster the support required to receive the group's backing. Despite spending $35 million on "swank... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Obama ‘evolves,’ Romney ‘flip-flops’
May 8, 2012 12:00 PMNEW HAMPSHIRE—Are Barack Obama and Mitt Romney so different after all? Despite the media’s portrayal of Romney as a uniquely craven politician, the recent controversy over Obama’s views on gay marriage highlights the ways that both candidates—like nearly all politicians—have... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
The Dangers of Silly Season
April 13, 2012 12:09 PMWhen Rick Santorum suspended his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination on Tuesday, he removed any remaining doubt that Mitt Romney would be the Republican presidential nominee. The result is a news vacuum that can easily be filled by spin... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Narrowcasting the 2012 Election
April 6, 2012 12:55 PMNEW HAMPSHIRE — With Mitt Romney’s hold on the GOP nomination becoming too obvious to deny, horse race enthusiasts in the political media have quickly shifted to handicapping the general election. Unfortunately, their recent focus on key states and demographics—in... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Does Fact-Checking Work? False Statements are Wrong Metric
March 30, 2012 09:41 AMPolitics today seemingly has more fact-checking than ever before. As a result, reporters are asking a new question: Does fact-checking work? At the national level, USA Today's Martha T. Moore described it as "an article of faith"... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
The Etch-a-Sketch Press
March 22, 2012 11:25 AMNEW HAMPSHIRE — Yesterday, Etch-a-Sketch became the media’s favorite metaphor for Mitt Romney’s ideological flexibility. But the iconic children’s toy is an equally good representation of the media’s tendency to draw the picture it wants of our political candidates. ... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
The World’s Dumbest Press Conference
March 5, 2012 10:37 AMNEW HAMPSHIRE — Last Tuesday, the New America Foundation released a report (PDF) I co-authored with Georgia State's Jason Reifler on how to most effectively combat misperceptions (summarized here at CJR). Two days later, some of... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Countering Misinformation: Tips for Journalists
February 29, 2012 10:52 AMThis article was written by Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler. It is adapted from Misinformation and Fact-checking: Research Findings from Social Science (PDF), a New America Foundation Media Policy Initiative report they co-authored that was released... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
The Elusive Hunt for the ‘Real Romney’
February 16, 2012 10:21 AMThough he launched his first run for president more than five years ago, Mitt Romney is still widely seen as an enigmatic figure. With opponents for the GOP presidential nomination raising questions about the sincerity of the former... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
A State of the Union Media Prebuttal
January 24, 2012 11:43 AMNEW HAMPSHIRE—Tonight, President Obama will address Congress and the nation in his 2012 State of the Union address. The SOTU has become both an important civic and political ritual and a signal about the administration's policy priorities for... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
The Out-of-Context Quote as Gaffe
January 17, 2012 06:00 AMNEW HAMPSHIRE — Michael Kinsley famously wrote that "A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth—some obvious truth he isn't supposed to say." But in the 24/7 media age, another type of gaffe has emerged. In this case,... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Forget the Debates—Focus on the Air War!
January 10, 2012 06:00 AMNEW HAMPSHIRE — Over the weekend, media coverage of the Republican presidential race focused on the lack of conflict in Saturday night's debate, which baffled commentators, and the sharper exchanges in <a... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Playing the Expectations Game in New Hampshire
January 6, 2012 03:37 PMNEW HAMPSHIRE — After finishing the Iowa caucus in a virtual tie with former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney is in a commanding position as the Republican primary campaign heads toward next Tuesday's primary election here. The former Massachusetts... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
The Post-Iowa Challenge
January 2, 2012 04:20 PMNEW HAMPSHIRE — Over the last week, much of the nation's political press corps has headed to Iowa to cover the Republican presidential campaign. The saturation coverage is already reaching absurd levels. Scott Conroy of Real Clear Politics <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/realclearscott/status/153576348496039936"... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
When Newt Isn’t Newsworthy
December 13, 2011 03:18 PMNEW HAMPSHIRE — Yesterday, former House speaker Newt Gingrich returned to New Hampshire for a foreign policy debate with former Utah governor Jon Huntsman. The trip marked Gingrich's first visit to the state since receiving the... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Fact-checking Versus Strategy
November 29, 2011 10:53 AMNEW HAMPSHIRE — In Sunday's Boston Globe, reporter Michael Levenson warned of a coming "year of mudslinging." This "rough, negative, and confusing advertising onslaught," as Levenson calls it, is foreshadowed by recent ads run by Texas governor Rick... Continue reading
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Swing States Project
Covering a “National Campaign” for New Hampshire Readers
November 22, 2011 05:15 PMNEW HAMPSHIRE — Both the Washington Post’s Dan Balz and Politico’s Maggie Haberman have argued that the 2012 GOP primary fight has a different character than previous campaigns. Balz, for instance, writes that "Republicans are engaged in a... Continue reading
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