Message Control »

Message Control, a look at what shapes the news from the presidential campaign trail, comes out of the author's experience traveling with campaigns, interviews with other journalists who have covered campaigns from the road, and research on campaign news. Elizabeth Skewes, a journalism professor and former reporter, investigates journalists' beliefs and the role those beliefs play in the election process, as well as how the routines of campaign reporting affect news coverage.

Acknowledgments     ix
Media Coverage of Modern Campaigns     1
The Big Picture     19
The Reporter's Role     47
The Goals of the Campaign Managers     75
Life "In the Bubble" of the Campaign     91
A Battle for Access     117
Deciding What's Newsworthy     139
A Prescription for Improving Campaign Coverage     163
Sources     177
References     181
Index     191
About the Author     195