brought to the public's attention, as it should have been. Age was not seen as affecting his behavior, analytic ability, concentration, and memory. (Abrams 1998,p.481) It is not truly known whether his age would have been a matter of consequence in the election, but the media certainly didn't help it out any. Campaign information affects voters' issue preferences, candidate evaluations, and the likelihood of voting. Exposure, reception, and acceptance all play a role in this gathering of campaign information and in the voter perception. Exposure involves one physical proximity to a message. Reception involves actually getting or taking in a message. Lastly acceptance involves allowing the information contained within the message to influence one's preference, opinion, or attitude. (Shaw 1999,p.347) The more campaign ads seen and the amount of campaigning covered also has a greater effect on the voter turnout and the information gathered about the candidates and the issues. Campaigns are used to prime the voter's perceptions of politics and their candidate preferences. "To a considerable degree the art of politics in a democracy is the art of determining which issue dimensions are of major interest to the public or can be made salient in order to win public support." (London ) Many times the media often bring up the worst in a public official or candidate as seen by that of Bob Dole. They cover low salient issues that are irrelevant to everyday life and also overplay or cover the issue too much. Another example is with the Texas Governor, George W. Bush. The main issue on the media's mind was the rumor of his past cocaine use. They should have been covering his views on Social Security, HealthCare Reform, Russia , and the Middle-east. Only 7% of the major three evening newscasts during August dealt with politics. Half of the stories were dealing with Bush and his use in his younger age and Clinton's marriage. The media should be filling ...
