Coverage of the race
As the race unfolded, Americans around the country were watching. While I was watching the predictions, it seemed a bit skewed. Political analysts were debating whether McCain could win or not at many points during the night. Specifically it seemed as if the analysts were holding onto the hope that McCain could win. They seemed biased because they focused on the probability of McCain winning right up until Obama won the needed amount of electoral votes. On the smart screen one analyst was predicting how many red states McCain had to win, instead of focusing on the reality of Obama winning California and the electoral votes. As a viewer I could predict that Obama would take California and get the electoral votes needed to win the election. Next election analysts should focus on reality more than just continually being optimistic for one candidate.
posted by Jozie @ 11:40 PM
4 Comments:
I heard more of a, the race was over before it started, tone. CNN focused on the areas that had gone red last time and how many more blue votes they had received. Overall though it sounded like Obama was going to win the entire night. They even talked about Obama's podium as being the place where he'd give his victory speech, while McCain's "party" had more of a depressed atmosphere.
Throughout the campaign people have stated that they believed Obama had a far greater lead than what the media reported. I think this relates to this tactic. People are more likely to turn off the TV if Obama has too considerable of a lead.
I think that the analysts focused on McCain not because they favored him, but because they saw less of a chance of him winning. As the reports came in showing Obama in the lead, it became more and more clear that McCain would lose. By focusing on what states McCain needed to win in order to win the election, it kept people interested in watching until the very end.
I really think Liz is right...but of course everyone is waiting to see who will win....and what states they need to do so.
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