Tag Archives: political campaigns
Encore Program on Communication in Political Campaigns
On Wednesday, March 16, Randy Mayeux and Karl Krayer participate in an encore of our program on communication and political campaigns.
The program is from 6:30-7:15 at First United Methodist Church – Garland. The address is 801 Avenue B at Glenbrook. The program is in rooms 103-105.
Here is the title and description.
Did You Hear What You Thought You Heard? Making sense out of what candidates say and mean in political campaigns
In today’s attack-first political environment, political candidates are increasingly accountable for what they say about each other, and about their plans to lead the country. Indeed, the media has been particularly energetic about emphasizing contradictions and checking facts that candidates produce in debates, press conferences, and presentations. In this fast-paced program, learn what the leading political candidates actually mean when they talk, and what risks they encounter when taking a particular stance or position. Learn to identify innuendos, misleading interpretations, and inaccurate facts. You will have the opportunity to ask questions.
February 25 – Speaking at High Noon Club of Dallas
On Thursday, I will be at the Dallas High Noon Club with Randy Mayeux to present “Did You Hear What You Thought You Heard? Making Sense Out of What Candidates Say and Mean in Political Campaigns.” The lunch and program is from noon to 1:00 at the Doubletree by Hilton – Dallas Love Field – 3300 W. Mockingbird Lane. For reservations, please send an e-Mail to , or call (469) 667-4274. The Dallas High Noon Club is the oldest meeting luncheon club in city, with over 80 years of weekly programs. I have known its current President, Steven Gooch, for many years through the York and Scottish Rite, and at Richland Community College.
Social Media is Just That – Social
I am not surprised at all to see the statistics published on February 20, 2012 by the Pew Research Center that reveal very few Americans receive political news from social networks.
Where do we get our information about politicians, campaigns, platforms, etc? It’s not from social media. Here is the breakdown, when Americans were asked to identify the sources they used regularly to follow political news. Note this is not a “fixed pie” of 100%. Rather, these numbers reflect how many Americans sampled identified a source:
Cable news (36%)
Local TV news (32%)
National network news (26%)
Internet (25%)
Local daily newspaper (20%)
Talk radio (16%)
Late-night comedy shows (9%)
Facebook (6%)
YouTube (3%)
Twitter (2%)
Why would this surprise anyone? Social Media is just what it is – it is social. It generates conversation, spreads opinions, and highlights reactions. Social Media is not a source that generates or distributes information. It is post-news. It is filled with what people think about what they already know.
It is not that Social Media is unimportant. In fact, it is the focus in my MBA research methods class this term at the University of Dallas. My students are learning research methods by focusing their research on Social Media.
Americans don’t get their news from Social Media outlets. Americans talk about the news through Social Media.
Are you surprised by this? If so, let’s talk about it really soon!
