Debate News Coverage Focused on the “Little” Horse Race
INTERVIEW ON THE PRICE OF BUSINESS SHOW, MEDIA PARTNER OF THIS SITE.
Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, interviewed David Dozier who is a leading media authority.
Horse race reporting means covering campaigns as if they are horse races. Who’s ahead? Who’s behind? What do the polls show? Presidential debates offer reporters a “little” horse race within the “big” horse race. Who won the debate? Who lost? What do pundits say? The Sept. 10 debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump gave 28 million viewers a chance to compare candidates. Where do they stand on the issues that matter to voters? As expected, the candidates didn’t compare and contrast their views in substantive ways. In comparing left-wing cable (MSNBC) with right-wing cable (Fox), right-wing pundits and GOP politicians spent more time hurling issue-based attacks against Harris. This is perhaps because Trump ignored his advisers. They told him to focus sharply on the issues of the border and the economy. He didn’t. The Fox pundits backfilled with issue attacks that Trump failed to clearly articulate. Left-wing pundits focused on the performance aspects of the debate. They gleefully noted how Harris goaded Trump into showing his “true self”—as an angry, grouchy, bigoted, incoherent old white man. Pundits and viewers mostly agree. Harris “won” the debate. Does winning the little horse race influence the big horse race? In “normal” elections? No. But this is not a “normal” election. The last presidential debate forced President Biden to drop his reelection bid (see DavidDozierBooks.com).
The Price of Business is one of the longest running shows of its kind in the country and is in markets coast to coast. The Host, Kevin Price, is a multi-award winning author, broadcast journalist, and syndicated columnist. He is Editor at Large for this site. Learn more about the show and its digital partners at www.PriceofBusiness.com.
David Dozier (DavidDozierBooks.com) is the author of the novel, The California Killing Field. He is a professor emeritus in the School of Journalism & Media Studies, San Diego State University. He’s an internationally recognized expert on communication management and public relations.
According to USA Business Radio, “David Dozier is a scholar of public relations and communication management, professor emeritus in the School of Journalism & Media Studies at San Diego State University, and author of The California Killing Field. He says fake news has become a phenomenon, political campaigns use the tactic to influence voters, and that it’s perplexing that a conspiracy-based group such as QAnon has gained national attention.
Kevin Price and David Dozier are doing a multi-part series on this important topic that will be on many different platforms, as well as on radio. Keep an eye out for the series throughout the Price of Business Digital Network and USA Business Radio.
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