The media is one of the biggest
influences in our lives today, especially when it comes to forming
opinions about political candidates. While we may make some initial
conclusions about a candidate based on their political party, the
other information we receive about these candidates is up to the
media networks. This information can be extremely detrimental or
beneficial to a candidates political race, dependent upon how it is
presented to the community. We are sure that in the case of some
networks, the candidates political party makes a difference in how
they are presented, but could this also be affected by the candidates
gender? Our society has many long standing stereotypes of males and
females especially when it comes to the political realm, these
stereotypes might effect media representation of both sexes. We can
study this by looking at two similar candidate's, one male and one
female, media representation will help us to see if there is a
gender-based bias present in media portrayal of political candidates.
The two candidates chosen are Michele
Bachmann from Minnesota and Paul Ryan from Wisconsin, they are both
incumbent Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives. In trying
to limit the amount of variables, aside from gender, that may
influence the media's representation, these two were chosen for their
similarities to each other. Although no two political figures have
the same exact credentials or stances on issues, these two are both
from the same area of the country and have many similar interests and
views, especially on social issues. These two political figures were
chosen because they have also had their share in the media recently,
specifically in relation to the recent presidential election.
Bachmann and Ryan have also both experienced media coverage based on
their physical appearances and clothing choices, and this will
perhaps show that stereotypes are not as present as previously
supposed. However, although these candidates do have similarities
they also have differences, therefore the variables concerning
differing media coverage might be affected by these other
characteristics.
Michelle Bachmann's history with the
media has been rocky through her years as a Representative in the
House, especially in the past year as she began a presidential
nomination race, which she lost, and then in her efforts to gain back
her voters after this attempt. However, this is not about what she
said but how she is presented in general in the media, in two
articles following election day her slim victory was addressed
similarly. In an article, by the Associated Press, posted on the
Oregonian's website and in a New York Times article concerning the
election state by state, Bachmann was associated with such issues as
same-sex marriage and abortion. The authors of these articles also
discussed the fact that she spent so much money on her campaign and
barely came out on top. In a third article on the Los Angeles Times
website, Bachmann was linked with ideas that she was “distracted by
her own celebrity,” and again the large amount of money she spent
on her campaign was brought up. Also discussed were the charges
against her that she was “a polarizing and divisive member of
Congress.” These are just a few examples of the top search result
articles that can be read by searching for information on Michele
Bachmann.
Due to his selection as Mitt Romney's
running mate in the 2012 Presidential election, Paul Ryan has become
extremely popular in the media and their speculations about his
future. In one recent article, posted on the New York Times, Ryan's
future in the Republican party is discussed, including his House
budget plan and his more conservative views and what that could mean
for a future Presidential bid. In a second article, from ABC News,
Ryan's future was discussed in relation to the three previous Vice
Presidential candidates on the losing side, and their lack of future
political endeavors. While no conclusions were drawn, the article did
also mention Ryan's budget plan for the House. A third article, from
the Huffington Post, talked about Ryan's war on poverty, and his
ideas on how helping the less fortunate would help the country as a
whole. These three articles are just a few of the top search result
articles for Paul Ryan that were found following the election from a
simple web search.
What is interesting to see in the
differences of coverage for these two candidates is the topics chosen
by the authors to associate with the individual that was being
discussed. For Michele Bachmann they seemed to focus on the social
issues that she supports rather than her stances on military or
financial policy. And then for Paul Ryan they focus supremely on the
financial aspect of his political stances even though he is also a
staunch conservative on many of the social issues. However, these
differences might be due to the fact that female politicians are
expected, by society, to be more focused on social issues while male
politicians are supposed to be focused more on financial and military
issues. Therefore, this difference might be due to the stereotypes
held by the society or the ones held by the media themselves. But
other differences such as the focus of how much money Bachmann spent
on her campaign or the claims Ryan “putting on a face” of caring
about poverty stricken individuals seems to be more of a media bias
that extends into the political parties of the individuals rather
than their gender.
Media plays a large role in our
perception of the world around us, especially when it comes to
political candidates and their stances on most political issues. Both
Michele Bachmann and Paul Ryan have had large doses of recent
political media coverage that has varied in subtle ways when
discussing political issues they support. These slight differences
are potentially based in gender bias stereotypes, of the media, for
what issues should matter for certain candidates based on their
gender or sex. More research concerning the media representation of
political candidates, based on their gender, would be a beneficial
study aiding individuals to address what is truly important
politically. In conclusion, while it is interesting and telling to
study media and gender, we must always keep in mind that the
political party matters just as much.
References:
Ryan Articles:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/paul-ryan-palin-edwards-lieberman/story?id=17664742#.UJtWB8XA8oY
Bachmann Articles:
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