From August 11th to the 13th, a diverse panel of eighteen Summit County, Ohio residents were brought together to study and deliberate in conversations about the 2016 election, focusing specifically on candidates and their stances on the issues. Through the Citizens’ Jury model, they identified the information most important to them about candidates and the best methods for the media to communicate the information to them.
Informed Citizen Akron Event #2 Final Report
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Local News is Changing
Media outlets and newspapers such as the Akron Beacon Journal are facing difficulties with changing technology and shifts in how people get their news and information, especially with more people getting news and information from 24-hour TV news and the internet. They are faced with a lack of financial resources as revenues and subscriptions decline and are without clear options for getting money through their website. This has led to a large decline in the number of reporters and staff available to cover local issues, and less involvement and engagement with the community. It has also led to changes in how national stories are covered by re-publishing stories that are published elsewhere.
We feel it is important for the Beacon Journal and other local media to find their niche and reconnect with local readers so that people can see the paper as a community benefit and provide information we can’t find anywhere else. This is a challenge, however, since there are so many news sources online and nationally and because reporters have to make decisions about balancing the following tensions when deciding what to cover and what their readers truly want to read:
- Depth vs. Breadth
- Local vs. State vs. National
- Breaking News vs. Daily Stories vs. Ongoing, Long-term Coverage
- Sensational headlines vs. Analysis
- Policies, Positions, and Issues vs. Personal Characteristics and Background
How Voters Decide
People typically choose their political affiliation based on three factors: parental influence, peer influence and/or a defining issue. Most people identify with one political party, whether or not they realize it; true independents are rare. If third party candidates are able to overcome the significant existing legal barriers to appear on the ballot, they still face challenges in generating popular support due to how deeply-rooted the two-party system is in American society. Citizens are given an overload of information, both positive and negative towards their political affiliation. In the case of negative information, voters discount and rationalize negative information about their candidate, while focusing on negative information about their opposition. Both reporters and readers need to be aware of their own biases in order to process information effectively
How Polling Works
Polling is a way to collect information about citizen opinions on issues, candidates, and other topics. Polling has changed drastically from face-to-face polling to polling by phone, and polling from other sources like cell phones and computer surveys. A good poll has certain characteristics and is done in a specific way to get the best and most scientific results.
- Respondents must be selected randomly.
- Polling shouldn’t be designed to support certain positions or be skewed to align with the survey taker’s positions.
- Survey takers should be neutral and unbiased in constructing and conducting the poll.
- Data and questions asked in survey should be available to the public.
Organizations conducting polls face some challenges in ensuring accuracy because…
- Women may be more likely to answer the phone, introducing potential bias.
- Only certain people have computer access or land lines.
- Cell phones present special problems for contacting the respondents.
- Polls can take up a lot of time and be difficult for people to participate in because of their length or format.
Advantages of current polling include the availability and use of open-ended responses and recording verbatim responses, which can generate more information and provide more detail about diverse opinions among subgroups. It is important as a citizen to be involved in the polling process if given the opportunity because that makes the results more accurate and representative.
How Campaigns Operate
There are three types of voters from the perspective of a campaign: supporters, undecideds, and opponents. These voters are typically split 45%/10%/45%. Although 80% self-identify as independent, only about 10% of voters are true independents, with most leaning toward one major party or the other. Candidates may pursue undecided voters depending on their position in the polls, with leading candidates usually focused on turning out supporters to vote, while trailing candidates may focus on swaying undecided voters.
Campaigns employ personal contact, earned media, and macro- and micro-targeting to communicate with voters.
- Earned media is essentially free publicity, both positive and negative. Candidates attract earned media by making statements about breaking events, saying outrageous things, volunteering, or attending public events.
- Macro-targeting includes paid media, like television advertising or mailers.
- Micro-targeting uses personal data (and campaigns have more data about you than you realize) to target individual voters with tailored advertising and outreach.
- Campaigns target specific demographics to energize or demobilize certain voters.
- Traditional campaigns (relying on micro-targeting and macro-targeting) differ from non-traditional campaigns (relying on earned media and other low-cost strategies).
Presidential Roles & Responsibilities
Presidential roles and responsibilities are outlined in the Constitution, yet most people are unclear about those roles and responsibilities. The President must understand the role and responsibility of each branch of government, and act accordingly. The President should rely on their cabinet and advisors to be informed. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and needs to work with Congress for the good of the country. Citizens expect the President to represent the American people, work for the public’s interests, and provide leadership. This includes engaging all citizens and all legislators, serving as a role model and a source of inspiration for the country, and representing the country both domestically and internationally.
Qualities of Effective Presidents
- Political Knowledge
Possessing a strong understanding of the Constitution, public policy, the capacity and limitations of government, and the concerns of citizens will lead to more effective policy and decision-making. - Patriotism
A passion and drive to do what is best for the country, and optimism about what can be done. - Vision
It is important to have a clear plan and vision for where the U.S. is going. Vision, in this case, is synonymous with the ability to anticipate and guide the future of the country. - Honesty and Integrity
Acting with honesty and integrity engenders trust from the public. - Consistency
It is critical for the President to act with consistency, without wavering in the face of negative or positive reactions. The President must stick with their promises to the country and stated goals, and have a background that corresponds with these goals.
Ranked Ideas for Ohio Media
- Hold candidates accountable to their campaign promises once elected.
- Compare promises with real-world outcomes.
- Discuss the impact of candidates’ policies on Ohio after elected.
- Compare the concerns of the public (identified through public polling) to the promises of candidates in their campaign communications.
- Present campaign ideas and positions, and ask candidates to outline a plan for implementation once elected (including plan for working with Congress).
- Analyze the impact and results of existing policies candidates have already implemented or advocated for in their career or political experience.
- Present the track records and accomplishments of candidates in a comparative format (such as a table or chart).
- Create customized election coverage hubs tailored to areas of interest (veterans, Millenials, older adults, other communities of interest) presented in an ongoing format where new stories and candidate info is updated daily/weekly and targeted towards specific demographics/communities/issues.
- Outline the potential impact of candidates’ policies on Ohio.
- Combine “sensational” headlines with factual reports and data
- Sensational may sell newspapers, but readers want and need long-term, in-depth, informative coverage.
- Use in-person and online forums to allow citizens to generate questions for media to ask of candidates or campaign staff throughout campaign.
- Assess the personal qualities and characteristics of the candidates.
What We Can Do As Ohioans
- Take part in organized conversations.
In our community and country, we have to talk about the issues we care about. - Don’t share hyper-sensational articles on social media.
Be selective about what you read, avoiding “clickbait” stories that don’t provide high-quality information. - Acknowledge positive stories.
There are positive stories and ideas happening in our community. We have to focus on solutions to our problems, not just the problems. - Listen, be open-minded, and surround yourself with open-minded people.
Concentrate first on points of agreement with people and consider their attitudes and experiences. When you do this, you can learn new things, explore new ideas, and react less negatively to different opinions. - Listen to understand, don’t listen to respond.
- Organize to make change.
We have power when we work together, and can make change happen.
Expert Presentations
(Listed Chronologically)
- Doug Livingston, Political Reporter, Akron Beacon Journal
- Dr. John C. Green, Director, The Ray C. Bliss Institute for Applied Politics
- Dr. Stephen Brooks, Associate Director, The Ray C. Bliss Institute for Applied Politics, see the full presentation here
- Dr. C. Daniel Myers, Associate Professor, the University of Minnesota, see the full presentation here