Media
John Lofflin, associate professor of journalism at Park University.
Photo by Kenny Johnson
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It’s easy to get caught up in the hoopla of election news coverage, but Park is teaching students to question everything.
When President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney face off in the presidential election on Tuesday, Nov. 6, months of political news coverage will take a momentary break. All of the money spent, press releases sent and commercials aired will be quieted as voters have their say. When the votes are counted and the nation has its president elected, it will be time
Spring 2012 - 18
for the media to look retrospectively at the campaigns. And what they will find? According to some Park University media watchers, there will be endless stories about polls and stats that did little to offer substantive value to voters.
Social surge
Facebook, Twitter and a host of other social media outlets were leveraged in the 2008 presidential election, especially by Obama’s campaign team. This year, expect social media to play an even bigger role.
A recent survey by Digitas, a global brand and social media agency, found that 61 percent of respondents expect 2012 presidential candidates to have a social media presence; 38 percent say candidate information found on social networks like Facebook and Twitter will influence their vote as much as TV or newspapers. John Lofflin, associate professor of journalism at Park, calls the Internet and social media outlets a great democratizer. “Social media opens up to a greater number of voices to expose broader concerns,” he said.