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Uses priming as a theoretical basis to investigate potential effects of NBC's television program "The West Wing" on individual-level perceptions of the U.S. presidency among a group of undergraduate students. Finds the program primed more positive images of the U.S. Presidency that subsequently influenced individual-level perceptions. Extends political communication-based priming research to entertainment television content. Makes theoretical connections to previous work on role display and trust in democratic institutions. (SG)

Examines the influence of soft-money-sponsored issue-advocacy advertising in U.S. House and Senate campaigns, comparing its effects against candidate-sponsored positive advertising and contrast advertising on viewers' candidate preferences and on their attitude that reflect democratic values. Reveals no main effects for advertising approach on candidate preference. (SG)

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2009.01470.x Byline: R. Lance Holbert (1), R. Kelly Garrett (1), Laurel S. Gleason (1) Abstract: This article takes up Bennett and Iyengar's (2008) call for debate about the future of political communication effects research. We outline 4 key criticisms. First, Bennett and Iyengar are too quick to dismiss the importance of attitude reinforcement, long recognized as an important type of political media influence. Second, the authors take too narrow a view of the sources of political information, remaining fixated on news. Third, they offer an incomplete portrayal of selective exposure, exaggerating the extent to which individuals avoid attitude-discrepant information. Finally, they lean toward determinism when describing the role technologies play in shaping our political environment. In addition, we challenge Bennett and Iyengar's assertion that only brand new theory can serve to help researchers understand today's political communication landscape. We argue that existing tools, notably the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), retain much utility for examining political media effects. Contrary to Bennett and Iyengar's claims, the ELM suggests that the contemporary political information environment does not necessarily lead to minimal effects. Author Affiliation: (1)School of Communication, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA Article note: R. L. Holbert; e-mail: r.lance.holbert@gmail.com

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2008.00404.x Byline: William L. Benoit (1), R. Lance Holbert (2) Author Affiliation: (1)Department of Communication, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211 (2)School of Communication, The Ohio State University, Columbus OH 43210 Article note: William L. Benoit; e-mail: benoitw@missouri.edu

An analysis of campaigning debate viewing as a mediator between news use and vote choice for the general voting populations is presented. The analysis shows that debate viewing acts as partisan reinforcement for democratic and republican voters.

This paper evaluates the perception of the role of the U.S. President by people who watch NBC's 'The West Wing.'

This article offers a formal normative assessment of political satire. It summarizes social scientific research on the influence of political satire and findings on the normative implications of political satire within a democratic framework. Two cogent lines of empirical research, persuasion and understanding, receive special attention. Political satire's potential to generate normatively positive democratic effects is examined according to three competing theories of democracy: republicanism, pluralism, and elitism. Reports of its relatively small effect prevent clear normative judgments on satire as good or bad for democracy. However, its relationship to internal political self-efficacy merits further investigation. At the system level, political satire might generate significant normatively positive effects in the republican and elitist democratic frameworks. Examples of U.S. traditional political satire reveal the boundaries within which satire functions and their impact on the normative roles of this potentially important form of political discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]