Peffley
Public Opinion/PS 475G
Extra Credit Written Assignment

Evaluation of John Zaller’s, “A Theory of Media Politics”

Due November 10^th

The title of Zaller’s book, “A Theory of Media Politics: How the Interests of Politicians, Journalists, and Citizens Shape the News,” makes no mention of election coverage. In fact, Zaller (1-3) argues plainly that his theory is meant to be a general one that applies, with appropriate adaptations, to political news coverage in general:

This book aspires to be more than a study of the role of media politics in presidential elections; it aims to be a study of media politics in a context in which the dynamics of media politics happen to be relatively easy to observe and study. As I shall argue, there are good reasons to believe that the forces that animate media politics are essentially similar in both electoral and non-electoral contexts.

Treat this assignment as you would a take-home exam with a single question. The assignment is to apply Zaller’s theory to another political arena, besides electoral politics, to determine how well it explains news coverage of the Iraq war or war in general. Based on your reading of 3 or so online newspaper articles, as well as class discussions and Paltez, evaluate which assumptions, behavioral rules, and deductions appear to apply, which do not, and why or why not? Also, discuss how the theory might be altered to provide a better explanation of news coverage of war. Should the assumptions, behavioral rules, or (selected) deductions of Zaller’s theory be modified? Are there additional “actors” whose goals need to be considered? Will the modified theory still be parsimonious or is it likely to be so complex that its utility would be compromised? In the final analysis, do you prefer Zaller’s analysis or something different (e.g., more akin to Thomas Patterson) to explain news coverage of war?

Your essay will be graded by three criteria: 1) your understanding of Zaller’s theory (and to a lesser degree, class discussions and relevant readings), 2) your analysis, application and critique of his theory to a different news area, and 3) the clarity and organization of your arguments, as evidenced by use of proper grammar, proof-reading, and so on.

Note: I stop reading papers after encountering more than 4 typos or proofreading errors.

The assignment is due at the beginning of class, Thursday, November 10th, and should be about 4-5 double-spaced typed pages with standard one-inch margins.

Collect 2-3 articles from a reputable online newspaper or magazine to provide evidence for your critique of Zaller’s theory, and staple these articles to your essay as an Appendix.