http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113307616
A pretty interesting poll by NPR and Harvard on Healthcare...They also followed it by talking to folks on the street.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
FACEBOOK users lose polling ability after someone posts poll about killing the president
It seems that the poll function on FACEBOOK was pulled after someone posted a poll about killing the president. See the article link below:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/28/facebook.poll/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/28/facebook.poll/index.html
Final exam/presentation date and time
We voted on the date and time for your paper presentations, which will be during finals week in lieu of a written final. They will be on Monday, December 7th from 1:40 to 4:30, our regular class time (except during finals week.)
Please check your calendars NOW and if you have a conflict with an exam for another class, contact me ASAP. These presentations are required for the course and are a major component of your grade.
You must turn in your written final papers in hard copy at the meeting for presentations.
Please check your calendars NOW and if you have a conflict with an exam for another class, contact me ASAP. These presentations are required for the course and are a major component of your grade.
You must turn in your written final papers in hard copy at the meeting for presentations.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Public Opinion Polls and Healthcare
On Friday, Countdown with Keith Olbermann had one opinion poll after another on the Healthcare Debate. However, the polls weren't explained... they were used as fact
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25332028/
I know Zaller cites Lippmann and even though there is a crossover on thoughts... I think Zaller doesn't really look at how media creates news... Lippmann notes that a critical eye must be taken to media.. how the reporter covers the story, etc... while Zaller seems to be closer to the belief that most times the media represents both sides of elite discourse...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25332028/
I know Zaller cites Lippmann and even though there is a crossover on thoughts... I think Zaller doesn't really look at how media creates news... Lippmann notes that a critical eye must be taken to media.. how the reporter covers the story, etc... while Zaller seems to be closer to the belief that most times the media represents both sides of elite discourse...
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Final presentation date
In the syllabus, it says that you will present your research (in addition to writing a paper about it) during the final exam slot scheduled by LSU. However, because our class meeting time is so deliciously long, we actually have a range of choices. They should be located at this link, but for some reason I can't open it right now. Assuming you can, please check out the options for Monday afternoon classes.
We will vote at our next class meeting which of these times and dates will be the required presentation meeting. Bring your calendars.
We will vote at our next class meeting which of these times and dates will be the required presentation meeting. Bring your calendars.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Polarization or Remaking the Right?
After I saw the Mad As Hell post, I thought about a snippet I heard on NPR today. Journalist David Weigel knows his stuff and you can listen too.
Is the conservative right undergoing a transformation? Journalist David Weigel thinks so. Weigel covers the Republican party for the online magazine The Washington Independent,where he's written about tea party protests, anti-health care activists, the "birther" movement and the recent Values Voter summit.
Weigel formerly covered national politics for the libertarian magazine Reason. He's also written for Slate, Time.com and The Nation.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Elite Discourse on the Web
I found this article about the effects of independent political blogs on elite's influence over public opinion-
Meraz, S. (2009). Is There an Elite Hold? Traditional Media to Social Media Agenda Setting Influence in Blog Networks. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14, 682-707.
The increase in independent bloggers and their apparent influence on public discourse is a new area of public opinion research not analyzed by Zaller. Based on the Meraz (2009) study, the emerging influence of citizen bloggers could change the current understanding of how public opinion is formed. Many people are already turning away from mainstream media sources and seeking more niche sources of information. This trend, coupled with the increased usage of the Internet, creates a new political atmosphere where messages may not be consistent with traditional media. If popular bloggers hold different agendas than the elite, the result may be a decrease in the level of persuasion of the elite and mass communication on public opinion.
Meraz, S. (2009). Is There an Elite Hold? Traditional Media to Social Media Agenda Setting Influence in Blog Networks. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14, 682-707.
The increase in independent bloggers and their apparent influence on public discourse is a new area of public opinion research not analyzed by Zaller. Based on the Meraz (2009) study, the emerging influence of citizen bloggers could change the current understanding of how public opinion is formed. Many people are already turning away from mainstream media sources and seeking more niche sources of information. This trend, coupled with the increased usage of the Internet, creates a new political atmosphere where messages may not be consistent with traditional media. If popular bloggers hold different agendas than the elite, the result may be a decrease in the level of persuasion of the elite and mass communication on public opinion.
Public Opinion on Texting
I know last week we viewed the Texting PSA. The station I used to work for posted this below story... it is interesting to see viewers comments on it
http://www.whas11.com/justposted/stories/whas11-local-090914-texting-law.17defda53.html
http://www.whas11.com/justposted/stories/whas11-local-090914-texting-law.17defda53.html
Sunday, September 20, 2009
What's Behind the 'Mad As Hell' Mvmt?
Consider this article in light of the Zaller readings and the Polarization article...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/20/sunday/main5324438.shtml
What's Behind the 'Mad as Hell' Movement? - CBS Sunday Morning - CBS NewsPage 1 of 3 WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2009What's Behind the 'Mad as Hell' Movement? Jeff Greenfield Examines Conservatives' Discordant Discourse, Fueled by Righteous Anger, Bald-Faced Lies and Pundits' Fear (CBS) What to make of all the thunder on the right of late, on the streets, the airwaves and even in the halls of Congress? Our Senior Political Correspondent Jeff Greenfield has filed this Sunday Journal: Play CBS Video Discourse From The Right From "Tea Party" marches across the country to town hall protests that kept Summer sweltering, Jeff Greenfield takes a look at how the Right is all fired up. Demonstrators hold up banners as they walk in Pennsylvania Avenue to Capitol Hill in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, during a taxpayer rally. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) From the "tea parties" on tax day last April . . . "Where are the people protecting us in government?" . . . to the rancorous town halls on health care in August, to the gathering last weekend at the Capitol, discontent is in the air. You can see it in the signs they carry; hear it on the most prominent voices on talk radio (all from the right), from Rush Limbaugh . . . "Barack Obama is destroying the United States' economy!" . . . and most notably from Glenn Beck, whose radio program and Fox News telecast draw millions with his apocalyptic vision of where the President is going: "Does sacred honor even exist in Washington any more?" You even heard it from the floor of the House, in an unprecedented outburst from Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina . . . "YOU LIE!" . . . that made him an instant hero to some. What's brought these folks to the nation's capitol? What's put them into the streets of dozens of American cities? What is swelling the ratings of conservative media? And maybe more significant, does this militancy pose an opportunity for the Republican Party . . . or create a dilemma? Some of it seems very traditional: an outcry against a government that critics say has grown too big. When a protester from Memphis, Tennessee declared "We don't trust you," that's what she means. "I think the extreme liberals have taken over," she said. Some of the sentiments expressed is aimed - specifically, and virulently - at Mr. Obama . . . at his background, at his race, at his agenda (fascist, communist or both). Those present and former politicians who spoke to last Weekend's rally (all Republican) assert that this is an insignificant fringe. "Well, this is not really political, and it's certainly not a Republican rally," said Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. "This is mainstream, the heart of America right now that is standing up and speaking out about some things they're very concerned about." 9/20/2009 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/20/sunday/main5324438.shtmlWhat's Behind the 'Mad as Hell' Movement? - CBS Sunday Morning - CBS NewsPage 2 of 3 Greenfield asked protester Carol Fessler from Memphis to explain a sign at the rally that showed pictures of Hitler, Stalin . . . and Obama. "That comes from a fear, and I appreciate that," said Fessler (left). "And fear engenders anger. But the fear is, you know, if the media is not doing its job, if the government is taking over every single thing it can and we now have an unfettered liberal - the radical left has got control of the process. That's the fear." That fear has been fed not by politicians but by Fox News pundits, like Glenn Beck: "I used to call it the mainstream media," Beck said on his program. "I've been thinking for the last few days it can't be called that anymore because it's not. That's why I believe we now have to start calling it the 'fringe media,' because that's exactly what it is. It is on the fringe. They're in bed with those in Washington and the special interests and they're lunatics. Some of them are absolute lunatics!" (CBS) At the rally one protester said, "Glenn Beck is the one that we want to thank for a lot of this. I listen to Fox News, which gives you both sides, and I think if you turn on some of the other stations, you only get a slanted side, which is the liberal side." Indeed, Fox News claimed in full-page ads this week that the other networks did not cover the protests. (In fact, all of them did.) "The interesting thing about the political culture right now is that while people have access to more and more information, they also can isolate themselves more and more and get only information that they want to see and that they want to hear, that reinforces the opinions that they already have," said political strategist Joe Gaylord. "And that's an ample opportunity that they have right now, which I think is causing part of the stir." Gaylord has been Newt Gingrich's key political strategist since Gingrich's days in the House, and he remembers how populist anger in 1994 helped turn the Congress over to the Republicans. Right now, he says, this anger is not strictly a partisan party matter. "I wouldn’t confuse the conservative movement and the Republican Party, 'cause they're two different things," Gaylord said. "The Republican Party is sometimes a vehicle for the conservative movement. "But I think what you saw actually on the mall and what you saw at the town hall meetings is a genuine conservative uprising, sometimes involving Republicans, sometimes not." Congressman Barney Frank has spent nearly 30 years in the House as a stalwart liberal. He sees real danger for his opponents in the rise of the "mad as hell" sentiment. "I think the extreme nature of this, the virulence, makes it less politically effective," Frank said. "It is much less pleasant, less healthy to society. The '93-'94 [movement] was more on the issues. The very anger of it, the racist elements, the irrational elements, the embrace of fictions, the threats, I think it makes it less politically useful." "I also think they are alienating moderates and sensible people," Frank added. "People do not like to get associated with people throwing Hitler around and screaming and being abusive, and deciding that they [can] carry a gun to a rally or to a meeting with the president." For some Republicans, like 15-year veteran Walter Jones of North Carolina, the intensity on the right poses a dilemma: he recognizes that the frustration over big government is the kind of issue that can win over independents. But he also worries about it - indeed, he was one of only seven Republicans in the House to vote to admonish Joe Wilson (whom some of the right label a hero) for his outburst. "I don't like what I'm seeing in many circles," said Jones. "I do not like this resentment. I mean, the way I look at this, Mr. Obama is our president and I want him to do well. I'm an American citizen first." "If some of your constituents, good solid conservatives call you up and say, 'Rush Limbaugh says you're wimping out on the party,' or on the cause …" asked Greenfield. 9/20/2009 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/20/sunday/main5324438.shtmlWhat's Behind the 'Mad as Hell' Movement? - CBS Sunday Morning - CBS NewsPage 3 of 3 "Well, I serve God, not Rush Limbaugh," Jones replied. With mid-term elections more than a year away, it's highly possible that the passions of this summer will have been overtaken by more fundamental factors - the strength or weakness of the economy, the war in Afghanistan. But intensity can itself be a powerful force in politics . . . and the intensity right now seems to be on the right. © MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 9/20/2009 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/20/sunday/main5324438.shtml
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/20/sunday/main5324438.shtml
What's Behind the 'Mad as Hell' Movement? - CBS Sunday Morning - CBS NewsPage 1 of 3 WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2009What's Behind the 'Mad as Hell' Movement? Jeff Greenfield Examines Conservatives' Discordant Discourse, Fueled by Righteous Anger, Bald-Faced Lies and Pundits' Fear (CBS) What to make of all the thunder on the right of late, on the streets, the airwaves and even in the halls of Congress? Our Senior Political Correspondent Jeff Greenfield has filed this Sunday Journal: Play CBS Video Discourse From The Right From "Tea Party" marches across the country to town hall protests that kept Summer sweltering, Jeff Greenfield takes a look at how the Right is all fired up. Demonstrators hold up banners as they walk in Pennsylvania Avenue to Capitol Hill in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, during a taxpayer rally. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) From the "tea parties" on tax day last April . . . "Where are the people protecting us in government?" . . . to the rancorous town halls on health care in August, to the gathering last weekend at the Capitol, discontent is in the air. You can see it in the signs they carry; hear it on the most prominent voices on talk radio (all from the right), from Rush Limbaugh . . . "Barack Obama is destroying the United States' economy!" . . . and most notably from Glenn Beck, whose radio program and Fox News telecast draw millions with his apocalyptic vision of where the President is going: "Does sacred honor even exist in Washington any more?" You even heard it from the floor of the House, in an unprecedented outburst from Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina . . . "YOU LIE!" . . . that made him an instant hero to some. What's brought these folks to the nation's capitol? What's put them into the streets of dozens of American cities? What is swelling the ratings of conservative media? And maybe more significant, does this militancy pose an opportunity for the Republican Party . . . or create a dilemma? Some of it seems very traditional: an outcry against a government that critics say has grown too big. When a protester from Memphis, Tennessee declared "We don't trust you," that's what she means. "I think the extreme liberals have taken over," she said. Some of the sentiments expressed is aimed - specifically, and virulently - at Mr. Obama . . . at his background, at his race, at his agenda (fascist, communist or both). Those present and former politicians who spoke to last Weekend's rally (all Republican) assert that this is an insignificant fringe. "Well, this is not really political, and it's certainly not a Republican rally," said Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. "This is mainstream, the heart of America right now that is standing up and speaking out about some things they're very concerned about." 9/20/2009 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/20/sunday/main5324438.shtmlWhat's Behind the 'Mad as Hell' Movement? - CBS Sunday Morning - CBS NewsPage 2 of 3 Greenfield asked protester Carol Fessler from Memphis to explain a sign at the rally that showed pictures of Hitler, Stalin . . . and Obama. "That comes from a fear, and I appreciate that," said Fessler (left). "And fear engenders anger. But the fear is, you know, if the media is not doing its job, if the government is taking over every single thing it can and we now have an unfettered liberal - the radical left has got control of the process. That's the fear." That fear has been fed not by politicians but by Fox News pundits, like Glenn Beck: "I used to call it the mainstream media," Beck said on his program. "I've been thinking for the last few days it can't be called that anymore because it's not. That's why I believe we now have to start calling it the 'fringe media,' because that's exactly what it is. It is on the fringe. They're in bed with those in Washington and the special interests and they're lunatics. Some of them are absolute lunatics!" (CBS) At the rally one protester said, "Glenn Beck is the one that we want to thank for a lot of this. I listen to Fox News, which gives you both sides, and I think if you turn on some of the other stations, you only get a slanted side, which is the liberal side." Indeed, Fox News claimed in full-page ads this week that the other networks did not cover the protests. (In fact, all of them did.) "The interesting thing about the political culture right now is that while people have access to more and more information, they also can isolate themselves more and more and get only information that they want to see and that they want to hear, that reinforces the opinions that they already have," said political strategist Joe Gaylord. "And that's an ample opportunity that they have right now, which I think is causing part of the stir." Gaylord has been Newt Gingrich's key political strategist since Gingrich's days in the House, and he remembers how populist anger in 1994 helped turn the Congress over to the Republicans. Right now, he says, this anger is not strictly a partisan party matter. "I wouldn’t confuse the conservative movement and the Republican Party, 'cause they're two different things," Gaylord said. "The Republican Party is sometimes a vehicle for the conservative movement. "But I think what you saw actually on the mall and what you saw at the town hall meetings is a genuine conservative uprising, sometimes involving Republicans, sometimes not." Congressman Barney Frank has spent nearly 30 years in the House as a stalwart liberal. He sees real danger for his opponents in the rise of the "mad as hell" sentiment. "I think the extreme nature of this, the virulence, makes it less politically effective," Frank said. "It is much less pleasant, less healthy to society. The '93-'94 [movement] was more on the issues. The very anger of it, the racist elements, the irrational elements, the embrace of fictions, the threats, I think it makes it less politically useful." "I also think they are alienating moderates and sensible people," Frank added. "People do not like to get associated with people throwing Hitler around and screaming and being abusive, and deciding that they [can] carry a gun to a rally or to a meeting with the president." For some Republicans, like 15-year veteran Walter Jones of North Carolina, the intensity on the right poses a dilemma: he recognizes that the frustration over big government is the kind of issue that can win over independents. But he also worries about it - indeed, he was one of only seven Republicans in the House to vote to admonish Joe Wilson (whom some of the right label a hero) for his outburst. "I don't like what I'm seeing in many circles," said Jones. "I do not like this resentment. I mean, the way I look at this, Mr. Obama is our president and I want him to do well. I'm an American citizen first." "If some of your constituents, good solid conservatives call you up and say, 'Rush Limbaugh says you're wimping out on the party,' or on the cause …" asked Greenfield. 9/20/2009 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/20/sunday/main5324438.shtmlWhat's Behind the 'Mad as Hell' Movement? - CBS Sunday Morning - CBS NewsPage 3 of 3 "Well, I serve God, not Rush Limbaugh," Jones replied. With mid-term elections more than a year away, it's highly possible that the passions of this summer will have been overtaken by more fundamental factors - the strength or weakness of the economy, the war in Afghanistan. But intensity can itself be a powerful force in politics . . . and the intensity right now seems to be on the right. © MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 9/20/2009 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/20/sunday/main5324438.shtml
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Extra readings for Zaller presentation 9/21/09
DEAR CLASSMATES,
HERE ARE THE NAMES AND LINKS TO THE TWO ARTICLES FOR MONDAY'S CLASS. IF YOU CANNOT ACCESS THESE ARTICLES, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO E-MAIL PAM AT PAMELA@BRBA.ORG
PAMELA & ALICIA
Effects of evidence on attitudes: is polarization the norm?
http://www.lib.lsu.edu.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/apps/onoffcampus.php?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=20492502&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Friday, September 18, 2009
Healthcare Research/CNN
I know we've talked a little bit about healthcare in this class.. I thought this story and research was interesting
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/18/deaths.health.insurance/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/18/deaths.health.insurance/index.html
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Is America Becoming More Rude? (Serena Williams, Joe Wilson, Kanye West)
http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2009/9/14/520678.html#
Monday, September 14, 2009
Is America Becoming More Rude?
The web is all a buzz about recent meltdowns, tirades, and outbursts all done in front of millions of people watching.
As recent as last night during the MTV Video Music Awards Show, singer Kanye West interrupted country music star Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for Best Female Video.
It was easily the night's most memorable and controversial moment.
West took the microphone, said he was happy for Swift but also claimed " Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time."
West has since apologized for the outburst.
Also this weekend, Tennis superstar Serena Williams laid into a line judge during the U.S. Open semifinals.
Serena thought the official made a bad call.
Then a profanity-lace meltdown ensued, finger-pointing at the linesperson and ultimately receiving a penalty that lost her the match.
And we can't forget about South Carolina Congressman, Joe Wilson, interrupting President Obama's healthcare speech to a joint session of Congress.
As the president tried to dispel some rumors, Mr. Wilson called him a liar.
These incidents lead us to today's hot topic... on Bay News 9.com.
Serena Williams' tirade, Kanye West's outburst and Congressman
Wilson's heckling...Is America losing its cool?
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Joe Wilson's wife
Most effective use of a political wife in a political ad in a long time.
(Back story on what Mrs. Wilson is talking about)
(Back story on what Mrs. Wilson is talking about)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
20 questions a journalist should ask about poll results
We spoke last class about how the media reports poll results and whether they accurately portray what the results show. The National Council on Public Polls provides these "20 questions a journalist should ask about poll results" in an article on its Web site. Thought this was a great resource for evaluating public opinion polls:
Who did the poll? Who paid for the poll and why was it done? How many people were interviewed for the survey? How were those people chosen? What area (nation, state, or region) or what group (teachers,lawyers, Democratic voters, etc.) were these people chosen from? Are the results based on the answers of all the people interviewed? Who should have been interviewed and was not? Or do response rates matter? When was the poll done? How were the interviews conducted? What about polls on the Internet or World Wide Web? What is the sampling error for the poll results? Who’s on first? What other kinds of factors can skew poll results? What questions were asked? In what order were the questions asked? What about "push polls?" What other polls have been done on this topic? Do they say the same thing? If they are different, why are they different? What about exit polls? What else needs to be included in the report of the poll? So I've asked all the questions. The answers sound good. Should we report the results?
http://www.ncpp.org/?q=node/4
20 Questions:
More for Monday...
Here is another supplemental reading for Monday.
Values-Based Political Messages and Persuasion: Relationships among Speaker, Recipient, and Evoked Values
Thomas E. Nelson and Jennifer Garst
link:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3792572?seq=1
or
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3792572.pdf
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
For Monday...
Hi guys,
See below a citation for an additional reading to discuss on Monday. The reading applies the balance theory to electoral behavior, which is addressed the Psychological Perspectives reading. Please let me know if you have trouble with finding the articles on the LSU libraries Web site. I'll be happy to email it to you.
- Political Psychology, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Dec., 1994), pp. 699-711
- Published by: International Society of Political Psychology
- Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3791628
Link: http://www.jstor.org.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/stable/3791628?&Search=yes&term=Fritz&term=theory&term=Heider&term=Balance&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DBalance%2Btheory%2Bby%2BFritz%2BHeider%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3DBalance%2Btheory%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&item=1&ttl=279&returnArticleService=showArticle
Fed survey shows U.S. recession may be over
Hey guys, saw this report on a recent survey on the Business Report's "Daily Report" and thought I'd pass it along:
Economic activity is stabilizing or improving in the vast majority of the country, according to a government survey released today. The findings indicate that the worst recession since the 1930s may be over. The Federal Reserve's snapshot of economic conditions backs predictions by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and most other analysts that the economy has started to grow once again in the current quarter. In the new survey, all but one of the Fed's 12 regions indicated that economic activity was "stable," showed "signs of stabilization" or had "firmed." The one exception was the St. Louis region, which continued to report that the pace of decline in economic activity appeared to be "moderating." Looking ahead, businesses in most Fed regions said they were "cautiously positive" about the economic outlook.
The assessments of businesses on the front lines of the economy were brighter than those they provided for the previous Fed report in late July. At that time, most regions said the recession was easing its grip and some reported signs that activity was leveling off.
In today's survey, the Dallas region indicated that economic activity had "firmed." The Fed regions of Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Richmond and San Francisco mentioned "signs of improvement." The Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis and New York regions described activity as "stable or showing signs of stabilization."
Analysts predict the economy is growing in the current July-September quarter at anywhere between 3% and 4%.
Economic activity is stabilizing or improving in the vast majority of the country, according to a government survey released today. The findings indicate that the worst recession since the 1930s may be over. The Federal Reserve's snapshot of economic conditions backs predictions by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and most other analysts that the economy has started to grow once again in the current quarter. In the new survey, all but one of the Fed's 12 regions indicated that economic activity was "stable," showed "signs of stabilization" or had "firmed." The one exception was the St. Louis region, which continued to report that the pace of decline in economic activity appeared to be "moderating." Looking ahead, businesses in most Fed regions said they were "cautiously positive" about the economic outlook.
The assessments of businesses on the front lines of the economy were brighter than those they provided for the previous Fed report in late July. At that time, most regions said the recession was easing its grip and some reported signs that activity was leveling off.
In today's survey, the Dallas region indicated that economic activity had "firmed." The Fed regions of Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Richmond and San Francisco mentioned "signs of improvement." The Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis and New York regions described activity as "stable or showing signs of stabilization."
Analysts predict the economy is growing in the current July-September quarter at anywhere between 3% and 4%.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Public Opinion, PR and Political Discourse
The below story is an interesting example, in my opinion, of PR, public opinion and when the discourse turns to politics.
UofL coach, Rick Pitino, recently criticized the media for covering his affair. However, his folks contacted the media about FBI charges he was filing, during a high profile Derby event. The charges were later found out to be against the woman he had an affair with.
At a recent Pitino interview, the media was told not to ask questions about Pitino's affair. The sports director, I used to work with, asked them anyway.
In the story, you'll hear the language turn to public opinion. Pitino even compares his situation to a political race.
I probably have invested interest in this story because I was at the Federal courthouse when Karen Sypher first appeared. She spoke when her former attorney advised her not to talk.
Anyway, I think this is an interesting example of asking questions even with PR folks advise you keep your questions to a particular topic and how politics leaks in to stories.
http://www.whas11.com/video/index.html?nvid=395576&shu=1
UofL coach, Rick Pitino, recently criticized the media for covering his affair. However, his folks contacted the media about FBI charges he was filing, during a high profile Derby event. The charges were later found out to be against the woman he had an affair with.
At a recent Pitino interview, the media was told not to ask questions about Pitino's affair. The sports director, I used to work with, asked them anyway.
In the story, you'll hear the language turn to public opinion. Pitino even compares his situation to a political race.
I probably have invested interest in this story because I was at the Federal courthouse when Karen Sypher first appeared. She spoke when her former attorney advised her not to talk.
Anyway, I think this is an interesting example of asking questions even with PR folks advise you keep your questions to a particular topic and how politics leaks in to stories.
http://www.whas11.com/video/index.html?nvid=395576&shu=1
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Speaking of public opinion of Congress...
Forty-two percent (42%) of U.S. voters say a group of people randomly selected from the phone book would do a better job than the current Congress. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that an identical number (42%) disagree, but 16% are not sure.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/august_2009/42_say_people_randomly_selected_from_phone_book_better_than_current_congress
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