ABSTRACT
This chapter explores framing research with the goal of demonstrating what Politicians do and do not know about framing. It provides a number of examples of how elites of various stripes engage in framing. The chapter discusses how frames matter, and perhaps most importantly, when frames matter in altering public opinion. Politicians and policy advocates regularly attempt to frame campaigns and issues to their advantage because they understand that what the public thinks influences election outcomes and public policy. Frames in communication and frames in thought are similar in that they both are concerned with variations in emphasis or salience. The framing process is typically cast as one in which elite political actors—parties, candidates, and so on—actively formulate frames in competition with each other, which are then communicated to the media and, finally, to the mass public. The chapter concludes with emphasizing new areas of framing research, as well as some areas where more work is needed.
