ABSTRACT
In our day, more than ever before, candidates go before the people through the mass media rather than in person. 1 The information in the mass media becomes the only contact many have with politics. The pledges, promises, and rhetoric encapsulated in news stories, columns, and editorials constitute much of the information upon which a voting decision has to be made. Most of what people know comes to them “second” or “third” hand from the mass media or from other people. 2
