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Media Tactics in the State Legislature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Christopher A. Cooper
Christopher A. Cooper*
Affiliation:
Western Carolina University
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Abstract

Do state legislators use media tactics in policy-making? If so, which legislators, how often, and to what ends? Despite a number of recent studies asserting the importance of the media in American politics, we still have not answered these basic questions. Using a survey of state legislators from California, Georgia, and Iowa, I find that state legislators frequently use media tactics in policy-making, although they still prefer traditional forms of legislating. While the bulk of their media tactics is aimed at constituents, state legislators also target policy elites. This suggests that state legislators use the media for more than just aiding in their re-election. Finally, my analyses suggest that the frequency with which legislators use media tactics is largely a function of the resources at their disposal.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 2 , Issue 4 , Winter 2002 , pp. 353 - 371
Copyright
Copyright © The American Political Science Association, 2002

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