Alex+G's+Election+Activity

=October 11, 2012- Vice Presidential Debate= The day after the vice presidential debate I looked at several different news sources. It was very interesting to see the differences in opinions between the various stations. CBS online news had a very interesting video that provided an analysis of the debate. [|(CBS VP Analysis Video)]. It was CBS's opinion that Biden did a very good job making up for the presidents performance in the previous debate.The news also highlighted several of Ryan's good points and zingers. This news station did a very good job staying neutral. The station pointed out the good and the bad in both candidates. On Fox news, a typically conservative site, the majority of the articles praised Ryan's performance. One article was written to answer the question "Is Paul Ryan fit to be president?". This article used examples from the debate to prove that Ryan is prepared and the American people should agree. My favorite part of this article is when the author compared the debate to the Nixon-Kennedy debate. (Biden being Nixon and Ryan being Kennedy). This example was obviously chosen to try and elevate Ryan to Kennedy's level. [|(Fox News Article)] MSNBC news online stated right away that Biden had "won" the debate. The article raves about Biden's performance and uses descriptive language such as "energetic" to describe him. This article is extremely bias towards Biden; the author hardly mentions Ryan at all. Even the picture that went along with this article shows Biden's smiling face and the back of Ryan's head. [|(] [|MSNBC VP Article] ) In my opinion, I would not say that either of the candidates "won" the debate. I believe that Ryan looked very uncomfortable and unsure of himself. Biden came across very rude throughout the whole debate because of his constant laughter and interruptions. I believe that these candidates should have done a much better job working with the moderator to get their message across to the American people. It was amazing to me how different these news stations reported on the same debate. It really shows how much perspective matters in the news. Depending on what station a person is watching their view could could be radically altered. If a person really wants to have an unbiased opinion they need to watch the debate on their own and not view these summaries. If push comes to shove and they have to rely on a summary CBS is the best option. =October 16, 2012- Presidential Debate (Town Meeting)= I looked at the same online news sources following the presidential debate. I really enjoyed how neutral CBS was with the vice presidential debate and I was not let down when I viewed the site. Again, CBS had put up a video that provided an analysis of the debate. [| (CBS Presidential Analysis Video)]. They discussed how well President Obama answered the questions that were put in front of him. They also discussed how Romney continued to drill the president as he did in the first debate. I also really enjoyed how they commented on the "fight-like" tension in the debate room. The article I read from fox news after this debate surprised me. In the article they discussed the President's improvement on style and his more aggressive tactics. This article shows both candidates in a decent light, however, every time the author says something positive about the president's performance in the second debate it is followed but by a disclaimer on how poorly he did in the last one [|(Fox News on 2nd Debate)]. Again, I was pleasantly surprised by the reports from the typically liberal station, MSNBC. This news station did a great job trying to stay non bias in their reports after the second debate. Praising both candidates on their performance and using quotes from viewers to develop their claims. I though this article was put together very well and done without a political slant [|.( MSNBC 2nd Debate Article)]. My general impressions of the second debate was that this debate more organized than the first debate. The president improved. Both candidates had clear objectives and delivered their points well. I wish that there was less tension. I found myself getting distracted by the attitudes that both candidates seemed to have. I believe that the news stations did a great job staying non bias. It is still clear while reading the analysis which news station was conservative and which was liberal. For this debate, I believe that a viewer could have become well informed by looking at any of these news sources. It is always important, however, to keep in mind that each of these news sources have an agenda within their aritcles. As long as the viewer is aware of these biases they will be able to get a complete picture. After watching both debates and the news that followed them, I believe the best option is to view all sources when formulation an opinion and not just the stations that you typically agree with. They all make valid points that should be considered while making an informed decision.