Making Politics Palatable
This chapter outlines the problems facing contemporary political television, regardless of whether it is experienced through network news or cable talk shows, or through a traditional television set in real time, a time-delayed recording, or as digital video over the Internet. By far the most robust negative effect on political attitudes from in-your-face politics is on trust in government and politicians. Incivility, in particular, lowers public evaluations of government and politicians. People watching uncivil repartee among political advocates come to think of politicians and government officials as unbound by the rules of civil behavior. Furthermore, when incivility is combined with up-close camera perspectives that make political advocates seem genuinely close and in their faces, viewers are apt to punish the person with whom they disagree and demonize the opposition.