AbstractsCommunication

Left out: Beyond the two-party horse race

by Jesse Ickler




Institution: California State University – Northridge
Department:
Year: 2015
Keywords: two-party system; Dissertations, Academic  – CSUN  – Journalism.
Posted: 02/05/2017
Record ID: 2134232
Full text PDF: http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/141240


Abstract

This thesis project examines the role of media in American democracy by looking at how third-party candidates are marginalized in news coverage. It is a documentary film about media coverage of third-party political candidates. It follows Luis J. Rodriguez, the best-selling author of ???Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in LA??? a memoir of his life as a Los Angeles gang member. The film documents four months of his campaign in the 2014 primary election for Governor of California as a Green Party candidate. It shows debates and events on the campaign trail as he went to different venues talking to voters all over California. This exploration continues after the election is over with interviews from leading experts on the topic, including Noam Chomsky, Amy Goodman, and Ralph Nader. The film will shed light on the ways that third-party candidates are gaining support and how they are being marginalized by the news media. It is a critique of the mainstream news media???s lack of coverage regarding candidates outside the two-party system. In doing so, it also uncovers large misconceptions about American democracy and the marginalization of the voters. Advisors/Committee Members: Wall, Melissa A (advisor), Blumenkrantz, David A (committee member).