The media landscape has evolved significantly over the years. From print journalism to radio coverage, network television, cable television, and now the Internet, blogs, and social networks - citizens have access to a wide range of news sources in real-time. The Internet also provides an avenue for citizens to start a public discussion by uploading images and videos, such as videos that document interactions between citizens and the police. The Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP) is dedicated to researching how women are treated by both the government and the media, and sharing the data with the public. If a bill is passed in Harris County, it will be required to hand over control of the elections to the county clerk less than two months before early voting begins in the fall elections.
It is widely accepted that media plays a major role in determining who will be the Democratic and Republican candidates in presidential elections. In 1992, both the Bush and Bill Clinton campaigns maintained their carefully crafted images of the candidates, limiting photographers and television journalists from taking pictures at rallies and campaign venues. This was done in order to gain more favorable media coverage. Nowadays, there are news outlets that provide political commentary and news from both conservative and liberal perspectives - FOX News and Daily Kos respectively. The Harris County Elections Administrator's Office strives to post accurate information on their website, but assumes no responsibility for any damage caused directly or indirectly due to errors, omissions, or discrepancies. On the contrary, when authors or publications make it clear to readers or viewers that the information only provides part of the political debate, then it is considered open content. The increase in cable news stations has made biased coverage of campaigns more visible.
We expect media outlets to cover important political and social events and information in an unbiased and concise manner. NBC Nightly News covers presidential campaigns and White House news or North Korea-South Korea skirmishes, while NBC affiliates in Los Angeles (KNBC-TV) and NBC Dallas (KXAS-TV) report on the governor's activities or weekend festivals in their region. In 1968, Richard Nixon's average soundbite was 42.3 seconds long; however, a recent study of television coverage found that soundbites had dwindled to just eight seconds in 2004 elections. If you are running for office in one county only, apply for the office of Democratic president of your local county.
