Election night panelists critique media
![The Franklin Hall commons area was election central Nov. 8, with three panels and live streaming on the big screen. (Gena Asher | The Media School)](https://data.mediaschool.indiana.edu/news-events/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/election-commons2-385x311.jpg)
The Media School and the Department of Political Science staged campus’ own “election night central” in the Franklin Hall commons Nov. 8, with coverage on the big screen in the Franklin Hall commons and a series of panel discussions focusing on national and international media coverage topics.
Attendees heard three groups of panelists and asked questions after each presentation. The event also was live streamed on Facebook, and PBS affiliate WTIU broadcast during its live coverage from a setup on the second level overlooking the commons.
Student-run WIUX radio used the school’s audio booth, also in the commons area, to broadcast updates throughout the evening. The crew was joined by Dean James Shanahan, who sat in on the broadcast for most of the evening.
Here are recaps of the panel discussions. See more on Facebook or Twitter, #MediaSchool_ElectionNight. Learn more about the event and panelists online.
Media coverage
By Zoe Spilker
![From left, associate professor Julia Fox, professor Marjorie Hershey (political science), assistant professor Jason Peifer and doctoral student Edo Steinberg served on the panel that examined media coverage. (Emma Knutson | The Media School)](https://data.mediaschool.indiana.edu/news-events/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/election-panel1-web-385x257.jpg)
The first panel of the evening examined the role news media has played in the election and how coverage of each candidate differed.
Serving on the panel were associate professor Julia Fox, assistant professor Jason Peifer and graduate student Edo Steinberg, all of The Media School; and professor Marjorie Hershey of the Department of Political Science. Moderator was assistant professor Bernard Fraga of the Department of Political Science, who started off the night by asking the candidates their thoughts on the role of the media this year compared to previous years.
“When you add in the internet and social media,” Fox said. “that broadens the landscape considerably and takes a lot of power from the media gatekeepers. It gives us a lot more access to information.”
International perspectives
By Ellen Glover
![Doctoral student Diana Sokolova, who is from Russia, explained how the presidential campaign is viewed in that country. (Emma Knutson | The Media School)](https://data.mediaschool.indiana.edu/news-events/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/election-sokolova-web-385x294.jpg)
The second panel of the evening featured a discussion of how the U.S. election campaigns are viewed in other parts of the world.
Sergio Berensztein, a political analyst and advisor, discussed Argentina; doctoral student Umberto Famulari, who studies documentaries and nonfiction films, discussed Italy; assistant professor Julien Mailland discussed France; and doctoral student Diana Sokolova, who studies mass communications, discussed Russia.
Moderator and professor of practice Elaine Monaghan asked about the countries’ general perspectives on U.S. candidates this year.
“Russia wants Trump to win,” Sokolova said.
Media coverage and ethics
By Taylor Haggerty
![Political science assistant professor Bernard Fraga, left, was moderator for the first panel. At each panel, audience members took to the microphone to pose their own questions. (Emma Knutson | The Media School)](https://data.mediaschool.indiana.edu/news-events/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/election-fraga-web-385x257.jpg)
The final panel of the evening focused on the ethical norms of political media coverage during the election season. It featured assistant professor Nick Browning, professor of practice Elaine Monaghan, associate professor Mike Conway and undergraduate political science senior Sara Zaheer. Doctoral student Kyle Heatherly moderated.
The panelists addressed the influence of social media on political campaigning and the difficulty of finding legitimate and credible sources for news.
“There’s so much out there that it’s hard to fight your way through it,” Monaghan said. “Social media has changed news irrevocably, and it’s never going to be the same.”