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October 2000 $3.95 IllinoisIssuesIllinoisIssuesA publication of the University of Illinois at Springfield How high the bar? Is the integrity of the bench threatened when judicial races become more political? CONVERSATION WITH THE PUBLISHER THE BOARD CHAIR Philip J. Rock, attorney, Rock, Fusco, and Garvey, Ltd., Chicago. VICE CHAIR Doris B. Holleb, professorial lecturer, University of Chicago. PUBLIC TV STATIONS MEMBERS Michael J. Bakalis, professor, public management and policy, Northwestern University, Evanston. WEIU James M. Banovetz, professor emeritus of public Charleston administration, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb. WILL Penny Cate, vice president of government relations, Sears, Hoffman Estates. Champaign Robert J. Christie, director, public affairs, FMC Corp., Chicago. WMEC/WQEC/WSEC Christopher Cohen, attorney, Byers & Rubin, Macomb, Quincy Chicago. Jacksonville/Springfield Watch out for negative ads this Darcy Davidsmeyer, director, state government relations, Motorola Inc., Schaumburg. WQPT James L. Fletcher, attorney, Fletcher, Topol & month, and check out greedytv.org O’Brien, Chicago. Moline Nancy L. Ford, executive director, Institute for Public Affairs, University of Illinois at WSIU Springfield. Carbondale Sharon Gist Gilliam, executive vice president, by Ed Wojcicki Unison Consulting Group Inc., Chicago. WTVP Rey Gonzalez, home office director, diversity, McDonald’s Corp., Oak Brook. Peoria Samuel K. Gove, professor emeritus of political continue to have an interest in t’s always been my belief that not science, University of Illinois at Urbana- WUSI Champaign. Olney I what people generally call “nega- I all “negative” political communi- Jetta Norris Jones, attorney, Chicago. tive advertising.” Two years ago, I cation is bad. Candidates have to Robert J. Klaus, president and CEO, Oral Health WYCC America, Chicago. Chicago Harness the power tracked ads run by the gubernatorial distinguish themselves from their Jack H. Knott, director, Institute of Government candidates and the legislative opponents, and one way to do that is and Public Affairs, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. of public broadcasting candidates in targeted races. Later to compare character, experience Joan W.Levy, past president, Illinois Association of PUBLIC RADIO STATIONS I wrote a three-page essay about the and positions. What is an anathema, School Boards, Winnetka. William E. Lowry, vice president for Human pros and cons of such political in my view, is candidates resorting to Resources and Administration, The John D. and WBEZ FM across Illinois... communication. lies, distortions and partial truths Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago. Roberta Lynch, deputy director, American Chicago We have no statewide Illinois that misrepresent themselves or their Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Chicago. WCBU FM races this year, but some targeted opponents. M. Veronica Lynch, chief deputy assessor, Cook Peoria legislative races are generating plenty One point Jamieson raises is that County. Chicago and the suburbs Diana Nelson, director of public affairs, Union WDCB FM of heat. So I encourage you once the amount of distorted or mislead- League of Chicago. Glen Ellyn Rockford to Carbondale again to send me copies of fliers or ing ads in the 1996 presidential Dawn Clark Netsch, professor of law emeritus, mailers that are negative in nature, election increased substantially over Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago. WGLT FM Taylor Pensoneau, president, Illinois Coal Charleston to Quincy particularly those that attack oppo- what was printed and broadcast in Association, Springfield. Normal Betsy A. Plank, principal, Betsy Plank Public nents. Send them to me in care of 1992. I hope the trend does not get Relations, Chicago. WILL AM Illinois Issues, UIS, P.O. Box 19243, even worse this year. Chuck Scholz, mayor of Quincy. Urbana Nina Shepherd, higher education governance Springfield, IL 62794-9243. consultant, Winnetka. WIUM/WIUW FM verybody Hates Political Paul Simon, director, The Public Policy Institute, athleen Hall Jamieson has a new Ads. Except Your Local Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Macomb, Warsaw “E Hon.William G. Stratton, vice president, Associated WNIJ FM K book out with some conclusions Television Station.” So blares an Bank of Chicago. that might surprise you. It’s called ad run by the Alliance for Better Douglas L. Whitley, Batavia, Ill. DeKalb, Rockford, Get the undivided attention of the most influential, Wim Wiewel, dean, College of Urban Planning & Sterling, LaSalle, Freeport educated, and affluent citizens in Illinois along Everything You Think You Know Campaigns, which is trying to Public Affairs, University of Illinois at Chicago. About Politics ... And Why You’re convince television stations to Edward R. Wojcicki, ex officio. WNIU FM with the top business decision makers. Wrong. Jamieson, dean devote more time to serious news Rockford, Dekalb of the Annenberg School for coverage of political campaigns in WSIE FM Tap into public radio and television stations around the state and make your underwriting dollars Communication at the University their communities. The irony is that Edwardsville of Pennsylvania, has been tracking a number of incumbent officials are work for you with a single phone call to the WUIS/WIPA FM political advertisements for years. not eager to spend a lot of time on MEMBERS EMERITUS Springfield, Pittsfield Public Broadcasting Cooperative of Illinois at She writes about media bias, the free television answering questions. (years served on board in parentheses) value of debates and her conclusion, They prefer to spend money on care- William C. Harris (1986-93), David Kenney (1978-90), Louis H. Masotti (1978-92), James T. contrary to that of many scholars, fully scripted ads.So is the problem Otis (1975-94), David J. Paulus (1988-94), Carl 630/585-7596 that negative advertising does not the TV stations or the candidates? Shier (1978-87). depress voter turnout. It’sa Or both? Check out www.greedytv.org debatable point, to be sure. for more information. ❏ www.uis.edu/~ilissues Illinois Issues October 2000 ❏ 3 EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK STAFF Publisher: Edward R.Wojcicki Editor: Peggy Boyer Long Editor emeritus: William L. Day Circulation & IllinoisIssues A publication of the University of Illinois at Springfield marketing manager: Charlene Lambert Assistant to the publisher: Laura Hogan October 2000 Volume XXVI, No. 10 Business manager: Chris Ryan Statehouse bureau chief: Burney Simpson Projects editor: Maureen F. McKinney Associate editor: Beverley Scobell Sections editor: Rodd Whelpley Art director: Diana Nelson Contributing editors: Madeleine Doubek Patrick E. Gauen James Krohe Jr. Who is winning the presidential Charles N. Wheeler III James Ylisela Jr. debates? Scholars say the voters are Graduate assistant: Ryan Reeves Editorial assistant: Debi Edmund Political studies, page 26 How high the bar? page 14 Campaign harvest? page 32 by Peggy Boyer Long FEATURES DEPARTMENTS e went to press with this October and the issues does improve. This is not unreported or underreported from Wissue just as the two major the case for nonviewers. September 1 through October 9, 1996.” 3 Conversation 14 How high the bar? by Aaron Chambers with the Publisher presidential candidates were settling on Jamieson directs the Annenberg And she takes the networks to task for Judicial races are becoming more like other campaigns. dates, places and formats for their Public Policy Center at the University announcing the “winners” and “losers” by Ed Wojcicki nationally televised debates. It’s likely of Pennsylvania, and she has become, in instant post-debate surveys. How, she 18 Benchmark contributions by John Flynn Rooney that the first of these critical election- possibly to her surprise, one of asks rhetorically, do they locate and Cook County court primary candidates solicited big campaign bucks. 4 Editor’s Notebook by Peggy Boyer Long year events will be behind us by the time those much-sought-after campaign interview a national random survey of 21 Judicious spending by Aaron Chambers you sit down to read Illinois Issues.So pundits she writes so much about. voters so quickly? Her answer is that Interest groups expect to put more of their money into judicial races. we can’t pretend to know who “won” Nevertheless, her conclusions are they don’t really. Individuals are 6 State of the State and who “lost” the initial matchup. And well-grounded in numbers. contacted in advance and asked if they 23 Power play for Illinois by Lucio Guerrero by Burney Simpson that’s just fine with us. As a monthly, we In 1996, the center replicated the would be willing to be interviewed after Races in this state could help tip the partisan balance in Congress. Do political polls displace issues? face the challenge, and considerable findings of a 1992 post-debate study the debate. More important, those luxury, of assessing campaigns from a conducted by other scholars that found individuals are chosen in a random 26 Political studies by John Carpenter 8 Briefly more studied perspective. a 30 percent improvement in viewers’ sample weighted to reflect candidates’ We get more information from paid political ads. by Rodd Whelpley Of course, we urge you to watch all knowledge. “The reason is simple,” she predebate standings in the polls. Thus, of the debates. That’s because, contrary writes in her latest book, Everything You those samples are not a random 29 La diferencia by Kristy Kennedy 42 People to prevailing