To Answer, or Not to Answer - That is the Question of the Hour: Image Restoration Strategies and Media Coverage of Past Drug Use Questions in the Presidential Campaigns of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush

Authors

Shari Veil, University of KentuckyFollow

Abstract

This study analyzed the relationship between image restoration strategies and media coverage, specifically, the image restoration strategies utilized by Bill Clinton in 1992 and George W. Bush in 1999 in response to questions of past drug use and the ensuing media coverage during the respective campaigns. A literature review of political apologia and image restoration strategies is presented, followed by potential explanations for the extensive media coverage of the drug issue. Articles published in 7 newspapers during the respective political campaigns were retrieved and textually analyzed to determine the candidates’ image restoration strategies. The reported presidential comments were then critically analyzed to demonstrate the potential influence of image restoration strategies on the media coverage of the drug questions.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Recommended Citation

Veil, Shari (2005) "To Answer, or Not to Answer - That is the Question of the Hour: Image Restoration Strategies and Media Coverage of Past Drug Use Questions in the Presidential Campaigns of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush," Speaker & Gavel: Vol. 42: Iss. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/speaker-gavel/vol42/iss1/7