Event Title
The Effect of Television on Senate Discourse
Faculty Mentor
Thomas Laehn
Location
Farrar Hall, Room 112
Session
Session 1
Start Date
20-4-2012 10:45 AM
End Date
20-4-2012 11:45 AM
Description
In 1986, the U.S. Senate voted to allow the televising of Senate proceedings. While proponents hoped the presence of cameras would improve the quality of Senate debates, opponents feared it would destroy the Senate’s character as a deliberative forum. To determine the true impact of television on senatorial speechmaking, a measure of the "deliberative richness" of legislative discourse was developed and applied to 5,251 speeches delivered on the Senate floor between 1979 and 1993. Employing logistic regression, it was found that the presence of cameras has resulted in a significant increase (p < 0.001) in the deliberative richness of senatorial discourse.
The Effect of Television on Senate Discourse
Farrar Hall, Room 112
In 1986, the U.S. Senate voted to allow the televising of Senate proceedings. While proponents hoped the presence of cameras would improve the quality of Senate debates, opponents feared it would destroy the Senate’s character as a deliberative forum. To determine the true impact of television on senatorial speechmaking, a measure of the "deliberative richness" of legislative discourse was developed and applied to 5,251 speeches delivered on the Senate floor between 1979 and 1993. Employing logistic regression, it was found that the presence of cameras has resulted in a significant increase (p < 0.001) in the deliberative richness of senatorial discourse.