Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Journalism (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Journalism

Advisor/Mentor

Stewart, Patrick

Committee Member

Foster, Bobbie

Second Committee Member

Reed, Joel

Keywords

Camera Shot; Candidate; Debate; Politician; Presidential; Student Reporter

Abstract

Live television production has long been a powerful tool for broadcasting media to curate what an audience sees and understands about aired material. Production techniques used by broadcasting companies have the power to influence how audiences perceive and interpret political candidates. In Study One, the two 2024 presidential debates were analyzed for a variety of different trends including: who was on screen, the different camera shots used, and camera movement. Video formats of the 2024 CNN and ABC debates were coded using Observer XT, a content analysis software and were examined for the frequency and duration of each behavior. Patterns and trends for each debate are analyzed, results showing what shot type and movement type was used most frequently and took up the most time during each debate, as well as who spent the most time on screen. For Study Two an experiment was carried out through an online experiment a survey looking to see the impact of the most commonly used camera shots in debates, the single medium shot, the split-screen, and the two-shot, on how participants viewed a politician and student reporter. Three different video conditions were filmed and randomly assigned to survey participants. Survey questions included scales for competence, dominance, trustworthiness, and charisma. Results were exported and sorted for each condition, and further analyzed. Results share any significant results between the three conditions and the four characteristics.

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