In Michigan
C.pitlll Ne Se","e Corre ,oMeld
LANSING - If you ere
tired of eing negative adver­
ti ement tni election year
ou're in good company. A
recent Ichigan State Univer­
sity urvey around that voters
did not approve of negativ
ads and round them uninfor
mative.
WIth the upset of incum­
bent Democrat Gov. James
Blanchard to Republican Sen.
John Engler, many experts
no are evaluating the effec­
tivenes of negative advertis-
ing that marked campaign
throughout the country thi
year.
Bruce Pinkleton, a
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Michigan State adverti ing
doctoral candidate, conducted
the urvey in the Greater
Lansing area a week before
the election. The poll was an
attempt to determine 'he im­
pact of negative ads on politi-
cal perceptions and behaviors.
ByJE
BOTT
,
I KLETO SAID liE
believes tne survey result
probably are reflective of
voter sentiment throughout
the state.
The survey of 405 people
showed tha t 94 percent of
regis tered voter vie ed
televised political adverti e­
ments from either Blanchard
or Engler and 92 percent of
those people viewed negative
ads.
Of those polled, about 84
percent said they cared about
who was elected governor,
while about 15 percent aid
they cared very little who
won.
Pinkleton
id orne of the
mo t surprising stati tic in­
volved approval of n g tive
ads. About 10 percent of tbe
mid-Michigan- voters approve
of the use of negative adver- ,
ti ing, while 87 percent
strongly or omewhat di ap­
prove of the practice.
About 26 percent of tho e
voters find negative politic I
advertising informative, while
72 P rccnt find it uninforma­
tive, PiT) e on aid.
co! nucrt G the
urvey got the feeling th :
ople ere genuinely ick of
'1 gauve ds," Pinkleton sid.
'The ad ire ted voters as
�tmple-minded, and people
t irri tated i th the amount
h t the w tch d."
Whi Ie the urvey re u s
sugge t negative adverti ing
is not well accepted by the
public campaign adverti er
continue to use the tactic.
a
o
a
10- ICHIGAN VOTERS RATE
EGATIVE PO TICAL AnVERTISI G
SOURCE· I U Survey Oy Bruce PlnkJ�'
CNS CRAPIIIC: FIUZ SECI I
lIow iTiformative voter»
jfnd negative atU
lIow oot n view
negative ads
,
cusing m re
er ads than n
hi own
Pinkleton aid some re­
search has suggested that
negative ad make a campaign
more exciting and intere ting,
"Negative political ad can
b u eful and beneficial," he
aid. "Sometimes it' even a
matter of freedom of speech if
done correctly and tactfully."
Ypsilanti
On Friday October 26,
1990 the Yp ilanti- Willow
Run NAACP hosted its an­
nual Fight for Freedom Din­
nero The event as held at the
RAd' on on the Lake in Yp­
silanti a wa attended by
over 400 persons.
The theme wa "Education·
i the Key" and featured as its
keynote peaker, Anita Home
Jenkins, an Ypsi native, a
product of the Ypsilanti
Public School. a graduate of
the University or Michigan
Law School and pre enlly a
Senior Tax at orney with the
Dow Chemical ornpany in
Midland, Michi an
Her . ech, which em­
pha ized ( 'c ,le d to
make the ire t t zffort po -
ible 0 ins re h. Afric n
American childre -ece've �h
be t education p ible to UT­
vive the ch lJenge & tne
, and 21 t c. ... n ury
The even . 0 featured
Andre Myer ho par­
ticipated in the Branch '5
ACT-SO program and won a
gold medal for Original
I' Music Compo i tion in the Na-
Pink} eton aid negative
ads tend to be more
memorable, with people
remembering the clai m , but
not the sponsor.
"WE REMEMBER the
mud and not the linger," he
said.
Negative ad
can em-
AACP hears
tiona! ACf -SO - Competition
during the national NAACP
meeting in Lo Angeles in
July. ,
At, the dinner the Digital
Corporation pre ented Mr.
Myers with a plaque for his
national achievements, an­
nounced that he would be
receivin a computer in the
Bra
CITIZEN
I
PAG 3
I
It cannot be denied th
Engler ran an equal amoun 0
negative ad about Bla hard,
but Pinkie ton said the wa d
difference.
"Engler' ad were more
accepted by the public e­
cause he was in their eyes a
"non-incumbent," and, ther -
fore, "n underdog, he aid
P OPLE TEND to 100
very negatively on the big guy
picking on the little 'guy," he
said. "�e are always at the
defen e of the underdog."
Pi n Ie ton added th t
Engler's humorou approach
in his ads may have also sof­
tened the blow.
Rohde aid in the future,
campaign ads. should be
covered by the media li con­
sumer fraud.
"Every ingle ad carried by
a televi ion or radio tauon
hould be ev luated by th t
station' new department,"
Rohde aid.
"Politician will continue
(hi until they don't thin it '
work ." he aid.
Rohd ugge t. candidate
run longer ad and limit th ir
irequency._
"It' very easy to ell can­
didatc like oap, It's very dif­
Iicu It to ell them in two,
three or five minute ." he aid.
I� the Key'.
silanti Group; Jo eph
Mata ich, former editor Yp­
silanti Pres .
The event marked a ig­
nificant step in the Growth of
African American in the
greater Yp ilanti - Willo
Run area.
. A good time w bad by
all.
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