Much political media preaching to the choir, U-M prof says

Much political media preaching to the choir, U-M prof says: "Q. Do you think movies like Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' will influence the outcome of November's presidential election?
A. My opinion is that it will have little effect on the outcome of the election for two reasons: One, the audience is very self-selective. People know what they're going to see when they go see a Michael Moore movie. So it's not changing a lot of people's minds. ... The other reason is it's happening so far in advance of the actual election that lots of things will happen in between now and the election when Michael Moore's movie is no longer in theaters.
But I will say that I do believe the film will have another kind of effect, which is that it may keep people thinking about the war in Iraq and the war on terror longer than they might have. It'll keep that issue on the agenda. The news media, and the entertainment media increasingly, are having that kind of agenda-setting effect on the issues people think are important in a given election. "


BY ANN SCHIMKE
News Staff Reporter

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Since the DVD will be released in September, the U-M prof only has one reason why 'Fahrenheit 9/11' will have little effect on the outcome of November's presidential election. It is odd the editor did not note this in the interview.