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This article examines the influence that televised addresses have on the public's evaluation of the president. To do this it measures the influence of 10 of President Reagan's televised addresses from 1981 to 1984, using individual‐level data gathered in national public opinion surveys. Although scholars and pundits universally acknowledged Reagan's prowess with televised addresses, this study finds, contrary to expectations, that Reagan's televised addresses had limited success in influencing the public's evaluation of him and his presidency. Given these results, this article examines what opportunities presidents who are not as rhetorically skilled as Reagan have in trying to influence public opinion with televised addresses. This study concludes that although presidents must be careful choosing when to deliver a televised address, televised addresses nevertheless remain a potentially useful tool in helping presidents accomplish their purposes.

Although the televised address to the nation is portrayed as a potentially powerful tool in influencing public opinion, scholars have little understanding of the president's ability to use these addresses to communicate his message to the American people. Thus, this study examines the president's effectiveness at using televised addresses to get his message across to the public, with whom he is most successful communicating his message, and why he succeeds in getting his message across to some but not to others. Using a unique set of national opinion surveys conducted by Richard Wirthlin, who was Ronald Reagan's pollster throughout Reagan's years as president, the author finds that the president has limited success in getting his message across to the public, the success he has varies among different groups, and that people's education and the amount of exposure they have to an address explain why the president is successful communicating his message to some but not to others.

This article examines the information the news media provide about public opinion polls. To do this, the study uses standards established by the American Association for Public Opinion Researchers and the National Council on Public Polls to evaluate how polls about the presidential election were reported in four major national newspapers and four smaller newspapers in the fall of 2000. The study found that some newspapers do better at providing information about polls than others, almost all articles do not disclose important information about polls, a newspaper does a better job at providing information about polls sponsored by the newspaper itself than it does about outside polls, and large, national newspapers do no better at reporting information about polls than smaller, more locally oriented newspapers. The article concludes that the media do not disclose the "minimal essential information" for the public to determine a poll's reliability and validity and that it would be in the best interest of polling organizations, newspapers, and the public for more information to be provided about the polls that are made public.

This article examines the information the news media provide about public opinion polls. To do this, the study uses standards established by the American Association for Public Opinion Researchers & the National Council on Public Polls to evaluate how polls about the presidential election were reported in four major national newspapers & four smaller newspapers in the fall of 2000. The study found that some newspapers do better at providing information about polls than others, almost all articles do not disclose important information about polls, a newspaper does a better job at providing information about polls sponsored by the newspaper itself than it does about outside polls, & large, national newspapers do no better at reporting information about polls than smaller, more locally oriented newspapers. The article concludes that the media do not disclose the "minimal essential information" for the public to determine a poll's reliability & validity & that it would be in the best interest of polling organizations, newspapers, & the public for more information to be provided about the polls that are made public. 2 Tables, 17 References. [Copyright 2002 Sage Publications, Inc.]