Field Assignment #3 - Grade: A PDF

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I took this class with Professor Lopez. ...

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Field Assignment #3 The Santa Barbara’s Mayoral Debate was an event hosted by the radio station, KCRW, in collaboration with the Santa Barbara City College and the Santa Barbara Independent. The moderators of the event were Jonathan Bastion, from KCRW, and Nick Welsh from the Santa Barbara Independent. There were 5 participants running for mayor; three democrats (Hal Conklin, Cathy Murillo, and Harwood “Bendy” White, one republican (Frank Hotchkiss), and one independent (Angel Martinez). There was a live audience at the event, and the event was streamed and recorded throughout different accessible social media sources, like Facebook. The moderator, Jonathan Bastian laid out clear rules at the beginning of the debate, which gave him a lot of control on how the debate was going to run. Each candidate had 90 seconds to answer a question. If another candidate is referenced, that candidate has thirty seconds to respond. These rules were set up so that every candidate had equal time to respond the questions. The moderators chose the order in which each candidate were allowed to talk, and the candidate’s name was mentioned right before, cueing their time to speak. The moderator had a lot of control in facilitating the debate, but also control in what the candidates said. For example, if a candidate tried to make a comment on what another candidate said, Jonathan directly told him to keep the comments to a minimum. The moderators also were the ones that prepared the questions for the candidates so they had control over what topics they wanted to focus on. Even though Jonathan interviewed residence of Santa Barbara, he was the one who ultimately decided which questions to ask. The only time the candidates had a chance to talk freely was at the end, but each candidate only had thirty seconds to make their point.

Though there was an audience in the debate, there was a one direction flow of communication. The audience was able to clap, cheer, and reinforce the candidates when the audience were in favor of their responses. Many times when Jonathan forgot to give Bendy White the chance to answer a question, the audience would be the one to remind him. Because the audience had the chance to create a response to what the candidates said, some candidates framed their answers in a way that was favorable to the audience. For example, when Jonathan asked a question about how marijuana should be enforced in the city, Cathy Murillo started off her response with, “Well, this audience seems very liberal…” So the audience had an influence on how the participants responded to the questions. Throughout the debate, Cathy Murillo used her tone and different choices of words to present herself as a strong, determined, and confident candidate. Though it was subtle, it was obvious that the moderators viewed Cathy differently from the rest of the candidates because they treated her differently. When Cathy was answering a question, Jonathan interrupted and re-worded her statements, which was something he did not do to the other candidates. In addition to that, many times after Cathy finished her response, Jonathan said “okay” in a very dismissive tone compared to when other candidates finished speaking he would say “thank you.” Because of the stereotypes placed upon women, Cathy is very aware of the audience she has to face in order to be respected as an individual. No matter how the moderators or the other candidates treated her, she stayed collected and strong in her responses. For example, the candidates called on the participant’s name before they started responding, and every single time, Cathy started off by saying thank you and humbling herself. However, there was also a moment when Jonathan forgot to mention her name, so she started to talk right after the candidate before her finished. By

doing so, Cathy was showing her ability to have power and authority. Though Cathy stuttered a few times throughout her responses, her content was straightforward. For example, when she was told that she would better be suited as an advocate and asked what is different about being a mayor instead of a council, she mentioned her past accomplishments as proof and justification that she has constantly been successful the way she is. She says, “I’ve always won as a progressive, and people know what they are voting for...I’ve won overwhelmingly, and I am getting a lot of support...people see me as mayoral...Nick.” She uses strong words like overwhelmingly a nd always, and even directly mentions the moderators name at the end of her response to show power and her confidence in being capable as mayor. In her thirty second closing statement she says, “I have a responsive and energetic leadership, I have the trust of the people, the democratic party, I have the endorsement from … I would be honored to have your vote.” The repetition of “I” further shows her confidence in her own power. Cathy presented herself with strength and no hesitations to why she should be elected, creating a message for those who may doubt her because of her gender....