Tea Party Media Coverage: What Comes Next?

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Some people agree with the Tea Party movement, some people may not. But there's no disputing the movement's impact in the midterm elections, even though some say mainstream media coverage hasn't give the public an accurate view of the people or issues. Jon Ham, publisher of Carolina Journal, analyzes Tea Party media coverage from the time of the movement's birth, through the sometimes raucous town hall meetings over health insurance reform, and into the midterms. Ham also discusses what tea party-related candidates who've been elected to office can expect, and the impact of so-called new media on how people gather news and information. Then we turn to voter fraud questions. Before Republicans earned big victories in the 2010 elections, some GOP leaders raised concerns about the issue. Carolina Journal Managing Editor Rick Henderson will discuss fraud questions raised in our state. Then you'll hear from Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund, who has followed voter-integrity issues for years, documenting his top concerns in the book "Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy." As the GOP rides the high of major electoral gains, John Locke Foundation president John Hood cautions Republicans against getting carried
away. In a recent presentation to JLF's Shaftesbury Society, Hood warned that "wave" elections like the one witnessed in 2010 almost always lead to some setbacks in the next election cycle. That's followed by a look at "redesigned" high schools. State education leaders tout the schools in an effort to boost student performance and reduce North Carolina's high school dropout rate. State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson and Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton recently praised these redesigned schools in a presentation to lawmakers. You'll hear their comments, along with reaction from Terry Stoops, JLF Director of Education Studies. And finally, the Founders of our country designed government to be the servant of the people, but here in North Carolina, the policies of the last decade have turned that premise on its head. John Locke Foundation Vice President for Research Roy Cordato explains how the government is making all types of decisions for the people and what we should do about it.