SUMMARY

Pop culture and politics have a history of crossover. These intersections take on new significance during an election year, but how important are celebrity endorsements of candidates, and do they actually make a difference in voters’ minds? Lisa Desjardins speaks with Mark Harvey, author of “Celebrity Influence: Politics, Persuasion, and Issue-Based Advocacy,” for more on this topic.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. What historic examples does the piece include regarding celebrity endorsements?
2. When did Taylor Swift endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president?
3. Who were the past presidents endorsed by the celebrities featured in the piece?
4. Why do celebrities endorse presidential candidates?
5. How important are celebrity endorsements, according to this story?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

1. Do you think it will make a difference that Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president? Explain your response.
2. Do you think celebrities should endorse political candidates? Why or why not?

Media literacy: Why do you think there's discrepancies in the research as to whether or not celebrity endorsements sway voters? How could you find out more?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?

FOR MORE

What students can do: Watch the following video produced by PBS News Hour's Student Reporting Labs, Face the Facts: Social Media Influencers Share Their Best Voting Advice, from Oct. 2020.

The event was produced to engage students and first-time voters on how to be better informed ahead of the 2020 elections. The segment has been clipped for educators to use separately or all together to initiate conversations about civics, elections and the role of young voters in a democratic society. Then answer these discussion questions:

1. How did the panelists learn about the concept of voting?
2. Why is it important to them to use their voices to talk about voting? 
3. Is there anything that resonated or stood out to you about their conversation? Did you learn something new? If so, what?
4. Are you more likely to become civically engaged after listening to their conversation? Why or why not? 

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