title: Entitlements, generational equity, and public-opinion manipulation in Kansas City.
abstract: To sow public doubts about Social Security and other federal old-age programs, one would need to erode their bases of support. This case study describes a year-long editorial campaign by The Kansas City Star that argued repeatedly for retrenchment of federal old-age programs and essentially promoted the policy agenda of the Concord Coalition. Generational inequity was a strong series theme. Readers, especially young people, were recruited to participate in public events that manufactured quotable support for the paper's stance. Throughout, shrill and unflattering portrayals of age-group interests did little to advance civic understanding of policy issues or forestall intergenerational tensions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Kansas, Lawrence 66045, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Ekerdt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D007615:Kansas; D008257:Machiavellianism; D008402:Mass Media; D008875:Middle Aged; D008923:Missouri; D009524:Newspapers as Topic; D011057:Politics; D011639:Public Opinion; D012935:Social Justice; D012943:Social Security / Q000458:organization & administration*