In Increasingly Diverse Texas, Political Analysis is Anything But

Seven Political Scientists Quoted 1,331 Times

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Texas is a large and diverse state, yet you would not know that based on those who are most
frequently asked to comment on the political landscape. According to 2013 U.S. Census data,
men and women make up an almost equal population percentage, Whites make up 44% of the
Texas population, with Hispanics comprising of 38% and Blacks 12%. Additionally, Texas is home
to 104 institutions of higher education, many of whom employ multiple, if not dozens of,
political scientists. Yet viewpoints are rarely considered from women or people of color.
In such a diverse state with such a wide network of political science professionals, why has
the Texas media relied so heavily on the same homogenous set of political scientists?
Our analysis of Texas political news stories found that a small group of seven political scientists
dominated media coverage during the key months before and after the 2014 midterm election.
By examining newspapers, online reports, TV and radio stories, we discovered that the same
seven political scientists were quoted 1,331 times from June 1 to December 31, 2014. Below is
an overview of our analysis, why we examined them, and the data we found.

Cal Jillson

Rottinghaus

Allan Saxe

Mark Jones

Jerry Polinard

Bob Stein

Riddlesperger

HOW WE FOUND THESE SEVEN POLITICAL SCIENTISTS

Our analysis began by conducting a comprehensive media search for Texas political scientist
quotes in the month of October 2014. From simple Google searches to advanced media
tracking using tools provided by TV Eyes and Meltwater News, we identified any instances of
political scientists quoted in Texas press. After removing pollsters whose analysis primarily
revolved around the findings of their polling we found that seven political scientists were
routinely and almost exclusively quoted by Texas media.

Political Scientist

School

Location

Cal Jillson

Southern Methodist University

Dallas, Texas

Mark Jones

Rice University

Houston, Texas

Brandon Rottinghaus

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

Allan Saxe

University of Texas at Arlington

Arlington, Texas

Jerry Polinard

University of Texas Pan American

Edinburg, Texas

Bob Stein

Rice University

Houston, Texas

Jim Riddlesperger

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, Texas

As the chart above demonstrates, these seven political scientists all are geographically focused
in only three areas of the state: Houston, the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area, and the Rio
Grande Valley. No professors in San Antonio, El Paso, Austin, West or East Texas made the cut.
Beyond their physical location, all seven professors share common demographic characteristics.
All are male, all are relatively older, and all share non-Hispanic surnames.

Political Scientist

Gender

Cal Jillson

Male

Mark Jones

Male

Brandon Rottinghaus

Male

Allan Saxe

Male

Jerry Polinard

Male

Bob Stein

Male

Jim Riddlesperger

Male

MEDIA ANALYSIS
Once we narrowed down the list of political scientists to only those who regularly appeared in
Texas media outlets, we used tracking provided by Meltwater News to examine how often each
political scientist was quoted in print, radio, TV, or online publications.
The runoff election for Texas primaries was on May 27, 2014. Election Day was on November 4,
2014, and we wanted to capture post-election analysis in the weeks that followed. All data is
based on searches from June 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014. The search terms involved
several variants of the political scientists names, coupled with the affiliated school.

Individual

Total Hits

Duplicate Hits

Original Quotes

Cal Jillson

590

399

191

Mark Jones

334

168

166

Brandon Rottinghaus

155

76

79

Allan Saxe

127

73

54

Jerry Polinard

49

n/a

n/a

Bob Stein

38

n/a

n/a

Jim Riddlesperger

38

n/a

n/a

TOTAL

1,331

716

490

Three notes about our analysis:

1. Duplicate Hits separates identical, repeat quotes that appeared in multiple outlets
from the total number of times the political scientist was quoted.
2. The Original Quotes category accounts for any single instance of a quote that
appeared multiple times.
3. Analysis for duplicate hits was only completed for individuals that generated over fifty
unique hits for the 7-month period.
Cal Jillson is far and away the most quoted political scientist in the state of Texas, commanding
44% of all media coverage among the 1,331 news stories examined.

In addition to how often they were quoted, we discovered that certain news outlets relied on
the same certain political scientists. The table below lays out the number of unique news
outlets where the individual appeared. Analysis for appearances in news outlets was only
completed for individuals that generated over fifty unique hits for the 7-month period.

Individual

Total
Outlets

Most Frequent Outlets

Cal Jillson

232

Fort Worth Star-Telegram (17), Texas Tribune (14),

Dallas Morning News (13), The Hill (13)

Mark Jones

161

Dallas Morning News (15), Houston Chronicle (12),

MyFox Houston (10), San Antonio Express-News (9)

Brandon Rottinghaus

67

KTRH News Radio 740 (10), Dallas Morning News (9),

Houston Chronicle (8), Houston Public Media (7)

Allan Saxe

60

Fort Worth Star-Telegram (21), 1240 WJIM (7),

CBS Dallas / Fort Worth (5), Lubbock Online (4)

CONCLUSION: TEXAS MEDIA SHOULD SEEK OUT DIVERSE VOICES

We understand that the nature of being an expert means that there are a limited number of
people who can speak to an issue. However we also understand that in a state as diverse as
ours, and with over 100 institutions of higher learning, there are no doubt political scientists
who can provide expert feedback from the point of view of a woman or a person of color.
Yet the current practices of Texas reporters are limiting the viewpoints and voices of Texas
diverse population.
The political challenges facing the state of Texas are vast and wide. The people of Texas deserve
access to multiple perspectives that can analyze those challenges from diverse geographic and
demographic backgrounds.
In the coming legislative and election cycles, it is our hope that Texas media make an effort to
expand its pool of available experts to include voices that reflect our population for analysis of
Texas political landscape.

DOING OUR PART

Additionally, we hope that by releasing this report more Texas political scientists speak up and
seek out their own opportunities to make their research, opinions, and analysis available to the
voters of Texas.
As a non-partisan and non-profit organization, the Texas Research Institute would like to offer
media training and media relations support for political scientists who can add diverse voices to
our political analysis and are interested in speaking on the record. If you are a political science
professional or would like to suggest someone please visit us online and drop us a note via
TexasResearch.org.

This analysis was completed by the Texas Research Institute, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization
providing research, media best practices, and coalition support for progressive issues. Through
these services, TRI seeks to promote a long-term communications infrastructure supporting
progressive policy measures in Texas. For more information or to contact staff of the Texas
Research Institute, please visit our website at www.TexasResearch.org.

EPILOGUE: AN UPDATE WITH RECOMMENDED POLITICAL SCIENTISTS

Since releasing our report, we have received suggestions of other political academics that are
equally qualified to offer expert independent analysis to our state's political dialogue. One
person in particular, Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, caught our attention because she is an Austinbased professor who frequently contributes political analysis at the national level but not as
much at the state level. Her insights are a valuable asset Texas media is missing out on.
Below is a list of the most intriguing suggestions offered to us over the course of the past
month, and we are in turn making that list available to the media via this article. There may also
be other academics qualified to be quoted in political analysis pieces, and we encourage our
state's media outlets to explore new voices offering quality insights.

1. Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, UT Austin. Campaigns and elections, women, race and
ethnic politics, and immigration.
2. Rebecca Dean, UT Arlington. Chair of the Department of Political Science. Expertise in the
U.S. Presidency, women in the political process.
3. Emily Farris, TCU. Studies racial and ethnic politics.
4. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, UT-Brownsville. Chair of government department, focus in
Mexico-US relations, energy, border security, immigration, and organized crime.
5. Jessica Lavariega Monforti, UT Pan American. Professor with a focus on Latina/o politics,
immigration, and gender politics and political behavior.
6. Abraham Benevides, University of North Texas. Urban governance, culture, ethics.
7. Lorenzo Cano, University of Houston. Latino/Chicano/Tejano politics.
8. Patricia D. Lopez, Various schools. Latino politics, women's rights, civil rights.
9. Robert Bullard, Dean, Texas Southern University. Specializes in environmental justice,
environmental racism, housing, and sustainable development. Author of 18 books.
10. Hassan Tajalli, Texas State. Methodology, statistics, public policy and foreign policy. He
also prepares racial profiling reports for the San Marcos Police Dept.