I don't think they did this on purpose, but....

Have you had a chance to look at the Northwestern's online video interviews with Oshkosh mayoral candidates Frank Tower and Paul Esslinger? They contain some not-so-subtle background messages:

* A vote for Tower is a vote for a sunny future for Oshkosh.

* A vote for Esslinger is a vote for a future in a frozen hell.

Note two things about the background in the videos. First of all are the differing weather conditions: sunny in Tower's, overcast in Esslinger's.

Then note how the depth of field has been changed, so that in Tower's video the downtown streetscape appears to be close to the candidate. In Esslinger's video, downtown is more of an empty expanse, far removed from the candidate.

It's no secret that the Northwestern is not a fan of Esslinger's, but I don't think that this is a foray into subliminal manipulation. I think the problem is a result of text-oriented journalists getting involved with the tools of visual communication and not paying enough attention to the things that we can safely ignore when we're just interviewing and writing: ambient light, focal length, etc.

I have to believe that video interviews will only become more important in future elections, and there is word of warning to candidates in this example:

Make sure you know what's being filmed in the background and that your background is the same (or very similar) to that of your competitors.