Conclusions
Press releases or FDCH documents did not have a significant effect on candidate coverage in either the NYT or WP. Despite the succint and accessible nature of the releases, the media did not give the candidates more coverage due to their press releases.
Candidates’ coverage on a specific issue often increased with the general overall coverage the candidates received as the primaries progressed and other candidates dropped out of the race. Also, significant increases in coverage occurred during the middle of the week as the media released news relating to a specific issue (especially jobs/economy and national security).
Key events had some strong effects on coverage. State marriage rulings increased coverage for Dean & Lieberman? on the homosexual marriage issue. The state of the union address coupled with Gephardt’s dropout had a profound effect on jobs & security. In general, the primaries themselves often showed a positive shift in coverage on a particular issue (a possible indicator of overall change in a candidate’s coverage). However, other events, such as debates, press conferences or, in the case of jobs, Labor Department Unemployment releases, had little to no effect on candidate coverage of an issue.
Candidate conclusions: The candidates who had significant increases in coverage on a particular day of the week tended to do well in the primaries, suggesting a focused message on a particular issue will increase coverage and possibly vote accumulation.
Further Study:
© Davidson College, 2004, Department of Political Science, Davidson College,
Davidson, NC 28035
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Created: 4/27/2004. Last updated: 5/2/2004.