What Influences the News Coverage that Candidates
Receive on Issues?
A Look at Jobs Coverage in the 2004 Presidential Election
Introduction
Introduction | Background | Expectations | Methods | Results | Conclusions | Appendix
Michigan’s Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm, giving an interview on Lou Dobbs Tonight on February 4th, said, “It’s not the economy, stupid. It’s the jobs, stupid” (Lou Dobbs Tonight 2004). In a very likely reflection of the nature of the upcoming 2004 presidential campaign, the governor highlights the number one issue in her state, where over 300,000 jobs have been lost according to her estimates. The loss of jobs is a common issue in other states heavy in manufacturing, known as “battleground states” by many due to Bush’s close margin of victory in 2000. If states like Michigan continue to see the presumed economic rebound as a “job-loss” rather than a jobless or job-creating recovery (Lou Dobbs Tonight 2004), the 2004 presidential candidates would do well to address the job concern.
Governor
Granholm was not the only Democrat waving the flag on the jobs issue. The
2004 presidential candidates for the Democratic Party fought over a number
of issues leading up to the primaries. There were a number of topics the
party may have chosen to criticize the Bush administration, including the
Democrats’ traditional strongholds on healthcare and civil rights, to more
pressing issues such as the economy and the war in
Perhaps out of homage to Clinton’s slogan, “It’s the economy, stupid,” the candidates were quick to criticize Bush’s economic policies and claims that the economy was on its way to recovery. The administration had released several reports citing increased consumer spending and increased confidence in the market as evidence of a recovering economy, and the Washington Post reports “boosting the economic recovery” to be one of Bush’s “three highest priorities” in his 2005 budget proposal (“Bush Unveils”). While reports from the President and Labor Secretary have been optimistic about an economy on the road to recovery, the news media have been quick to point out that the everyday Americans point to the lack of jobs as one of their primary concerns about the economy (Herbert 2004).
The Democratic candidates attacked the economy issue from this jobs angle, possibly in the hopes of making a stronger connection with the voters who had lost their jobs. In a short amount of time, outburst of discussion concerning outsourcing and unemployment rates hit the airwaves, with candidates, journalists and experts all giving their view of America’s economic condition. Even those that claim the recovery is on its way point to jobs as the key measure of their argument (Leonhardt 2003, Dicus 2003). With growing public concern about the tax cuts and job creation each month, Democratic candidates have proposed numerous ways to create jobs and rebound the economy.
Was it the media, the experts or the candidates that really pushed the jobs issue? What determines how much coverage a candidate receives on the economy? This paper will focus on how much media coverage a candidate receives on a certain issue, focusing primarily on six Democratic candidates and the issue of jobs as it relates to the economy. By comparing candidates’ own press releases with news articles appearing in the New York Times and Washington Post, this paper will search for a causal connection between a candidate’s stress on the jobs issue and how much media coverage the candidate received. My model shows that candidates had increasing coverage on the jobs issue as the race narrowed in on a few select candidates. Kerry, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, persistently dominated the press in communicating the jobs issue to the public. His leadership and the media’s coverage of his job message helped him secure the presidential nomination for his party. More than likely he will have to expand his message if he is to be a substantial challenger to the President come November.
Introduction | Background | Expectations | Methods | Results | Conclusions | Appendix
By Evans McGowan
© Davidson College, 2004, Department of Political Science,
Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035
Send comments, questions, and suggestions to Patrick Sellers
Created: 4/27/2004. Last updated: 5/2/2004.