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VI. Conclusions

There are several ways that future research could build upon the findings of this paper. It would be useful to explore why Mondays were the only day of the week that proved significant for all six candidates. Certain newspapers choose to run their endorsement editorials in their Sunday editions, so perhaps on the next day, other newspapers run articles about those editorials. However, the endorsements included in this paper’s research appeared on a variety of days.

Future research could also examine the influence of Internet-based coverage, on popular opinion sites such as Slate.com and high-profile news sites such as CNN.com. Studies show that an increasing number of voters get their news from online sources, so a study looking specifically at Internet media outlets and their impact on endorsement coverage could prove highly useful.

It would also be interesting to explore the correlation between newspaper endorsements and coverage levels on television news outlets. How often do television news programs run stories that mention newspaper endorsements, and do these stories exert any influence on the outcome of a race? These questions could be addressed in future studies.

This paper cannot definitively conclude that editorial endorsements alone contributed to an increase in newspaper coverage for individual candidates in the 2004 Democratic primaries. As noted, there are a litany of other factors that also play a role and could influence the statistical findings presented in the paper. The conclusions this paper can make with certainty are that candidates’ coverage levels are dependent on the number of candidates in the race and the number of days included in the study. In the case of John Kerry, there is a significant correlation between newspaper coverage and total circulation size, perhaps providing evidence that Kerry’s success was due in part to the endorsements coverage he received.

It will be interesting to observe whether newspaper endorsements continue to decline in future elections, on the local, state and national levels. It will also be useful to examine whether this decline gives greater weight to those brave newspapers that still choose to formally support a particular candidate. Hopefully in 10 or 20 years, researchers can compare the findings of papers like this one to current trends, and find out how the evolving nature of newspaper endorsements has changed the political landscape in America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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© Davidson College, 2004, Department of Political Science, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035
Send comments, questions, and suggestions to Dr. Patrick Sellers, Professor of Political Science.
Created: 4/29/2004. Last updated: 5/03/2004.