Pew Research has released a study comparing the press coverage of our presidential candidates. Republicans will probably not react with surprise that John McCain has received the short end of the stick from the mainstream press.
One wonders how different the study might have been if either Obama or Clinton had sewn up the nomination early. One might argue at least a couple of angles. Perhaps the press would have focused more harshly on Obama without Clinton to draw their fire. Or perhaps the press would have circled the wagons protectively around either Democratic candidate.
Regardless of the might-have-beens, the results provide an interesting read. Click the link at the top of the clipped image to read the story.
One wonders how different the study might have been if either Obama or Clinton had sewn up the nomination early. One might argue at least a couple of angles. Perhaps the press would have focused more harshly on Obama without Clinton to draw their fire. Or perhaps the press would have circled the wagons protectively around either Democratic candidate.
Regardless of the might-have-beens, the results provide an interesting read. Click the link at the top of the clipped image to read the story.
Update:
The Journalism.org story puts an interesting spin on its reporting of the survey data.
The lead graph:
If campaigns for president are in part a battle for control of the master narrative about character, Democrat Barack Obama has not enjoyed a better ride in the press than rival Hillary Clinton, according to a new study of primary coverage by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University.The next two paragraphs concern the treatment the Democratic candidates received from the press. The press is presented as treating the candidates a certain way--more or less equally. But then we get to John McCain, and something changes:
On the Republican side, John McCain, the candidate who quickly clinched his party’s nomination, has had a harder time controlling his message in the press. Fully 57% of the narratives studied about him were critical in nature, though a look back through 2007 reveals the storyline about the Republican nominee has steadily improved with time.Suddently it's not the media treating McCain a certain way. It's hapless McCain unable to control his message. McCain probably needs the PR version of Depends.
By the fifth paragraph the candidates are mentioned together, but simply to note that the tenor of coverage was reflected in public polling. Some newspaper folks will get a tug at the corners of their mouths at that one. Still relevant after all those years.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please remain on topic and keep coarse language to an absolute minimum. Comments in a language other than English will be assumed off topic.