by Journalism.org has an interesting post up in which the press coverage of the 2008 presidential election is analyzed by the Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. Check it out.
Highlights:
- Barack Obama was 3 times more likely to receive positive coverage than negative while John McCain was 4 times as likely to be treated oppositely. Can anyone say, "It’s because of their relative positions on Iraq"? I thought so.
- 63% of stories focus on political gamesmanship, 4 times more than was spent on the candidates’ backgrounds and policy proposals.
- 77% of participants want more coverage about candidates’ stands on important issues.
- The press has homed in on 5 candidates – Clinton, Obama, Guiliani, McCain, and Romney – in what amounts to a pre-primary selection process. I guess we have to add Thompson to that list.
- Excepting Obama and McCain, press coverage has been essentially party-neutral.
I’m not quite sure I believe that last one. I’d like to, though.
