Broadcast and Cable Network News Coverage of the 2004 Presidential Election: An Assessment of Partisan and Structural Imbalance

Abstract

Broadcast and cable network evening news shows gave more prominence, time, and attention to Democrat John Kerry than to President George Bush in their 2004 presidential election coverage. Broadcast networks were more balanced in their aggregate attention to the candidates than were the cable networks. Individual broadcast network stories and segments were also more balanced than were individual cable network stories and segments, regardless of the candidate more favored in stories and segments. The daily election segments of CBS News and Fox News were the most balanced, contrary to expectations that these two news organizations were most likely to show imbalance. However, different broadcast and cable network news attention to the National Guard and Swift Boat stories impugning the characters of both candidates suggests that the broadcast networks biased some of their coverage against the president.

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