Newspaper Coverage of Presidential Primary Debates

Abstract

The primary phase of political campaigns, and messages like primary debates, are an important component of the contemporary campaign process. However, relatively little is known about how newspapers report on the content of these messages. This study compared data from content analysis of presidential primary debates with news coverage of those debates from 1980–2004. Debates and newspaper coverage were content analyzed for functions (acclaims or self-praise, attacks or criticism, and defenses or refutations of attacks) and topics (policy and character). Newspaper coverage over-represented attacks and defenses but under-represented acclaims. At times newspaper accounts stress character more, and policy less, than the debates, but this relationship was not consistent across campaigns. Journalists served a gate-keeping function, reporting about 8% of what the candidates said in the debates.

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