By: Joe Strupp Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama led campaign news coverage during the past week with two out of every three campaign stories focusing on him, according to a new study released the same day he faces primaries in Kentucky and Oregon.
The Project for Excellence in Journalism, which has been tracking such coverage since late 2007, determined that Obama was the "significant or dominant factor" in 68% of election-related stories between May 12 and May 18, with Hillary Clinton second with 53% and presumptive GOP nominee John McCain at 27%.
The Obama lead comes during a week when Clinton scored one of her most lopsided victories, in the West Virginia primary last Tuesday, but remains behind Obama in the overall delegate count.
"John Edwards? endorsement of Barack Obama helped the former Senator and ex-presidential hopeful generate one of his highest levels of coverage this year," the PEJ report stated, adding that Edwards was the top name in 10% of the election stories last week. "His endorsement, which came the day after Hillary Clinton scored a big victory in the West Virginia primary, helped reinforce the narrative of Obama as the inevitable Democratic nominee and drew press attention away from Clinton?s West Virginia win."
The campaign coverage index reviews reporting from 49 media outlets, including 12 newspapers ranging from the likes of The Washington Post to the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times Free Press.
The study's other findings:
? "Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr, who announced his candidacy on the Libertarian ticket, appeared as a significant or dominant factor in 2% of last week?s election stories."
? "Bush?s speech in Israel?when he warned of those who would appease terrorists and radicals?brought an angry response from Obama and made the President a significant or dominant factor inn 12% of the week?s campaign coverage."
? "Analysis of the top four election story lines for the week reinforce the idea the Democratic battle for the nomination is effectively over. Taken together, the appeasement controversy (21%), Edwards? endorsement (10%), calls for Clinton to drop out (6%), and Obama?s vice president search (2%) account for almost 40% of the campaign coverage."
? "Stories about the race for president captured 37% of the overall newshole last week. Cable news devoted 74% of airtime to the election, despite significant breaking events such as the Chinese earthquake and ongoing coverage of the Myanmar cyclone."
The entire report can be viewed at www.journalism.org.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here