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.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

An earlier version of this article was presented to the Radio-TV Division of AEJMC at the August 2006 convention in San Francisco.

Notes

Note. Percentage of stories or segments favoring Bush or Kerry on the Partisan Balance scale.

Note. Percentage of stories and segments on Structural Balance scale scores.

Note. Percentage of stories and segments with Structural Balance Scale scores.

Note. Percentage of stories and segments on Partisan Balance Scale.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Frederick Fico

Frederick Fico is a professor in the School of Journalism at Michigan State University. His research interests include content analysis of media coverage of conflict and elections.

Geri Alumit Zeldes

Geri Alumit Zeldes is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism at Michigan State University. Her research includes studying how the news media covers issues involving race and gender during presidential elections.

Serena Carpenter

Serena Carpenter is an assistant professor at The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Her research interests include newer media, news quality, and sociology of news production.

Arvind Diddi

Arvind Diddi is an assistant professor in the Communication Studies Department at SUNY, Oswego. His research interests are online journalism and news media coverage of public policy conflict.