Original Reporting on Election Front Pages
Overall, six in ten of the election stories on news websites studied during the presidential primary season in 2004 were original reporting.
Topics of Lead Election Stories
A variety of topics dominated the lead stories of election news websites in 2004, but candidate performance on the stump and the battle ahead stood apart.
Frame of Lead Election Stories
A straight news account of the day’s events was the dominant frame of lead stories on news websites during the primary season in 2004 but what the candidates thought about policy and issues was negligible as a focus.
Number of Sources in Lead Election Stories
The 2004 election was well covered by the online news media, with the majority of stories have seven or more sources.
First Source in Lead Election Stories
The candidates themselves were the sources readers were most likely to hear from in the campaign stories on news websites during the primary season in 2004.
Trigger for Lead Election Stories
Factors such as the candidates and election results—not issues of the press’ own design– tended the trigger the campaign stories on news websites during the primary season in 2004.
