NewspapersDebate coverage at the close of Campaign 2000 was more focused on the internal politics of the campaign than anything else. For then-Vice President Al Gore, the three most popular story themes at the end of the 2000 campaign were about the fortuns of his campaign rather than his ideas, in contrast with his opponent. As the close of the 2000 campaign drew nearer the press focused more on “campaign internals” (or horse race stories) than it did policy issues. More than half of the stories from the end of the 2000 campaign were about the internal politics of campaigning. The evidence cited for then-Vice President Al Gore being a “liar” in the 2000 campaign most often came from the public record, things like public statements. In the 2000 campaign then-Gov. George W. Bush’s “being unintelligent” was a frequent story theme, but the stories most often cited no evidence for it. The most common story theme for then-Vice President Al Gore’s campaign in 2000 dealt with Gore being “scandal-tainted” and Gore being a “liar.” In the 2000 campaign then-Gov. George W. Bush’s “riding the ties to his family” was a frequent story theme, but the stories most often cited no evidence for it. As campaign 2000 went on, the most popular story theme for then Gov. George W. Bush went from his “coasting on his family ties” to his being “unintelligent.” A Question of Character: How the media have handled the issue and how the public has reactedIf elections are a battle for control of message through the media, George W. Bush has had the better of it on the question of character than Albert Gore Jr., according to this study of coverage leading up to the GOP convention. But the public may not be getting—or believing—the message. A Question of Character |
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