July 27, 2000

Evidence for Gore's Competence

Percent of Stories
Public Record 21%
Tactics/ Rhetoric 19%
Campaign Platform 12%
Polling 8%
Voter Interaction 5%
Opponent Attack 2%
Remarks of Friends 2%
Past Personal Life 1%
Recent Remarks 1%
Other 5%
No Evidence 24%

In the 2000 campaign then-Vice President Al Gore’s competence was a frequent story theme, but the stories most often cited no evidence for it.

Source: PEJ: “A Question of Character: How the media have handled the issue and how the public has reacted “

Date Posted: July 27, 2000