Disadvantage Al Gore in Election 2000

Abstract

Content analysis examines network television as well as national, regional, and chain newspaper internet news during the 2000 U.S. presidential “e-conventions” and finds a focus on candidate attributes including those related to the campaign. At his Republican convention, George Bush received positive coverage on character attributes as well as foreign and domestic policy issues, including those relating to race, which exemplified compassion or “heart” as some coverage gushed. He was also credited with running a positive campaign despite weekly press releases suggesting that Al Gore was a synthetic candidate. Negative coverage of Gore that occurred in television news during the preseason and primary election continued in online news during both conventions, as Gore and vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman's speeches received positive coverage. Procedural issues, which are important for governance, along with Gore's environmental record were ignored.