The campaign role of the mass media has often been studied from the standpoint of communication effects on voting results. This article offers a new approach, focusing on the media's role in constructing a meaning for election results. This meaning is negotiated and accepted by politicians and electors according to a process which is described here. Argumentation is based on an empirical study of the legislative election campaign in France in March 1986, using methods drawn from the agenda-setting literature and the author's model of `Abstracts for Decision' in public opinion formation.
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