Abstract
Content analysis of broadcast television networks' weekday nightly newscasts during the final weeks of the 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2000 presidential election campaigns found an emphasis on hype rather than substantive coverage of the campaigns. Examination of audio and video messages separately showed this to be true for both. Further, even when the audio was substantive, the accompanying visuals often were not. The results are discussed in terms of media reliance, journalistic responsibility, and cognitive processing of mediated messages.
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