Turning the Spotlight Inward: How Five Leading News Organizations Covered the Media in the 1992 Presidential Election

Abstract

This study examined how two leading newspapers and three television networks covered the media in the 1992 presidential campaign. The main topic of media coverage was general media stories, although considerable attention was also given to candidates' use of media. Tone of coverage was different for different media themes with coverage of media performance being the most negative. How the press covered the media changed as the campaign progressed; coverage became more positive after the primaries. Newspapers tended to cover different media themes than the networks, and newspaper coverage was also more positive.