American election night and the journalism of assertion

Abstract

The past few decades have seen a number of transformations in both the form and the content of American television news. This article examines the consequences of these shifts for the coverage of the presidential election nights in 2000 and 2004 on the American networks and cable news channels, with particular reference to Kovach and Rosenstiel's (1999) notion of a journalism of assertion. It discusses the changes put in place by broadcasters following widespread criticism of their performance in 2000. The article offers clear evidence that the broadcasters were more circumspect in 2004 in their initial calling of states, but argues that with respect to the interpretative reportage which followed these calls, a range of institutional, cultural and ideological factors ensured that significant elements of the broadcasts remained unchanged.