A
report by the
Center for Media and Public Affairs analyzes the TV news coverage of the midterm election. The high level conclusion was:
88 Percent Bad Press For GOP; Dems Get 77 Percent Good Press.
...
3 out of 4 (77 percent) on-air evaluations of Democratic candidates and members of Congress were positive during the first seven weeks of the campaign. By contrast only 1 out of 8 assessments (12 percent) were favorable towards their Republican counterparts.
I know you are as shocked as I am.
In the first seven weeks after Labor Day in 2002, network coverage of the mid-term elections totaled only 35 stories. 2006's coverage has been almost five times as heavy, with 167 elections stories.
I guess if you are going to stump for the Democrats, you should get your message out there as much as possible. I found this last data point interesting:
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) was featured in 10 stories, even though he's not seeking re-election this year.
Grooming him for a 2008 Presidential run, I imagine.
