ePolitics 2004: A Study of the Presidential Campaign on the Internet
Tables may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
Front Page
All front pages | ABC | AOL | CNN | MSNBC | Nat’l. Review | N.Y. Times | Salon | USA Today | Wash. Post | Yahoo | |
(n = 60) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | |
Total Stories: Percent in Each Range | |||||||||||
% | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
10 stories or fewer | 7 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
11-20 stories | 47 | 50 | 100 | 67 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 83 | 83 | 0 | 0 |
21-30 stories | 27 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 100 |
31 stories or more | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Total Stories: Average Number | |||||||||||
# | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | |
Average number of stories | 23 | 20 | 19 | 11 | 35 | 14 | 29 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 29 |
Original Reporting: Percent in Each Range | |||||||||||
10 stories or fewer | 38 | 50 | 100 | 33 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 67 | 0 | 100 |
11-20 stories | 32 | 50 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 83 | 33 | 0 | 0 |
21-30 stories | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
More than 30 stories | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Original Reporting: Average Percent of All Front Page Stories | |||||||||||
% | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
Average Percent of Front Page Stories | 63 | 56 | 0 | 96 | 78 | 93 | 95 | 79 | 47 | 89 | 1 |
Interactive Links | |||||||||||
Yes/No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
How many (Range) | 0-3 | 1 | 2-3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0-2 | 0 | 1-3 | 0 |
Policy Background Links | |||||||||||
Yes/No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
How many (Range) | 0-10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 1-2 | 1 |
Biographical Background Links | |||||||||||
Yes/No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
How many (Range) | 0-12 | 0 | 1 | 9-11 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1-8 | 11 | 12 |
Unfiltered Audio/Video Links | |||||||||||
Yes/No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
How many (Range) | 0-5 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0-1 | 2-5 | 0-2 |
Voter Background Links | |||||||||||
Yes/No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
How many (Range) | 0-8 | 3-4 | 2 | 5-7 | 0-1 | 0 | 2-5 | 0 | 5-8 | 1-4 | 2-4 |
External Voter Information Site Links | |||||||||||
Yes/No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
How many (Range) | 0-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
External News Site Links | |||||||||||
Yes/No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
How many (Range) | 0-4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-2 |
Lead Stories
Story Origination | Total (n = 138) |
% | |
Staff writer or staff | 57 |
Other News organization | 1 |
Wire service | 27 |
Combo write-staff | 11 |
Other | 4 |
Total | 100 |
Lead Story Trigger | Total (n = 138) |
% | |
Election Results | 26 |
Candidate Driven | 41 |
Campaign Driven | 1 |
Observer Driven | 4 |
Press Driven | 21 |
Independent Polls | 6 |
Other | 1 |
Total | 100 |
Lead Story Topic | Total (n = 138) |
% | |
All Politics | 80 |
Advertisements | 0 |
Candidate Performance Assessed | 16 |
(i.e. connection to voters; on the stump) | |
Fundraising | 4 |
Polls | 0 |
Primary Results | 14 |
Political Calendar | 1 |
Staffing & Management | 5 |
Tactical Maneuvering | 7 |
Endorsements | 0 |
Battle Ahead | 19 |
Other | 15 |
All Personal | 2 |
All Past Personal | 1 |
All Present Personal | 1 |
All Policy | 4 |
Policy (general) | 4 |
Campaign finance Reform | 0 |
Defense/Military | 0 |
Taxes | 0 |
Health Care | 1 |
Abortion | 0 |
Education | 0 |
Other Specific Policy | 0 |
All Social Issues | 0 |
Other Campaign Topics | 11 |
Non-Campaign Topics | 2 |
Total | 100 |
Lead Story Frame | Total (n = 138) |
% | |
Policy Explanation | 0 |
Candidate’s Behavior | 7 |
Candidate’s Leadership Ability | 9 |
Candidate’s Health | 0 |
Tactics & Strategies | 11 |
Horse Race | 19 |
Other political Internals | 5 |
The Political System | 4 |
Straight News Account* | 46 |
Other | 1 |
Total | 100 |
Lead Story: Number of Sources | Total (n = 138) |
% | |
0 sources | 6 |
1 source | 7 |
2 | 8 |
3 | 9 |
4 | 10 |
5 | 15 |
6 | 8 |
7 | 12 |
8 or more | 26 |
Total | 100 |
Lead Story: 1st source—named or unnamed | Total (n = 138) |
% | |
Named | 91 |
Voter | 2 |
Candidate | 59 |
Candidate surrogate | 9 |
Outside expert | 6 |
Staff journalist | 0 |
Outside journalist | 1 |
Poll/document | 12 |
Other | 3 |
Unnamed | 4 |
No sources/Not applicable | 6 |
Total | 100 |
Lead Story Length (in paragraphs) | Total (n = 138) |
% | |
1 to 5 | 4 |
6 to 10 | 10 |
11 to 14 | 12 |
16 to 20 | 17 |
21 to 25 | 23 |
26+ | 34 |
Total | 100 |
Lead Story Change (5 pm stories only) | Total (n = 68) |
% | |
New Story | 54 |
Update | 4 |
Repeat | 41 |
Total | 100 |
Tables may not add up to 100 due to rounding.