{"id":90339,"date":"2008-06-09T00:00:01","date_gmt":"2008-06-09T05:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2008\/06\/09\/pej-campaign-coverage-index-june-2-8-2008\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:12:29","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:12:29","slug":"pej-campaign-coverage-index-june-2-8-2008","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2008\/06\/09\/pej-campaign-coverage-index-june-2-8-2008\/","title":{"rendered":"Clinton Drives the Media Narrative the Week Obama Wins"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the same night that Barack Obama made history by <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

clinching his party\u2019s nomination and John McCain kicked off the general election with a prime-time policy address, it was the vanquished Democrat who may have posed the most relevant question. <\/p>\n\n

In a spirited non-concession speech at Manhattan\u2019s Baruch College, Hillary Clinton gave public voice to the issue that resonated throughout the media for much of the week. \u201cWhat does Hillary want?\u201d <\/p>\n\n

The answer is, she won\u2019t say yet. <\/p>\n\n

In the final week of the 2008 Democratic primary campaign, Obama was the top newsmaker. In all he appeared as a dominant or significant factor in 77% of the campaign stories, according to PEJ\u2019s Campaign Coverage Index for June 2-8. That was his highest single-week total for the year. Clinton trailed him in the battle for exposure, a major figure in 60% of stories. (An analysis of primary-season coverage from Jan. 6 through June 8 reveals that on an average week, Obama registered in 57% of the coverage compared to 50% for Clinton. McCain trailed badly at 27%.) <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n\n

But sometimes numbers don\u2019t tell the full story\u2014and last week was a case in point. Despite Obama\u2019s edge in quantity of coverage, Clinton was clearly the driving force in a media narrative that focused largely on three questions. Would she fight on to the convention? Would she unconditionally support Obama? Would she seek the vice-presidential slot? <\/p>\n\n

A look at the themes in last week\u2019s coverage helps tell the story. The subjects of Clinton as a possible vice-presidential nominee filled 16% of all last week\u2019s campaign stories studied; the decision to suspend her campaign filled another 9%; and calls for her to withdraw made up another 4%; Thus the themes around \u201cwhat does Hillary want\u201d alone accounted for 29% of all last week\u2019s campaign coverage studied. The theme of Obama, the first African-American to become a major party nominee for President, emerging as a historic candidate, by contrast, accounted for 7%. <\/p>\n\n

Just over 2% of the coverage was devoted to Obama\u2019s search for a vice president other than Clinton, and another 3% to lingering controversies involving the Trinity Church in Chicago. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n\n

It was also a week in which Bill Clinton, whose public profile has fluctuated wildly during the campaign, resurfaced as a headline grabber. And not in a good way. Registering in 5% of the coverage, the ex-President responded to an unflattering profile in Vanity Fair by calling its author, Todd Purdum, \u201csleazy\u201d and a \u201cscumbag\u201d\u2014an outburst that triggered a campaign apology. <\/p>\n\n

(When the list is compiled of \u201cjournalists\u201d who had an impact on this campaign, Mayhill Fowler\u2019s name will be on it. A 61-year-old blogger for the Huffington Post, Fowler broke the story of Obama\u2019s remarks at a fundraiser about \u201cbitter\u201d voters who \u201ccling\u201d to guns or religion. And she triggered Clinton\u2019s attack on Purdum by shouting a question to him in a rope line. Fowler\u2019s blurring of the lines between journalist and citizen is certain to fuel the debate over standards and practices in the new media universe. But she can lay claim to two significant scoops and the attention that brings. In recent days, Fowler managed a major media trifecta, being profiled in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and Washington Post.) <\/p>\n\n

GOP nominee John McCain made some news of his own this week by delivering a major speech in Louisiana in which he expressed his own vision of change in this election. And he issued a challenge for Obama to meet him in a series of 10 town hall meeting-style debates. But with the media glued to the end of the Democratic battle, he was a significant or dominant factor in only 21% of stories studied, his lowest level in a month. <\/p>\n\n

Overall, by filling 50% of the newshole last week, the campaign generated its third- highest level of weekly coverage in 2008, according to PEJ\u2019s News Coverage Index from June 2-8. (The biggest week, coming in at 55% of the newshole, was Feb. 4-10, the Super Tuesday primary period.) As has typically been the case, the media sectors devoting the most time to the campaign last week where those that included the opinion-driven talk shows. The election consumed a full 74% of the airtime studied on cable and 58% of the airtime on radio. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n\n

The Campaign Coverage Index is an addition to PEJ\u2019s NCI report, which tracks what stories the media covered in the previous week. The CCI offers a greater level of detail of the campaign coverage. That includes the percentage of stories in which a candidate played a significant role (as a subject of between 25% and 50% of the story) or a main newsmaker role (making up at least 50% of the story). The Index also identifies the key narratives in the reporting and the \u201cLine of the Week,\u201d a statement from a journalist or source that in our researchers\u2019 estimation seems either to capture the story or is particularly colorful. PEJ\u2019s News Coverage Index will not disappear. It will come at the bottom of the CCI. <\/p>\n\n

Last week began with the Clinton forces still talking about victory and perseverance. During the June 2 edition of CBS\u2019 Early Show, one day after a big Clinton win in Puerto Rico, host Harry Smith asked campaign chair Terry McAuliffe about her intentions. \u201cListen, we\u2019ve said that we\u2019ll keep all our options open,\u201d McAuliffe responded. \u201cHillary Clinton wins all the swings states\u2026This is about winning in November.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

After the June 3 Montana and South Dakota primaries helped Obama reach the magic number of delegates, Clinton declined to acknowledge him as the nominee during a speech in which supporters urged her to battle on to the Denver convention. \u201cNo Concession,\u201d said the page 1 headline in the June 4 San Francisco Chronicle. Inside the story, there was speculation about her ultimate strategy: \u201cEven now, the nomination in hand, Obama finds himself dogged by a new Clinton challenge that she join his ticket.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

The news that Clinton, under considerable pressure, had decided to formally suspend her campaign and endorse Obama did not end the questions or speculation. On the June 6 edition of MSNBC\u2019s Hardball, host Chris Matthews discussed Clinton\u2019s next moves. \u201cOne, she\u2019ll officially bow out of the presidential race,\u201d he noted. \u201cTwo, she\u2019ll support Obama. And three, well that\u2019s the question. What then? Will she fully endorse Obama? Does she want to be VP? Will she go back to the Senate\u2026Or will she start planning for her next presidential race?\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Clinton\u2019s valedictory June 7 speech in Washington in which she threw her support to her rival raised yet another question as fodder for the media narrative. Would her passionate supporters, many of whom complained of sexism and media bias in the campaign, follow her lead? The June 8 Washington Post report on the speech noted that some of her backers in the audience booed at the mention of Obama\u2019s name while bathing her in adulation. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe crowd\u2019s undiminished enthusiasm was of indication of the challenges facing Obama,\u201d the story declared. Thus, the week ended on a theme that will no doubt surface frequently in the coverage of the general election campaign. <\/p>\n\n

And now, in the rest of the week\u2019s news: <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n

No story came close to competing with the election campaign last week. The second-biggest story, according to the News Coverage Index for June 2-8, was the continuing rise in gas and oil prices, filling 4% of the newshole. The troubled U.S. economy, a mainstay of recent coverage, was next at 3%. The arraignment of terror suspects, including alleged 9\/11 attack mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, made U.S. efforts to combat terrorism the fourth-biggest story at 2%. And the death of rock n\u2019 roll legend Bo Diddley was fifth at 2%. Thanks to the front-page obituaries that marked his passing, that sad event generated more coverage in newspapers (5%) than any other sector. <\/p>\n\n

Mark Jurkowitz of PEJ<\/em> <\/p>\n\n

\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n

Media Exposure by Candidate\/Political Figure<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

\u00a0 <\/p>\n

<\/p><\/td>\n

Main Newsmaker <\/span><\/span><\/td>\nSignificant Presence <\/span><\/span><\/td>\nTotal Percent of Campaign Stories <\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Barack Obama (D)
<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n		61.8%<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n15.7% <\/span><\/span><\/td>\n77.5%<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hillary Clinton (D)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n47.8 <\/span><\/span><\/td>\n11.8<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n59.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
John McCain (R)
<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n		15.0 <\/span><\/span><\/td>\n6.0<\/span><\/span> <\/td>\n21.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bill Clinton
<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n		2.9<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n1.9<\/span><\/span> <\/td>\n4.8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
George Bush<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/td>\n0.3 <\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/span> <\/td>\n0.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
John Edwards
<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n		0.5
<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n		0
<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n		0.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ron Paul (R)
<\/span><\/td>\n		0<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n0<\/span><\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total Number of Campaign Stories = 581 <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n

Top Overall Stories of the Week<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Rank <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Story <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Percent of Newshole <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

1 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

2008 Campaign <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

50% <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

2 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Gas\/Oil Prices <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

4 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

3 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

U.S. Economy <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

3 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

4 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

U.S. Domestic Terrorism and Efforts to Combat <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

2 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

5 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Bo Diddley Dies <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

2 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

6 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Ted Kennedy’s Health <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

2 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

7 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Global Warming <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

2 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

8 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Events in Iraq <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

2 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

9 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Air Force Officials Resign <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

1 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

10 <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Chinese Earthquake <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

1 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Click here<\/a> to see the top ten stories for each media sector. <\/a> <\/p>\n\n

Click here<\/a> to see the methodology for the Campaign Coverage Index <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the last official week of the long and grueling Democratic nomination battle, Barack Obama captured his party’s top prize. But it was Hillary Clinton—by providing most of the week’s suspense and drama—who proved she could still dominate the story line in defeat. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"PEJ Campaign Coverage Index June 2 - 8, 2008","sub_title":"PEJ Campaign Coverage Index June 2 - 8, 2008","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_api_pending":"","apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_hidden":false,"relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[340],"tags":[],"bylines":[],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[],"research-teams":[527],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-90339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-presidents-press","formats-report","research-teams-journalism"],"label":false,"post_parent":0,"word_count":1416,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2008\/06\/09\/pej-campaign-coverage-index-june-2-8-2008\/","art_direction":false,"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"report_materials":"","report_pagination":{"current_post":null,"next_post":null,"previous_post":null,"pagination_items":[]},"parent_info":{"parent_title":"Clinton Drives the Media Narrative the Week Obama Wins","parent_id":90339},"materialsOrdered":[],"chaptersOrdered":[],"partsOrdered":[],"partsEnabled":false,"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"Clinton Drives the Media Narrative the Week Obama Wins","description":"

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