The Nightly News Nightmare: Network Television's Coverage of U.S. Presidential Elections, 1988-2000 - Tapa blanda

At last, the careful documenting of the decline and fall of the TV networks' coverage of presidential elections. Farnsworth and Lichter give us the evidence we need to judge how Jennings, Rather, and Brokaw will report the next campaign. Now you be the jury!--Stephen Hess, The Brookings Institution A gold mine of data collected by the Center for Media and Public Affairs over the course of the four presidential election cycles from 1988 to the present. Scholars, practitioners, and political observers will be delighted at the prospect of a long-term analysis of these data. The book is written in a lively, yet serious, style that will engage nonacademic readers with a general interest in politics and campaigns.--Diana Owen, Georgetown University Be afraid! Be very afraid!--Larry J. Sabato, University of Virginia

Acclaimed media scholars Farnsworth and Lichter draw on the lessons of the last four presidential elections to show how network news coverage of what is arguably the nation's most important political event has declined. Through extensive analysis of news content, the authors compare what the candidates said with what the networks say they said and judge the disparity a nightmare. What may make it even harder to sleep at night is that the authors go on to suggest that perhaps the candidates themselves do a better job of portraying the campaigns than those who used to be the trusted network guardians of the news.