Presidential Leadership of Partisan News

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the partisan slant of cable news coverage of the unemployment rate and the impact presidential speeches have on this coverage. I examine coverage of the monthly release of the unemployment rate from September 2005 through April 2015 for programs on all three major cable networks: The Situation Room, Special Report, and Hardball. Although the partisan leaning of these sources may affect coverage, presidents may be able to influence unemployment news coverage if the news reports the president's speeches. Using Lexicoder to content analyze the amount and tone of coverage, the findings reveal evidence of both partisan slant and presidential leadership of news coverage through speeches.

Political-intelligence elites, Strategic Political Communication and the press: the need for, and utility of, a benchmark of public accountability demands

“…6 While more empirical work is needed on agenda-building impacts, especially in globalized, digital environments, research suggests that political administrations still broadly set media agendas. 7 Whether this arises from political manipulation or other factors is unclear. Undoubtedly, however, journalists operating in digital environments are increasingly time-constrained, experiencing pressures for immediate publication and constant updates.…”