Transatlantic Perspectives on the U.S. 2004 Election

Abstract

The U.S. Presidential election of 2004 was an exciting reprise of the 2000 election and was closely watched by numerous observers across the world. The election held significant ramifications for world issues such as the war in Iraq and the war on terror. Norwegian media in particular followed the election with great interest. The strong social and familial bond between Norwegians and Americans was a foundation for an interest in the role that social issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and religion played in the campaign. This article was an exploratory case study based on data from three major Norwegian newspapers. The article used framing theory as a tool to examine the way in which these newspapers covered the 2004 U.S. Presidential election. A key focus was the importance and influence of culture in this framing process. Results are presented and implications for the role of framing theory in international contexts are discussed.

A Worldwide Presidential Election: The Impact of the Media on Candidate and Campaign Evaluations

“…Indeed, the coverage of the U.S. Presidential election campaigns focuses to a large extent on the candidates and how they perform in public and how well they are doing in the polls (Baum, 2005;Farnsworth & Lichter 2003). As discussed above, this observation stretches beyond the U.S. media (Melischek & Seethaler, 2008;Nitz & Ihlen, 2009;Porto, 2001;Thorén, 1971;Vliegenthart et al, 2010).…”

“…The election for President of the United States usually-and arguably increasingly-receives widespread attention in international media (e.g., Melischek & Seethaler, 2008;Nitz & Ihlen, 2009;Porto, 2001;Thorén, 1971;Vliegenthart et al, 2010). Although non-U.S. citizens have no stake in and there are little direct consequences of an U.S. election for them, it is obvious that it does matter beyond the borders of the U.S. who is elected into office.…”