Press Release--October 30, 2000
Journalists Monopolize TV Election News
WASHINGTON, DC -- Reporters get seven times as much speaking
time as presidential candidates in election news stories, according to the
latest report from the Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA)
ElectionWatch. The study also finds the average
length of the candidates’ sound bites has shrunk 30% since 1988, reaching
an all-time low of 7 seconds this fall.
ElectionWatch is published weekly by the Center
for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA), a nonpartisan, nonprofit research
and educational organization. CMPA’s ongoing scientific content analysis
of election news measures the tone and focus of news coverage by examining
on-air statements from reporters and other non-partisan news sources. This
report is based on all stories broadcast from Labor Day through October
22nd on the ABC, CBS and NBC evening news shows.
On an average night, reporters speak for a total of seven minutes of election
news airtime on the three network evening newscasts, compared to only one
minute for Al Gore and George Bush combined - just under ten seconds per
night for each candidate on each network. All other sources combined for
an average of one and a half minutes of airtime per night.
Overall, reporters took three quarters (74 percent) of spoken air time while
the candidates had a mere 11 percent, and other sources had 15 percent since
Labor Day. The three networks were almost identical in their allotment of
air time among candidates, journalists, and other sources.
The two major party candidates have received almost the same amounts of
on-air speaking time this fall - 23 minutes for Gore and 22 minutes for
Bush. In addition, Joe Lieberman has spoken for a total of 2 minutes, Dick
Cheney 1.5 minutes and Ralph Nader 1 minute.
Not only were candidates elbowed aside by reporters, the average length
of candidate sound bites continued to slide. It fell from 10 seconds in
1988 to 8 seconds in 1992 and 1996, to the current low of 7 seconds. Gore’s
soundbites average one second longer than Bush’s.
Voters must bypass the newscasts for the TV talk shows to hear candidates
deliver their messages. George Bush spoke for a total of 13 minutes during
his appearance last week (10/19) on the David Letterman Show, compared to
only nine minutes on all three network news show so far in the entire month
of October. Similarly, Al Gore received more speaking time on his Sept.
14 Letterman appearance than he did during the entire month of September
on the evening news shows.
