Does the Media Agenda Reflect the Candidates'Agenda?

Abstract

This article examines whether the issue agendas of political candidates are reflected in the coverage of the news media. In their coverage of political issues during a campaign, do the media follow the lead of the candidates, or do they chart their own course? The context for our investigation is five U.S. Senate races in 2002. Using television advertising to track the candidate agenda and using content analyses of both local newspapers and local television news broadcasts, we find that the degree of candidate-media issue convergence varies depending on both the state and the medium examined (television or newspapers).