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How the Media Amplify Campaign Messages

Washington State University, Pullman, tnridout{at}wsu.edu

Glen R. Smith

Washington State University, Pullman, smith631{at}wsu.edu

The impact of political ads paid for by candidates is amplified because of the free media coverage they receive. Yet how frequently does that occur? And are certain types of ads more likely to be covered? To answer these questions, we performed a content analysis of news coverage in ten U.S. Senate campaigns in 2004. We find that ad amplification is quite common and that negative and comparative ads are much more likely to receive media attention than positive ads. This has implications for how scholars measure ad exposure and for understanding why Americans dislike negative advertising.

Key Words: political advertising • campaigns • news media • ad amplification

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This version was published on December 1, 2008

Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 61, No. 4, 598-608 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1065912908314202


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Ridout, T. N. Articles by Smith, G. R. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?