Description
Book SynopsisCongress, the Press, and Political Accountability is the first large-scale examination of how local media outlets cover members of the United States Congress. Douglas Arnold asks: do local newspapers provide the information citizens need in order to hold representatives accountable for their actions in office? In contrast with previous studies, which largely focused on the campaign period, he tests various hypotheses about the causes and consequences of media coverage by exploring coverage during an entire congressional session.
Using three samples of local newspapers from across the country, Arnold analyzes all coverage over a two-year period--every news story, editorial, opinion column, letter, and list. First he investigates how twenty-five newspapers covered twenty-five local representatives; and next, how competing newspapers in six cities covered their corresponding legislators. Examination of an even larger sample, sixty-seven newspapers and 187 representa
Trade Review
One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2005 "Arnold here does it all: he identifies important research questions, conducts extensive research to answer them, and interprets data carefully. This sophisticated and thoughtful study is the best yet of Congress and the press."--Choice "Arnold sets an ambitious goal: 'This book is the first large-scale study of how local media outlets cover members of Congress.' His ultimate success exemplifies how content analysis can illuminate a subject with empirical and systematic findings... This exploration constitutes a significant contribution to our understanding of Congress and the news media... [The book] has a timeless feel ... [which] seems to guarantee that readers will be learning from this book well into the future."--Robert Klotz, Perspectives on Politics
Table of Contents
List of Tables and Figures ix Acknowledgments xi 1. Legislators, Journalists, and Citizens 1 2. Explaining the Volume of Newspaper Coverage 29 3. How Newspapers Cover Legislators 64 4. Legislators as Position Takers 92 5. Legislators as Policy Makers 125 6. Legislators as Candidates 156 7. How Newspapers Differ 194 8. Effects of Newspaper Coverage on Citizens 221 9. The Press and Political Accountability 244 References 265 Index 273
