Only one in four of the network stories aired before the primaries and before the general election were issue-oriented, and the networks averaged a little over a minute per night per network in candidate-centered discourse. Researchers examined network television coverage of the political campaigns for the 30 days preceding the Super Tuesday primaries and the
Annenberg Survey: Most Americans Still Unfamiliar With the Presidential Candidates
As the talking heads, columnists, and political reporters begin to presuppose the biographical data and issue positions of the presidential contenders, an Annenberg Public Policy Center survey raises a caution. Biography matters; the public is still learning some of those details the elites take for granted.
Annenberg Survey: Americans familiar with some of candidates’ issue stands and backgrounds, fuzzy on others
While on certain issues people appreciate the distinctions between candidates, there are a number of areas in which the electorate has more to learn.