A new study shows that McCain has received highly negative media coverage since September:
Just 14 percent of the stories about John McCain from the conventions through the final presidential debate were positive in tone, according to a study released today, while nearly 60 percent were negative—the least favorable coverage of any of the 4 candidates on the ticket.
The study, by The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, a non-partisan journalism watchdog organization, examined 2,412 stories from 43 newspapers and cable news shows in the six-week period beginning just after the conventions and ending with the final presidential debate.
Them's the facts. Then comes the expert explanation:
Much of the increased attention for McCain derived from actions by the senator himself, actions that, in the end, generated mostly negative assessments," the study found. "In many ways, the arc of the media narrative during this phase of the 2008 general election might best be described as a drama in which John McCain acted and Barack Obama reacted."
In other words, McCain has received negative coverage because...he's run a negative and gimmicky and lousy campaign! Well, no kidding. But I admire Pew for saying it, in not so many words. But it's one more thing for wingers to whine about.
