The Nightly News Nightmare, Third Edition, examines news coverage of presidential nomination and election campaigns from 1988 to 2008. The book focuses on changes in the amount, tone, and focus of news coverage in these different electoral contexts. In addition to network news, the authors examine online news, cable television, talk radio, candidate campaign discourse in these election years. Farnsworth and Lichter find that the news media, despite the wide variety of outlets, have consistent problems in terms of fairness and focus on substantive matters rather than the horse-race reporting of the latest polls. In addition to the extensive discussion of the 2008 campaign, the third edition offers far more discussion and evidence regarding the use of alternative media, including online content, in the most recent presidential election. The authors conclude that online news had many of the same problems found in mainstream news coverage.
Stephen J. Farnsworthis assistant professor of communication at George Mason University and a former newspaper journalist.
S. Robert Lichteris professor of communication at George Mason University and director of the Center for Media and Public Affairs.
The whole media world is changing dramatically, but the problems stay the same-too much horserace and bias, too little substance and policy. Our national news watchdogs, Steve Farnsworth and Bob Lichter, use bark and bite to show us the truth. Larry J. Sabato, director, University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of The Kenneday Half-Century
Praise for Second Edition: Farnsworth and Lichter conclude that their data point to a devastating failure on the part of major television networks' news programs on every dimension analyzed. The networks have limited candidates to eight-second sound bites, reduced the quality and quantity of election coverage, and thus shortchanged the candidates and the voters. Recommended [for] lower-divisils#
![The Nightly News Nightmare: Media Coverage of U.S. Presidential Elections, 1988-2008 [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/6/5/9/2_6667257.jpg "The Nightly News Nightmare: Media Coverage of U.S. Presidential Elections, 1988-2008 [Paperback]")