According to the new PEJ study of campaign news coverage, “policy debates accounted for about 31% of the campaign newshole studied last week,” with, among other subjects, “the debate between the two candidates over energy policy and gas prices” filling 23% of last week’s newshole and “differences over the economy (4%), Iraq (2%).”
* Of course, covering “the debate between the two candidates” over policy X or Y often does not equal coverage that helps voters understand the candidates’ positions and what they might mean for America (beyond the way the camapaigns tell it). And, yeah, it’s possible for a campaign story to not be distinctly policy-focused (about, say, strategy) and still have some substance…
Liz Cox Barrett is a writer at CJR.