Pranav Parvatam Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia
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How the News Covers History: A Thematic Analysis of the New York Times and Wall Street’s Journal’s Coverage of Kamala Harris’s 2020 Vice Presidential Campaign Pranav Parvatam Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts In Communication John C. Tedesco, Chair Nneka Logan Michael Horning May 12, 2021 Blacksburg, VA Keywords: Harris, thematic analysis, New York Times, Wall Street Journal How the News Covers History: A Thematic Analysis of the New York Times and Wall Street’s Journal’s Coverage of Kamala Harris’s 2020 Vice Presidential Campaign Pranav Parvatam ACADEMIC ABSTRACT Kamala Harris made history on November 7, 2020, when she was elected as the first female Vice President of the United States. In addition to being the first woman, she became the first African-American and Indian-American to attain this position. As a result, the media had to grapple with how to cover her historic campaign from the moment she was announced as the vice-presidential selection. This qualitative thematic analysis examined The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal’s coverage of her campaign with significant analysis on important events such as the initial buzz surrounding her selection, the convention speech, and the vice- presidential debate. Specifically, this study examines 70 news articles total from both newspapers from August 11-November 3, 2020 to determine the recurring themes from her coverage. Results indicated that although traditional media frames and themes were not a significant focus, Harris’s intersectionality brought about a new set of frames to explore, with subtle differences between the two newspapers. Implications of these results and future considerations for the media are discussed. How the News Covers History: A Thematic Analysis of the New York Times and Wall Street’s Journal’s Coverage of Kamala Harris’s 2020 Vice Presidential Campaign Pranav Parvatam GENERAL AUDIENCE ABSTRACT Kamala Harris made history on November 7, 2020, when she was elected as the first female Vice President of the United States. In addition to being the first woman, she became the first African- American and Indian-American to attain this position. Throughout her campaign, the media had to learn how to cover an historic candidate effectively, since this moment had no precedent. This thesis chose to explore The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal’s coverage of her campaign because of their influence in shaping the news around the country and they both represent different sides of the political spectrum. Important events that are covered include the initial announcement, the convention speech, and the vice-presidential debate. This study looks to determine if the stereotypical frames that the media places on female candidates are still seen with Harris. Results indicated that although traditional media stereotypes were not a significant focus, Harris’s identity brought about a new set of themes to analyze, with each paper focusing on different aspects. Implications of these results and future considerations for the media are discussed. Table of Contents ACADEMIC ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... ii GENERAL AUDIENCE ABSTRACT ................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................... iv Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review .................................................................................................. 3 Kamala Harris ................................................................................................................................ 3 Intersectionality Representation ..................................................................................................... 7 Gender Stereotypes ....................................................................................................................... 12 Media Coverage ............................................................................................................................ 14 Framing ......................................................................................................................................... 14 Coverage Tone .............................................................................................................................. 15 The Vice Presidency ...................................................................................................................... 16 Geraldine Ferraro ......................................................................................................................... 18 Sarah Palin .................................................................................................................................... 20 Media Coverage of Female VP Nominees ..................................................................................... 24 Previous Studies ............................................................................................................................ 24 Media Coverage of Female Candidates in National Races ............................................................ 28 TaBle 1 ........................................................................................................................................... 39 Chapter 3: Method ............................................................................................................... 43 Thematic Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 43 Sample ........................................................................................................................................... 44 Procedure ...................................................................................................................................... 47 Trustworthiness ............................................................................................................................. 49 Chapter 4: Results ................................................................................................................ 50 TaBle 2 ........................................................................................................................................... 51 TaBle 3 ........................................................................................................................................... 55 Exploration of race ........................................................................................................................ 55 Exploration of speculation ............................................................................................................ 57 Exploration of record .................................................................................................................... 58 Exploration of sentiment ............................................................................................................... 59 iv Exploration of conflict ................................................................................................................... 60 Exploration of personal ................................................................................................................. 60 Exploration of political uniqueness ............................................................................................... 61 Exploration of truth ...................................................................................................................... 61 Chapter 5: Discussion .......................................................................................................... 63 The New York Times Findings ...................................................................................................... 63 The Wall Street Journal Findings ................................................................................................. 65 Findings in Contexts ...................................................................................................................... 66 Limitations .................................................................................................................................... 72 Future Research ............................................................................................................................ 73 References ............................................................................................................................ 74 Appendix A .......................................................................................................................... 86 TaBle 1 ........................................................................................................................................... 86 TaBle 2 ........................................................................................................................................... 89 TaBle 3 ........................................................................................................................................... 90 v Chapter 1: Introduction In 2020, for just the third time