California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Theses Digitization Project John M. Pfau Library 2006 Bias in the network nightly news coverage of the 2004 presidential election Stephen Arthur Shelton Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project Part of the Social Influence and oliticalP Communication Commons Recommended Citation Shelton, Stephen Arthur, "Bias in the network nightly news coverage of the 2004 presidential election" (2006). Theses Digitization Project. 3037. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3037 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the John M. Pfau Library at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses Digitization Project by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. BIAS IN THE NETWORK NIGHTLY NEWS COVERAGE OF THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Communication Studies by Stephen Arthur Shelton II March 2006 BIAS IN THE NETWORK NIGHTLY NEWS COVERAGE OF THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Stephen Arthur Shelton II March 2006 Approved by: D. ^Communication Studies Da'te ABSTRACT This thesis examines the issue of a media bias in favor of the Democratic Party during the 2004 Presidential Election. What takes place in actuality, and what occurs in the media can vary greatly. As is shown through the theory of agenda setting, what the mainstream media presents is what society tends to consider significant, conversely what the mainstream media ignores, tends to be ignored by the general populace.