Expectations and elections: how television defines campaign news DES This article examines changes in the structure of presidential campaign coverage brought about by the recent proliferation of polls. It argues that with the combination of heightened day- to- day coverage of campaigns the newfound ominpresence of poll data campaign coverage has become a day to- day series of contests. Candidates are portrayed as succeeding or failing each day to meet expectations- unwritten notions of what a candidate at a given poll standing should do on the campaign trail. An analisis of CBS Evening News transcripts 1968- 96 reveals that the number of poll- related stories has risen dramatically in recent years stories about polls have been placed higher within newscasts. It also finds that stories in which reporters set expectations for candidates gave become much more common. The author argues that in doing this reporters define campaigns for viewers based mainly on the success of candidates campaigning activities

Media, morality, and madness: the case against Sleaze TV