THE PRESS AS OPINION RESOURCE DURING THE 1968 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

Abstract

The study reported here analyzes campaign information presented by a sample of the national press during the last four weeks of the 1968 presidential campaign. Everywhere, regardless of geographic, demographic, or political differences, the public received an image of the ideal president based primarily on personal qualities, with little information provided on candidates' political philosophy or executive ability. There was a fairly uniform picture of what major issues faced the nation in 1968, but issue coverage showed significant gaps, reflecting a tendency by the press to rely heavily on information provided by the candidates themselves.