Gender Bias in the Media? An Examination of Local Television News Coverage of Male and Female House Candidates

Several decades of scholarship suggest that by covering male and female candidates differently, the news media may influence the success of female candidates for higher office. I employ a content analysis to assess gender differences in the local television news coverage of 172 U . S . House candidates in the nation's top 50 media markets in 2002. The results of the study suggest that female candidates for the U . S . House were covered with the same frequency as male candidates, and received equitable issue‐based and personal coverage. Related Articles Bode , Leticia , and Valerie M. Hennings . 2012 . “.” Politics & Policy 40 (): 221 ‐ 257 . http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2012.00350.x/abstract Jalalzai , Farida . 2006 . “.” Politics & Policy 34 (): 606 ‐ 633 . http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2006.00030.x/abstract Related Media . 2008 . “.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g‐IrhRSwF9U . 2013 . http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/