---
title: "Final Topline"
description: "Total N = 1149 518 All Newspapers   344 All Natl. Papers   174 All Regional Papers 227 All Television   125 All AM Shows   102 All PM Shows 404 All Internet 1,149 Total 1. SOURCE Total % All Newspapers All Television All Internet 45 All Newspapers 100   0   0     […]"
date: "2000-10-31"
authors:
  - name: "Pew Research Center: Journalism & Media staff"
    job_title: "Guest Contributor"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2000/10/31/final-topline/"
---

# Final Topline

****
| Total N = 1149 |

| 518 | All Newspapers |

|   | 344 | All Natl. Papers |

|   | 174 | All Regional Papers |

| 227 | All Television |

|   | 125 | All AM Shows |

|   | 102 | All PM Shows |

| 404 | All Internet |
********
| 1,149 | Total |

****
| 1. SOURCE |
****************
| Total % | All Newspapers | All Television | All Internet |

| 45 | All Newspapers | 100 |   | 0 |   | 0 |   |

|   | 30 | All Natl. Papers |   | 66 |   | 0 |   | 0 |

|   | 15 | All Regional Papers |   | 34 |   | 0 |   | 0 |

| 20 | All Television | 0 |   | 100 |   | 0 |   |

|   | 11 | All AM Shows |   | 0 |   | 55 |   | 0 |

|   | 9 | All PM Shows |   | 0 |   | 45 |   | 0 |

| 35 | All Internet | 0 |   | 0 |   | 100 |   |
****************
| 100 |   |   | 100 |   | 100 |   | 100 |   |

|   |
****
| 2. DATE |
****************
| Total % | All Newspapers | All Television | All Internet |

| 30 | Week 1 | 31 | 29 | 30 |

| 30 | Week 2 | 32 | 30 | 27 |

| 40 | Week 3 | 37 | 41 | 43 |
****************
| 100 |   | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |
****
| 3. STORY LENGTH |
****************
| Total % | All Newspapers | All Television | All Internet |

| 7 | 75 - 150 words | 6 | 11 | 4 |

| 8 | 151 - 300 words | 7 | 15 | 4 |

| 39 | 301 - 750 words | 38 | 49 | 36 |

| 46 | More than 750 words | 49 | 25 | 56 |
****************
| 100 |   | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |
****
| 4. PLACEMENT (Newspaper only) |
****************
| Total % | All Newspapers | All Television | All Internet |

| 14 | Page One | 14 | 0 | 0 |

| 52 | National/International | 52 | 0 | 0 |

| 24 | Editorial/OP ED | 24 | 0 | 0 |

| 1 | Business | 1 | 0 | 0 |

| 3 | Metro/Local/Regional | 3 | 0 | 0 |

| 4 | Style/Life | 4 | 0 | 0 |

| 1 | Sunday - Week in Review | 1 | 0 | 0 |

| 1 | Sunday Magazine | 1 | 0 | 0 |

| 0 | Not applicable (Internet/TV) | 0 | 100 | 100 |
****************
| 100 |   | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |
****
| 5. WIRE SERVICE |
****************
| Total % | All Newspapers | All Television | All Internet |

| 76 | Staff Reporters/Writers | 77 | 100 | 63 |

| 5 | AP | 6 | 0 | 5 |

| * | Hearst | * | 0 | 0 |

| * | Knight-Ridder | * | 0 | 0 |

| * | Reuters | * | 0 | 1 |

| * | Scripps-Howard | * | 0 | 1 |

| 9 | Other Newspaper or Newspaper Service | 8 | 0 | 14 |

| 3 | Combo - Staff/News Service | 3 | 0 | 6 |

| 6 | OP/ED - Non-Staff | 5 | * | 9 |

| 1 | Other Wire Service | 1 | 0 | 1 |
****************
| 100 |   | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |
****
| 6. DATELINE |
****************
| Total % | All Newspapers | All Television | All Internet |

| 18 | Washington, D.C. | 33 | 12 | 0 |

| 8 | Florida | 14 | 8 | 0 |

| 2 | Michigan | 4 | 1 | 0 |

| 3 | Missouri | 3 | 6 | 0 |

| 16 | New York | 16 | 45 | 0 |

| 2 | North Carolina | 2 | 8 | 0 |

| 4 | Oregon | 9 | 1 | 0 |

| 2 | Texas | 4 | 3 | 0 |

| 45 | All Others | 15 | 16 | 100 |
****************
| 100 |   | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |
****
| 7. RECURRING LEAD |
****************
| Total % | All Newspapers | All Television | All Internet |

| 29 | Super A: Issues | 31 |   | 26 |   | 28 |   |

|   | 6 | Health and Elderly |   | 6 |   | 8 |   | 5 |

|   | 5 | Taxes |   | 4 |   | 5 |   | 5 |

|   | 6 | Other Domestic |   | 7 |   | 5 |   | 7 |

|   | 5 | Energy |   | 6 |   | 3 |   | 6 |

|   | 7 | Foreign Policy |   | 8 |   | 5 |   | 5 |

| 57 | Super B: Campaign Internals | 53 |   | 68 |   | 56 |   |

|   | 22 | Debates |   | 20 |   | 32 |   | 20 |

|   | 15 | Battleground States |   | 15 |   | 13 |   | 16 |

|   | 12 | Campaign Strategy |   | 11 |   | 13 |   | 12 |

|   | 8 | Momentum and Media |   | 7 |   | 10 |   | 8 |

| 13 | Super C: Character and Record | 15 |   | 5 |   | 16 |   |

|   | 7 | Bush Record and Facts |   | 8 |   | 3 |   | 9 |

|   | 6 | Gore Record and Truth |   | 7 |   | 2 |   | 7 |

| 1 | Other | 1 |   | 1 |   | * |   |
****************
| 100 |   | 100 |   | 100 |   | 100 |   |

|   |
****
| 8. DOMINANT CANDIDATE/CANDIDACY |
****************
| Total % | All Newspapers | All Television | All Internet |

| 29 | All Gore | 31 | 22 | 31 |

| 24 | All Bush | 25 | 15 | 27 |

| 47 | All Gore/Bush Interwoven | 43 | 63 | 42 |

| * | All Nader | 1 | * | * |

| 0 | All Candidates | 0 | 0 | 0 |
****************
| 100 |   | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |
****
| 9. STORY TRIGGER |
****************
| Total % | All Newspapers | All Television | All Internet |

| 28 | All Candidate Driven | 29 | 31 | 25 |

| 9 | All Campaign Driven | 7 | 8 | 12 |

| 4 | All Observer Driven | 4 | 4 | 3 |

| 56 | All Press Driven | 55 | 56 | 57 |

| * | Independent Polling | * | * | 1 |

| 3 | Other | 5 | 1 | 2 |
****************
| 100 |   | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |
****
| 10. STORY FRAME/ANGLE |
****************
| Total % | All Newspapers | All Television | All Internet |

| 13 | Policy Explained | 15 | 11 | 12 |

| 6 | Candidate Fitness | 5 | 4 | 8 |

| 41 | Political Internals | 36 | 50 | 43 |

| 11 | Meta Issues | 12 | 9 | 12 |

| 29 | Straight News | 32 | 26 | 25 |
****************
| 100 |   | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |
****
| 11. CANDIDATE TONE |

| Based on stories that are not straight news stories; n=821 |
****************
| Total % | All Newspapers | All Television | All Internet |

| 18 | All Positive | 19 | 21 | 15 |

| 31 | All Neutral | 28 | 38 | 32 |

| 51 | All Negative | 53 | 41 | 53 |
****************
| 100 |   | 100 | 100 | 100 |

|   |
****
| 12. STORY IMPACT |
****************
| Total % | All Newspapers | All Television | All Internet |

| 27 | Citizens | 32 | 20 | 23 |

| 64 | Politicians | 59 | 70 | 68 |

| 5 | Interest Groups | 6 | 4 | 6 |

| 4 | No Impact Implied | 3 | 6 | 3 |
****************
| 100 |   | 100 | 100 | 100 |