--- title: "Topline Results" description: "ePolitics 2004: A Study of the Presidential Campaign on the Internet Tables may not add up to 100 due to rounding. Front Page   All front pages ABC AOL CNN MSNBC Nat’l. Review N.Y. Times Salon USA Today Wash. Post Yahoo   (n = 60) (n = 6) (n = 6) (n = 6) (n […]" date: "2004-02-05" authors: - name: "Pew Research Center: Journalism & Media staff" job_title: "Guest Contributor" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2004/02/05/topline-results/" --- # Topline Results ePolitics 2004: A Study of the Presidential Campaign on the Internet *Tables may not add up to 100 due to rounding.* **Front Page** ******************************************** |   | All front pages | ABC | AOL | CNN | MSNBC | Nat'l. Review | N.Y. Times | Salon | USA Today | Wash. Post | Yahoo | ********************** |   | (n = 60) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | (n = 6) | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | **** | Total Stories: Percent in Each Range |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |   | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | | 10 stories or fewer | 7 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 11-20 stories | 47 | 50 | 100 | 67 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 83 | 83 | 0 | 0 | | 21-30 stories | 27 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 100 | | 31 stories or more | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | | Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | **** | Total Stories: Average Number |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |   | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | # | | Average number of stories | 23 | 20 | 19 | 11 | 35 | 14 | 29 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 29 | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | **** | Original Reporting: Percent in Each Range |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | 10 stories or fewer | 38 | 50 | 100 | 33 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 67 | 0 | 100 | | 11-20 stories | 32 | 50 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 83 | 33 | 0 | 0 | | 21-30 stories | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 83 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | More than 30 stories | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | | Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |   | **** | Original Reporting: Average Percent of All Front Page Stories |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |   | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | | Average Percent of Front Page Stories | 63 | 56 | 0 | 96 | 78 | 93 | 95 | 79 | 47 | 89 | 1 | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | **** | Interactive Links |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | Yes/No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | | How many (Range) | 0-3 | 1 | 2-3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0-2 | 0 | 1-3 | 0 | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | **** | Policy Background Links |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | Yes/No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | How many (Range) | 0-10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 1-2 | 1 | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | **** | Biographical Background Links |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | Yes/No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | How many (Range) | 0-12 | 0 | 1 | 9-11 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1-8 | 11 | 12 | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | **** | Unfiltered Audio/Video Links |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | Yes/No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | How many (Range) | 0-5 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0 | 0-1 | 2-5 | 0-2 | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | **** | Voter Background Links |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | Yes/No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | How many (Range) | 0-8 | 3-4 | 2 | 5-7 | 0-1 | 0 | 2-5 | 0 | 5-8 | 1-4 | 2-4 | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | **** | External Voter Information Site Links |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | Yes/No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | | How many (Range) | 0-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | **** | External News Site Links |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | Yes/No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | | How many (Range) | 0-4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-2 | **Lead Stories** ****** | Story Origination | Total (n = 138) | |   | % | | Staff writer or staff | 57 | | Other News organization | 1 | | Wire service | 27 | | Combo write-staff | 11 | | Other | 4 | | Total | 100 | |   |   | ****** | Lead Story Trigger | Total (n = 138) | |   | % | | Election Results | 26 | | Candidate Driven | 41 | | Campaign Driven | 1 | | Observer Driven | 4 | | Press Driven | 21 | | Independent Polls | 6 | | Other | 1 | | Total | 100 | |   |   | ****** | Lead Story Topic | Total (n = 138) | |   | % | | All Politics | 80 | | Advertisements | 0 | | Candidate Performance Assessed | 16 | | (i.e. connection to voters; on the stump) |   | | Fundraising | 4 | | Polls | 0 | | Primary Results | 14 | | Political Calendar | 1 | | Staffing & Management | 5 | | Tactical Maneuvering | 7 | | Endorsements | 0 | | Battle Ahead | 19 | | Other | 15 | |   |   | |   |   | | All Personal | 2 | | All Past Personal | 1 | | All Present Personal | 1 | |   |   | | All Policy | 4 | | Policy (general) | 4 | | Campaign finance Reform | 0 | | Defense/Military | 0 | | Taxes | 0 | | Health Care | 1 | | Abortion | 0 | | Education | 0 | | Other Specific Policy | 0 | |   |   | | All Social Issues | 0 | |   |   | | Other Campaign Topics | 11 | | Non-Campaign Topics | 2 | | Total | 100 | |   |   | ****** | Lead Story Frame | Total (n = 138) | |   | % | | Policy Explanation | 0 | | Candidate’s Behavior | 7 | | Candidate’s Leadership Ability | 9 | | Candidate’s Health | 0 | | Tactics & Strategies | 11 | | Horse Race | 19 | | Other political Internals | 5 | | The Political System | 4 | | Straight News Account* | 46 | | Other | 1 | | Total | 100 | |   |   | ****** | Lead Story: Number of Sources | Total (n = 138) | |   | % | | 0 sources | 6 | | 1 source | 7 | | 2 | 8 | | 3 | 9 | | 4 | 10 | | 5 | 15 | | 6 | 8 | | 7 | 12 | | 8 or more | 26 | | Total | 100 | |   |   | ****** | Lead Story: 1st source—named or unnamed | Total (n = 138) | |   | % | | Named | 91 | | Voter | 2 | | Candidate | 59 | | Candidate surrogate | 9 | | Outside expert | 6 | | Staff journalist | 0 | | Outside journalist | 1 | | Poll/document | 12 | | Other | 3 | |   |   | | Unnamed | 4 | |   |   | | No sources/Not applicable | 6 | | Total | 100 | |   |   | ****** | Lead Story Length (in paragraphs) | Total (n = 138) | |   | % | | 1 to 5 | 4 | | 6 to 10 | 10 | | 11 to 14 | 12 | | 16 to 20 | 17 | | 21 to 25 | 23 | | 26+ | 34 | | Total | 100 | |   |   | ****** | Lead Story Change (5 pm stories only) | Total (n = 68) | |   | % | | New Story | 54 | | Update | 4 | | Repeat | 41 | | Total | 100 | *Tables may not add up to 100 due to rounding.*