Friday, Nov. 5, 2004 12:44 a.m. EST
Bush's Coverage Twice as Negative as Kerry's
President Bush received twice as much negative press coverage as John Kerry did during the height of the presidential campaign, according to a study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs.
Between Labor Day and Election Day, Bush's coverage was 64 percent negative, with only 36 percent of news stories painting him in a positive light. Kerry, on the other hand, garnered 58 percent positive coverage during the same period.
In October, as Bush's polls began to improve, the press coverage became even more hostile. In the closing four weeks of the campaign, media reports on Bush were 77 percent negative.
Overall, Kerry received the most favorable news coverage of any presidential candidate in the last 25 years, the CMPA found.
Bush's bad press, however, wasn't a record breaker. That distinction goes to President Reagan, who, when he ran for re-election in 1984, garnered 91 percent negative press coverage - just before he won a record-breaking 49-state landslide.
Joseph Taranto contributed to this report.
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