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When Bad Press Is Good News

The Surprising Benefits of Negative Campaign Coverage

Harvard University, burden{at}fas.harvard.edu

This article identifies conditions under which bad press can help rather than hurt a congressional campaign. In elections such as congressional primaries, where information levels are extremely low and party cues do not help voters distinguish candidates, name recognition is perhaps the most important factor. In these situations, even negative coverage can benefit a campaign because it raises voter familiarity with the candidate. The author illustrates this phenomenon using two cases studies, the 1992 Republican primary in Ohio’s 15th district and the 2001 Democratic primary in Massachusetts’ 9th district. In both cases, the victor was also the candidate who received the most negative news coverage. It seems that the volume but not the tone affected voters’ assessments of the candidates. The article concludes with thoughts about how these observations speak to the larger literatures on campaigns and the media.

The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol. 7, No. 3, 76-89 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/1081180X0200700305


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