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The 2008 United States Senate Elections: A Typology Of Negative Themes On Candidate-Sponsored Websites, Erin Brining Hammond
The 2008 United States Senate Elections: A Typology Of Negative Themes On Candidate-Sponsored Websites, Erin Brining Hammond
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The following study is an examination of the negativity on candidate-sponsored websites for the 2008 United States Senate candidates. Results of a content analysis indicated that negative themes identified were more likely to be oppositional than comparative (Johnson-Cartee & Copeland, 1991) and were more likely to be characterbased than policy-based (Benoit, 1999, 2007). The majority of negative themes were identified as focusing on issue stands rather than political record, job experience, criminal activities, religion, marriage/sex life, family members, medical history, or personal life (Johnson-Cartee & Copeland's, 1989).
Results of the content analysis go against the assumption of functional theory (Benoit, …