Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Journalism (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Journalism

Advisor/Mentor

Foster, Bobbie

Committee Member

Corrigan, Lisa

Second Committee Member

Tackett, Teresa

Keywords

DNC; framing theory; gender; news narratives; political bias; politics

Abstract

The aim of this study was to look at the coverage of the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Kamala Harris in 2024 during the Democratic National Convention, and analyze the differences in regard to gender, race, and political bias. The examination of these news narratives helps explore a question of whether journalists report with bias when covering politics. The researcher analyzed 11 published pieces from five mainstream media outlets. Findings of the study show that bias is unavoidable even when a journalist strives for objectivity which does not exist in newsrooms across the political spectrum. The findings are expected to support the narrative that journalism is continuously evolving, but cannot escape the systematic biases of gender and race when it comes to reporting on politics.

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