Media coverage of women in politics: The curious case of Sarah Palin

Abstract

Decades of research on media coverage of the campaigns of women running for high public office have identified several patterns of gendered reporting that supposedly have discouraged citizens from voting for women candidates, discouraged them from contributing to women’s campaigns and dissuaded women from entering politics. This study examines the ways in which each of the patterns was evident in media reporting on Sarah Palin, the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States in the 2008 election. Data reveal a mixed pattern of continuities and differences. The findings suggest that the consequences of gendered reporting may not be uniform. Rather, they can vary according to the issue or symbolic focus of a campaign, and the degree of conflict between a candidate attempting to keep reporting ‘on message’ and the commercial news media concerned with attracting a large market share.