Network differences in public opinion coverage during the 1996 presidential campaign

The purpose of this study is to examine whether national evening news consonance existed in the coverage of public opinion during the 1996 presidential general election campaign. Coverage of polls and "people-on-the-street" interviews revealed significant network differences. NBC had the most public opinion coverage, including "people-on-the-street" and topics deemed important by the public (issue/status quo evaluations rather than horse race/campaign evaluations). ABC most emphasized the horse race, and CBS had the fewest "people-on-the-street.".