Value-framing of issues in the 2004 presidential campaign by American newspapers in Russian

Abstract

Which election issues of the 2004 presidential campaign received the most coverage in American newspapers for Russian-American readers? Were the arguments supporting issue stances framed in terms of human rights and values, or in terms of financial value and practicality? These were the questions this study researched. The sample of four American newspapers in Russian published from the end of July till November 13, 2004 was content analyzed for this study. The data that the content analysis provided showed that election issues received quite a substantial coverage in the newspapers chosen. National security, economy, morality/values, health care, and social security were the most covered election issues. An ethical frame was most dominant in the discourse about national security/foreign policy issues. A material frame dominated in the discussion of issues of economy, health care, and social security. Ambiguous statements were more likely to be used in the discourse concerning morality/values. The results showed that the choice of election issues for coverage in American newspapers in Russian would be more relevant for those inclined toward George Bush. Discussing the most dominant issue of foreign policy in ideological terms might encourage the type of voting when voters make a choice judging by far-reaching aims of the political platform instead of an easier-to-use criterion of government performance.