Chart 1: Partisan VoiceShare Has Been Steadily Increasing Since January
Chart shows percentage of statements made by partisans and former politicians. Time frame is January 2 – June 2.
Partisans and former politicians have had steadily increasing VoiceShare since the beginning of the GOP Primaries in January. These newsmakers are defined as people that work for a political party, were formerly politicians, or are aligned with a political party but are not working for a specific campaign. They are biased analysts and commentators. Chart 1 shows that in the beginning of January, statements from partisans and former politician’s consisted of only 11% of total statements in media coverage of the 2012 presidential election. However, their VoiceShare has been gradually increasing since then and reached 23% in the last two weeks of May/early June.
Chart 2: Partisans Dominate VoiceShare In Past Month Among Newsmaker Types
Chart shows percentage of statements made by all newsmaker types in presidential election coverage. Time frame is January 2 – June 2.
Chart 2 shows that in the past month, partisans and former politicians have had the most coverage than any other newsmaker type. From May 5 to June 2 they have had over 17% of the VoiceShare. They are often used in political talk shows and radio segments to provide context of the election from the perspective of the Republican or Democratic party as whole without the bias that comes from a campaign official.
