From the Washington Times a study of the mainstream media coverage of the midterm elections. It's all bad for the Republicans and all good for the Democrats.

The Big Three television networks have used unprecedented midterm election coverage to bash the Republican Party with negative stories, and plenty of them, a study says.     Only 12 percent of election stories that aired on NBC, ABC or CBS were favorable toward Republican candidates, according to a study released yesterday by the District-based Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA).     In contrast, Democrats basked in glory. The study found that 77 percent of the news accounts between Sept. 5 and Oct. 22 offered favorable evaluations of Democratic candidates and lawmakers.     "These numbers are pretty striking," said Robert Lichter, director of CMPA, a nonpartisan researcher of news and entertainment media. "The coverage has become a referendum on Republican leadership. The big question for all three networks is this: Why are the Republicans in trouble and how bad is it going to get?"  

The economy is booming and it is getting zero coverage.

  Other issues of potential importance to voters -- the economy or redistricting, for example -- got short shrift, such topics earning mention in six or fewer stories.

With that said, I am certainly not shocked by this report and the incumbent always gets a rougher ride. However, the telling statistic i think is found in this paragraph:

While midterms typically garner only tepid interest from broadcasters, the networks have dramatically ramped up their coverage this time around, providing 167 stories during the study period. Only 35 stories had been aired during a comparable time in 2002.

The article concludes:

  Like negative campaign ads, negative news reports may have a destructive rebound effect on a fickle viewing public.     "For the past week, the mainstream media has run story after story about the nastiness of this year's campaign ads -- perhaps as a way to distract our attention from their own dirty tricks," observed Stephen Spruiell of National Review Online yesterday.     "Viewers can get sick of negative TV coverage. They consistently rate the news coverage as one of the worst parts of a campaign, specifically citing negative content," Mr. Lichter said. And its going to get worse in the shrill run-up to Nov. 7.     "The GOP is the story, and they're caught in an echo chamber," he added.

These are the standard complaints. The Media will claim that nothing is wrong, the story really is about "why the republicans are in rouble and how bad is it going to get?" and the press may be right about that. However, defining the election question is the key to victory. Will it be about the economy, the war or just dissatisfaction? That the press has been instrumental in defining the question no one can deny.