Press and Laura Boyd: Press coverage in the 1998 Oklahoma gubernatorial campaign

Abstract

This paper examines the press coverage of the 1998 Oklahoma gubernatorial campaign. The present research seeks to understand if the press was biased against the Democratic nominee Laura Boyd and whether or not the bias was based on Boyd's gender. The data indicate that Boyd received less coverage than the incumbent Governor Frank Keating. Boyd was unable to raise enough money to spend on paid media while also being unable to attract the free coverage from the newspapers.

In 1998, Oklahoma voters were presented with their first opportunity to elect a woman governor. Laura Boyd, a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from Norman. was nominated by the Democratic Party to try to unseat a popular and well-financed incumbent, Republican Frank Keating. How did Boyd's campaign play in the state's newspapers?

This paper examines and analyzes press coverage of the 1998 gubernatorial campaign. focusing specifically on the two major party candidates. Among the research issues involved in this study is an examination of how the press covers statewide campaigns. Was the press biased toward or against Boyd? Did she receive much press coverage at all? Did it matter that she was a woman or that she was challenging an incumbent?