Date
11-2013
Department
Communication Studies
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Chair
Carey Martin
Keywords
agenda-setting, celebrity, elections, endorsements, journalism, media
Disciplines
Communication | Mass Communication | Public Relations and Advertising | Social Influence and Political Communication
Recommended Citation
Jacobsen, Amanda, "Lights, Camera, Vote: An Agenda-Setting Analysis of Celebrity Endorsements and News Correlation during the 2012 Presidential Election" (2013). Masters Theses. 293.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/293
Abstract
Many studies have been done in order to prove the idea that celebrity endorsements can affect elections; however little research has exposed the ongoing correlation between entertainment and news media in America. This research investigates the strong correlation between entertainment websites and mainstream news websites during the 2012 United States presidential election by way of celebrity endorsements. The sources examined included celebrity, entertainment journalism sites such as The Huffington Post, People and E! as compared to networks; ABC News, NBC News, Fox News, CNN and CBS News. Twelve celebrities were chosen by means of their given Q Score. Their announced endorsement for a particular candidate was examined in each entertainment publication. By using a qualitative content analysis, the researcher was able to draw conclusions, record trends and make observations based on each endorsement. This paper gives insight to the reader on how entertainment culture influences our daily news and ultimately our elections.
Included in
Mass Communication Commons, Public Relations and Advertising Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons
