Explain how horse race journalism affects the political campaign.

Students' answers may vary.
Horse race journalism , the tendency of the media to report election campaigns in terms of who is winning and losing rather than in terms of what issues are at stake, creates a bias away from substance and toward framing and then judging the character and performance of the candidate.It relies on scoops and insider information and therefore is very subject to source bias.Its emphasis excludes alternative voices and social movements.Also, campaign news can become a jumble of commentaries that mean little to the ordinary voter.Dramatic narratives and personalization of each candidate's character-so necessary for a political horse race-often displace issues that affect daily life.