[[alternative]]Study of Taiwan Newspapers' Biased Coverage during 2000 and 2004's Presidential Election Campaigns

[[abstract]] 本研究主要目的在探討公元2000年第十屆中華民國正副總統選舉，以及公元2004年第十一屆中華民國正副總統選舉期間，台灣地區的報紙（聯合報、中國時報、自由時報）會如何地報導總統選舉的新聞？台灣地區的報紙是否能公正、平衡地報導？並探討在「政黨輪替」的局勢下，報紙的選舉新聞又會呈現什麼樣顯著的報導差異？本研究採用內容分析法，試圖藉由報紙新聞的「報導主角」、報導引用的「消息來源」、報導的「新聞議題」及新聞的「報導偏向」等各項指標的分析，來探究哪些競選陣營或是候選人可以在總統選舉期間擁有較高的新聞優勢，以及每家報紙報導不同競選政黨以及候選人的數量比例差異。 研究結果發現，從兩次選舉時三家報紙的總統選舉新聞報導分析，均可看出「結構偏差」的現象，亦即，執政黨陣營（2000年的連蕭陣營及2004年的陳呂陣營）無論在報導數量、消息來源、新聞議題及報導偏向等各項指標上，所受到的重視與型塑程度均明顯高於在野黨陣營。另外，本研究也發現各報有「政治偏差」的現象，三報之中，聯合報較傾向「有宋楚瑜的陣營」（2000年偏宋張陣營，2004年偏連宋陣營）；自由時報2000年較傾向「連蕭陣營」，而2004年則較傾向「陳呂陣營」；至於中國時報的政治傾向則較不明顯。除此之外，民進黨陣營的陳呂配及該陣營的相關人士在政黨輪替後（2004年時）所受到的媒體關注程度，均明顯較政黨輪替前（2000年時）來得高出許多，顯示政黨輪替的局勢對於媒體的新聞報導內容與數量也會產生相當程度的影響。[[abstract]] The main purpose of this study is to examine how three major newspapers in Taiwan, namely the United Daily, the China Times, and the Liberty Times, covered presidential elections campaigns in 2000 and 2004. Content analysis was used to find out if fair and balanced electoral news stories were distributed by three newspapers. While analyzing each news story, the researcher adopted the following coding categories: major candidates, news sources, electoral agenda , and direction of bias, if any, to uncover which candidates or political parties gained more favorable stories as well as a larger amount of news coverage. The results revealed that “structural bias” had been embedded in all three newspapers during both presidential campaigns. The incumbents or their running camps were covered in more favorable tones than the rivals in the electoral news stories across most coding categories. As far as political bias is concerned, the United Daily devoted more favorable coverage to Soong, C.Y., James and his party in 2000 and 2004; the Liberty Times gave more support to Lien, Chan and his party (the incumbent) in 2000, but, instead, focused on Chen, Shui-bien and his party (the incumbent) unusually favorably in 2004. The China Times did not reveal obvious political bias against any candidates in both election years. Another important finding in this study is the increasing amount of news stories, favorable or not, that were focused on the long-time opposition party, Democratic Progressive Party, which became the ruling party after 2000. It seems that peaceful handover of central government in 2000 had considerable impacts on newspapers’ coverage in the election campaign of 2004