Data shows Obama got more news coverage

NEW YORK, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- A new report from LexisNexis concluded that while Barack Obama got more press coverage in the U.S. presidential race, it wasn't necessarily more favorable.

The study released Monday said that the tone of the coverage of Obama and Republican John McCain was "remarkably similar" and suggested that it tended to track major changes in the campaign and in the U.S. economy.

"Coverage sentiment for both candidates fluctuated from week to week between early July and mid-September, with neither candidate enjoying a decided edge in the tone of coverage," LexisNexis said in a written statement. "As the financial crisis deepened in mid- to late-September, however, Obama began receiving more positive coverage than his opponent although McCain received more total media coverage during this period."

LexisNexis said its data indicated between July 8 and Nov. 3, Obama was the subject of 103,275 U.S. news stories compared to 89,601 for McCain. Of those, 36 percent of the Obama stories were considered positive, 30 percent negative and 34 percent neutral. McCain's coverage was 33 percent positive, 33 percent negative and 34 percent neutral.

As expected McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate boosted his level of coverage while Obama seemed to get more ink after the debates.