Sarah Palin's Portrayals in New Media

Abstract:     
This paper analyzes the portrayals of former Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin in “new media.” Since the 2008 election, Palin has remained a fixture in American politics in her capacity as a contributor to FOX News, a leader of the TEA Party movement, a regular on the lecture circuit, and as a best-selling author. Additionally, Palin has remained active in electoral politics through endorsements and fundraisers. In this study, coverage of Palin is compared across two “new media” platforms: YouTube videos and photographic commentary. Content is coded for relative masculine and negative portrayals of Palin’s personality as well as her attachment to “men’s” and “women’s” issues. The results are addressed by comparison to other political figures as well as “old media” content in the form of newspaper articles (for the study, total n = 249 across all media). Results are analyzed in light of the role of women in electoral politics, trends in mass media, and wider expectations for democratic discourse.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 45

Keywords: Palin, Sarah Palin, Gender, New Media, 2008 Election, Women, Gender, Stereotypes

working papers series