ABSTRACT
Content analysis is an extremely important method for research into political communication. Although other methods for understanding texts are available-qualitative (see, e.g., Berg, 2006; Creswell, 2007; Denzin & Lincoln, 2005; Lindlof & Taylor, 2002) and critical (see, e.g., Burgchardt, 2005; Foss, 2008; Hart & Daughton, 2005)—content analysis is a means of measuring or quantifying dimensions of the content of messages. Lombard, Snyder-Duch, and Bracken (2002) explain that the method of content analysis “is specifically appropriate and necessary for (arguably) the central work of communication scholars, in particular those who study mass communication: the analysis of messages.” In fact, they appropriately observe that this method is “fundamental to communication research (and thus theory)” (p. 587).
