International Coverage of the U.S. Presidential Campaign

Spurred by the development and diffusion of communication technologies, the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign sparked enormous interest not only in the United States, but also around the world (Grove, 2008; Pew Research Center, 2008a, 2008b). In response to this unprecedented demand for information about U.S. politics, foreign news organizations were involved in the campaign in numbers and from countries heretofore unseen (AFP, 2008). Indeed, a chorus of international voices was added to the context of the campaign, and many heralded Democrat Barack Obama’s election as the 44th president of the United States as well. For example, Pew Research Center (2008b) noted after the election: “Across much of the world, newspapers welcomed Obama’s victory. To many, the election showcased what they like about the United States—the vitality of its democracy and the notion of America as a land of opportunity.”