The Portrayal of Power: The Framing of EMILY's List in the News Media

Abstract

In recent years, EMILY’s List has emerged onto the political scene by raising huge bucks for pro-choice Democratic women candidates. Little is known, however, about the news coverage of EMILY’s List as a political organization. This paper explores the portrayal of EMILY’s List in the news media through a two-pronged qualitative content analysis. I first examine New York Times coverage of EMILY’s List from 1985 to 2006; then, I analyze the media response to EMILY’s List involvement in six U.S. Senate campaigns in 2006. I find that EMILY’s List is often portrayed within an opposition frame that focuses on three main competitors: Republican women, the pro-life faction, and the conservative right. Furthermore, media coverage is largely balanced, causing EMILY’s List to appear as a viable competitor with these counterparts. In actuality, EMILY’s List is one of the nation’s leading political action committees, and its fundraising figures dwarf those of their 'opponents.' Inaccurate and misleading comparisons of EMILY’s List are indicative of the enduring second-class status of women in the political sphere.