Media coverage of women in politics: Mexican local politicians on campaign

Press coverage of women was expected to increase with their greater political representation in Mexico. What characterises the coverage that print media has given to men and women running for office? Are there any differences in the coverage men and women received? Is the quality of this coverage better than the quantity? The media coverage of candidates running in Mexican local elections is analysed in this exploratory study in order to answer these questions. Attention is first given to visibility, as in the quantity of coverage received. Second, the type of coverage of men compared to women is studied. Third, the paper looks into the ways in which printed media covers stories about women and the issues highlighted in the stories. The findings were mixed. In general, female and male candidates are equally visible. Newspaper coverage does not vary in tone, however, male candidates focus only on ‘female’ issues when more women stand for election. © 2020, © 2020 Journal of International Communication.