Abstract

The digitization and storage of news in databases facilitates the research of large amounts of text when using computer assisted content analysis techniques. Several authors point out the advantages of using computer programs in framing studies. The aim of this paper is to analyze the presence in the media of frames used by participants in the electoral debate televised on December 7, 2015 on the occasion of the Spanish general elections of 2015. In our study we implemented an automated analysis content with WordStat software to extract the frames of the texts analyzed, through a method that combines quantitative and qualitative techniques. The results of the study show that, in spite of a noticeable increase in the number of news articles about the candidates after the debate, the press coverage does not report on all the topics covered in the debate and presents politicians as if they participated in a horse race.