During the 2008 United States presidential election, newspapers, magazines, and other publications made general election endorsements. As of November 4, 2008, Barack Obama had received more than twice as many publication endorsements as John McCain; in terms of circulation, the ratio was more than 3 to 1, according to the detailed tables below. In summary:
| Summary of Endorsements (with circulation) as of November 4, 2008 | |||
| McCain | |||
| pubs. | circ. | ||
| Daily Newspapers | 180 | 11,917,481 | |
| Weekly Newspapers | 32 | 333,392 | |
| College Newspapers | 2 | 16,479 | |
| Magazines and other publications | 1 | 178,780 | |
| Total | 215 | 12,446,132 | |
| Party Switches | 11 | ||
According to Editor & Publisher magazine, as of November 3, 2008, there was 273 newspapers endorsing Barack Obama compared to 172 for John McCain. By comparison, the magazine reported that before election day in 2004, John Kerry received 213 endorsements compared to 205 for George W. Bush.[1]
UWIRE, in its Presidential Scorecard, reported that Barack Obama led John McCain by 86 to 2 in college newspaper endorsements, as of November 4.[2]
The Association of Alternative Newsmedia reported that Barack Obama led John McCain by 57 to 0 in endorsements among its 123 member newspapers as of October 31, 2008.[3]
For a full list of newspapers that have endorsed Barack Obama, see Newspaper endorsements for Barack Obama in the 2008 United States presidential election.
For a summary of endorsements and a list of newspapers that have chosen not to endorse a candidate, see Newspaper endorsements in the 2008 United States presidential election.
| Newspaper | Largest Reported Circulation | Paid or Free | State | 2004 endorsement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wharton Journal Spectator (2x-weekly)[232] | Paid | Texas | -- | |
| River Falls Journal | [233] | Paid | Wisconsin | -- |
| The Jewish Press[234] | [235] | Paid | New York | -- |
| Rappahannock News Times[236] | [237] | Paid | Virginia | Kerry |
| Garden City News[238] | [239] | Paid | New York | -- |
| Lampasas Dispatch Record[240] | [241] | Paid | Texas | -- |
| White Mountain Independent (Show Low) (2x-weekly)[242] | [243] | Paid | Arizona | -- |
| Lake County Journals[244] | (combined)[245] | Paid/Free | Illinois | -- |
| Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman (Wasilla) (3x-weekly)[246] | [247] | Paid | Alaska | -- |
| Mountain Valley News (Cedaredge)[248] | [249] | Paid | Colorado | -- |
| Inside Tucson Business[250] | [251] | Paid | Arizona | -- |
| Concordia Sentinel (Ferriday)[252] | [253] | Paid | Louisiana | -- |
| Tulsa Beacon[254] | [255] | Paid | Oklahoma | -- |
| Sand Mountain Reporter (Albertville) (3x-weekly)[256] | [257] | Paid | Alabama | -- |
| Lake Geneva Regional News[258] | [259] | Paid | Wisconsin | -- |
| Detroit Lakes Tribune[260] | [261] | Paid | Minnesota | -- |
| Alexandria Echo Press (2x-weekly)[262] | [263] | Paid | Minnesota | -- |
| Hudson Star-Observer[264] | [265] | Paid | Minnesota | -- |
| Lake Elmo Leader[266] | [267] | Paid | Minnesota | -- |
| Morris Sun Tribune (2x-weekly)[268] | [269] | Paid | Minnesota | -- |
| New Richmond News[270] | [271] | Paid | Wisconsin | -- |
| Park Rapids Enterprise (2x-weekly)[272] | [273] | Paid | Minnesota | -- |
| Pierce County Herald (Ellsworth)[274] | [275] | Paid | Wisconsin | -- |
| Stillwater Courier[276] | [277] | Paid | Minnesota | -- |
| Woodbury Bulletin[278] | [279] | Paid | Minnesota | -- |
| Paradise Post (3x-weekly)[280] | [281] | Paid | California | -- |
| Woodburn Independent[282] | [283] | Paid | Oregon | -- |
| Bureau County Republican (Princeton) (3x-weekly)[284] | [285] | Paid | Illinois | -- |
| Coweta American[286] | [287] | Paid | Georgia | -- |
| Eufaula Tribune (2x-weekly)[288] | [289] | Paid | Alabama | -- |
| Hillsboro Argus (2x-weekly)[290] | [291] | Paid | Oregon | -- |
| Wetumpka Herald[292] | [293] | Paid | Alabama | -- |
| Idaho County Free Press[294] | Paid | Idaho | -- | |
| Chicago Jewish Star[295] | [296] | Paid | Illinois | -- |
| Newspaper | Institution | Largest Reported Circulation | Frequency | State | 2004 endorsement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Mississippian[297] | University of Mississippi | [298] | Daily | Mississippi | -- |
| Mesa State Criterion[299] | Mesa State College | [300] | Weekly | Colorado | -- |
