Lexicon of Politics

Horse-race Journalism: n. the media coverage of election season which emphasizes popularity polls and inter-campaign battles, esp. that little concerned with issues.

1994 Buffalo News (July 5) B3:
One reason the substance of policy is not communicated is that reporters carry over to their coverage of government the campaign mind set of horse-race journalism. Process stories predominate, and the emphasis is on who is gaining or losing, not on what is being done.