Post-debate coverage had an influence that helped Bush

WASHINGTON - News coverage after the first presidential debate swayed many non-viewers to believe that Republican George W. Bush won, while those who watched thought Democrat Al Gore won and were not influenced by the coverage, a survey says.

''Pundits and news accounts may have much more influence on voters who don't have direct experience of an event than on those who do,'' said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, which conducted the survey.

Among those who watched the Oct. 3 debate, 43 percent said Gore performed better and 36 percent said Bush did. The numbers did not change significantly in the days afterward despite news coverage that was critical of Gore's performance and several flawed statements.

Among those who didn't watch, their perception of Gore's performance went from 43 percent to 37 percent while those who thought Bush won went from 21 percent to 26 percent.

The Annenberg 2000 survey, an ongoing series of polls on the campaign and media influence on the campaign, has an error margin of 3.5 percentage points.