This dissertation investigates the characteristics and consequences of political news coverage. It focuses on two features of contemporary mass media journalism: (1) the framing of politics as strategic games, and (2) the coverage of politicians’ negative campaigning. The dissertation shows that contemporary media coverage is characterized by a very strong focus on the strategic aspects of politics, especially during election campaigns and in particular when covering negative campaigning. Furthermore, through a survey experiment and analyses of survey panel-data, the dissertation also shows that this type of media coverage can increase political cynicism, that it may also affect more fundamental civic attitudes such as political efficacy, and that it might not necessarily be what the news consumers want.