Relationship Among the Attributes of World Countries and Their Coverage in Tweets of International News Agencies: 2010–2016

Abstract

Background/objectives: To examine the factors which can influence the presence of world countries in news tweets of international news agencies. Methodology: The study draws upon the World Systems Theory, which categorizes the world into Core, Semi-Periphery, and Periphery with respect to economic, political, and communication relationships. We attempt to study and compare the coverage of Core, Periphery, and Semi-Periphery countries in tweets of international news agencies. Scholars argue that certain attributes of a country make that country more newsworthy for international news agencies and also these factors contribute significantly in making these countries more prominent on the digital landscape of twitter. We used the method of content analysis of purposively selected tweets of four international news agencies; AFP, AP, Reuters, and Xinhua about the 15 sample countries, including Pakistan, for the period of 7 year from 2010– 2016. Findings: We found that there are significant differences in the coverage of world countries in tweets of international news agencies. Core and Semi-Periphery countries are given more coverage in international news tweets. Similarly, Core and SemiPeriphery countries are more retweeted and liked by the followers of international news agencies. Finally, we found that GDP is not the sole determinant of countries portrayal and their sharing on Twitter by the international news agencies and their followers. Novelty/ improvements: If a country, including Pakistan, wants to increase its sharing on Twitter, the country should develop its information sector and internet penetration should be accelerated. Keywords: International News Flow, World System Theory, News Tweets, News Determinants, Country Attributes.