Newspaper Outlets Research Articles

Patterns of Consistence and Constriction

Journalists have the power to enhance the visibility of certain aspects of campaign issues and, thus, are relevant mediators between political actors and citizens. To serve the public interest, news media coverage should include the views of different political camps and should enable citizens to build opinions in an enlightened way. The authors analyze journalists’ framing of the coverage of a 2008 campaign on the naturalization of immigrants. Content analysis was conducted of all campaign coverage by TV stations and major newspaper outlets over a period of 14 weeks. To identify dominant frames, the authors coded all campaign arguments made in news media coverage ( N = 3,570). The results show that media coverage focused on three substantive frames—rule of law, mass naturalization, and people’s final say. The findings reveal that coverage was not balanced but was clearly in favor of the rule of law frame. This framing bias applies to different types of media, including public service TV and elite newspapers. Furthermore, the authors found a striking bias toward institutional actors, who were covered much more often than civil society actors.

Finding my voice: My expericences communicating research with the media.

Talking with the media can be intimidating but it can also provide a great platform for reaching the public, increasing the impact of your research. Recently, I have had the opportunity to interact with television, radio, magazine, and newspaper outlets about my work. These experiences have ranged from frustrating to inspiring. So, how do you make sure that coverage of your work is at least accurate and hopefully engaging for all concerned? First, do not be afraid to ask for help. If your institution has an outreach, communications, or press office, talk with them before the need to interact with the press comes up and each time you are contacted by the media. Second, before agreeing to an interview, be sure you know who you are talking to. Determine what the focus of the story they are working on is, if the interviewer has an agenda, and why they have chosen to talk to you. Third, prepare your key messages in advance and repeat them often during the interview. These messages should be clear and concise so they are easy to quote or turn into sound bites. Finally, practice saying what you want heard and answering questions.

Press–party Parallelism in Turkey: An Individual Level Interpretation

This article aims to measure the level of partisanship for readers of major newspapers in Turkey. In so doing partisan alignments of those newspapers as reflected in the party preferences of their readers are diagnosed. Alternatively, different levels of pluralism as reflective of newspaper outlets within different party supporters are also depicted. Using micro‐individual level survey data it is shown that while internal pluralism within newspaper readership communities is declining, the external pluralism is on the rise. Decreasing internal pluralism indicates increasing bias in individual media outlets towards particular political parties.

Devil or Democrat? Hugo Chávez and the US Prestige Press

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has emerged as an outspoken challenger to US geopolitical preeminence in the Americas. This study explores the framing practices employed by mainstream newspaper outlets in the United States in their coverage of President Chávez over a ten-year time period—between 1998, the year he was first elected president, and December 2007. This content analysis examines media output from a number of influential newspapers: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Using an inductive approach, I identify and critically assess the dominant media frames that emerged over this time period: the Dictator Frame, the Castro Disciple Frame, the Declining Economy Frame, and the Meddler-in-the-Region Frame. I also explore how journalistic norms—like personalization, dramatization, novelty, and authority-order—inform media coverage of this key Latin American leader.

Obtaining Nationally Representative Samples of Local News Media Outlets

This article presents 1 approach to constructing a valid national sample of local news outlets. Using designated market areas that represent the dominant geographic area of influence for television stations, researchers can create a nationally representative sample of local media, including television and newspaper outlets. A method for adapting the approach to smaller geographic areas is also discussed. Data are provided to support the validity of the sampling method proposed in this study. The data analysis is based on a 2-year sample of TV newscasts and daily newspapers from across the country.

DIVERSITY, ECONOMICS AND THE AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY

Diversity of newspaper outlets and diversity of newspaper ownership are both generally conducive to economic efficiency within the newspaper industry. A review of the economics of newspaper publishing reveals two major factors concerning the structure and ownership of the press. The first is that scale economies of production are largely responsible for the tendency of newspaper markets in cities and towns to be dominated by a single title. The second is that the combined effect of economies of scale and newspaper firms’ drive towards growth is likely to bring about a high concentration of newspaper ownership. It is argued that economic theory lends qualified support to policy proposals to prevent mergers between newspaper firms and to require divestiture of newspaper titles.