Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-2002

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Communication

Major Professor

Dorothy A. Bowles

Abstract

This study examined U.S. newspaper news coverage of the midair plane collision on April 1, 2001, and the ensuing U.S.-China diplomatic stalemate. The news articles in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune and the Los Angeles Times from April 2 to April 30 were quantitatively analyzed. The research questions of this study were: (1) How did the prestigious U.S. newspapers cover the story, a typical conflict involving in two big Eastern-Western countries? Was the coverage balanced, which can be mainly measured with structural characteristics of news stories? (2) What image of China in the conflict was reflected in the newspapers' coverage?" (3) "What differences, if any, existed across the newspapers when they covered the story? And how much variation exists? The study examined certain structural characteristics, such as volume, dateline, byline, page, date distribution, headline, and specifically distribution of source type, story prominence and story topic of news stories that may influence readers to judge reporting as fair or biased. Unlike previous studies, the study used linear association analysis to test the correlation of sources and themes in stories on an ratio-level response variable based on sentences, which led to a more microscopic look at the extent to which journalists rely on official news sources for information about the conflict. The study illustrated two aspects of news selection - linkage with a specific source and negative evaluation on the Chinese side. The findings revealed the imbalance in the use of sources and the coverage between the two countries. All three papers relied primarily on U.S. government sources to report the event, particularly in the New York Times when controversial issues were involved. U.S.-related matters and people were covered more often and more prominently and positively than Chinese-related matters and people. The image of China reflected in the event was negative overall.

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