Network News Coverage of Terrorism - The Early Years

• NCJ Number: 90386
• Journal: Terrorism Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: (1983) Pages: 403-421
• Author(s): S Wurth-Hough
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 19 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: A more extensive version of the study was presented at the Joint International Meeting of the Canadian Operational Research Society, Operations Research Society of America, and the Institute of Management Sciences, May 3-6, 1981, Toronto, Canada.

Annotation

The electronic media influence public opinion by defining which national and international issues become significant, and shape public debates by television images conveyed to the American audience.

Abstract

Based upon the Vanderbilt Television News Archive, this study examines the image projected in reporting of terrorist activities by the three major national networks, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), and the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). The reality presented by the media is explored by comparing variables such as story emphasis and depiction, frequency, length of coverage, and location in the newscasts. (Author abstract)