[Infowarrior] - How 9-11 Changed the News

[Richard Forno]

How 9-11 Changed the News
Topics: journalism | war/peace | terrorism
Source: Project for Excellence in Journalism (U.S.), September 11, 2006

"How did 9-11 change the news?" asks the Project for Excellence in
Journalism (PEJ). To answer the question, ADT Research's Tyndall Report
analyzed network evening news shows, comparing "the four years of network
newscasts prior to 2001" with "the four years since." The study reveals
"increased coverage of foreign policy and global conflict ... but less
coverage of domestic issues." PEJ writes, "A rise in foreign coverage may
not surprise anyone. U.S. troops are currently fighting and dying in Iraq
and Afghanistan. The issue of global terrorism is the new question of our
times." Yet, "the balance between reporting-driven 'hard news' and softer
features, interviews and commentaries remained virtually unchanged after
9-11." The topics with the steepest decline in U.S. network news coverage
since 9-11 are drugs, alcohol and tobacco; space, science and technology;
and crime, penal policy and law enforcement.

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http://www.prwatch.org/node/5165