Foreign Nation Visibility in U.S. News Coverage: A Longitudinal Analysis (1950-2006). (June 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jones, Timothy M.; Van Aelst, Peter; Vliegenthart, Rens
• Is Part Of: Communication research. Volume 40:Number 3(2013:Jun.)
• Page Start: 417
• Page End: 436
• Publication Date: 2013-06
• Subjects: foreign nation visibility -- international news flow -- time series -- agenda setting -- content analysis; Communication -- Research -- Periodicals; 302.2
• DOI: 10.1177/0093650211415845
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0093-6502

Abstract

Previous scholarship has neglected to fully explore the dynamic nature of international news flow over time. This study uses content analysis to track foreign nation visibility on a yearly basis in two major U.S. news outlets: the New York Times (1950-2006) and NBC Nightly News (1968-2006). Time-series analysis is used to evaluate the influence of five contextual factors on foreign nation visibility in the news: (a) geographic proximity, (b) bilateral trade flow, (c) U.S. troop deployment, (d) GDP per capita, and (e) population. The research findings build on earlier news flow studies by adding a longitudinal dimension that has been absent from previous news "flow" scholarship.