Government's Little Helper: U.S. Press Coverage of Foreign Policy Crises, 1946-1999
Examines the tendency of US media to support the government during foreign policy crises. The research is formulated around Lance Bennett's (1990) theory of press indexing which argues that reporter's coverage is slanted to reflect the opinions within the government. Forty-two foreign policy crises are studied from the Soviet takeover of Poland in 1945 through the Kosovo conflict in 1999. The analysis covers stories in Time & Newsweek since newsmagazines are more interpretive & are less likely to disguise their slant. The study supports Bennett's theory by showing the reporters communicate hawkish or dovish ideas in reflection to the opinions of their official sources. The original study published in 1995 was enhanced by seven crisis events in the 1990s, & the new data suggest that post-Cold War coverage is more independent of Congress & the president, though it is still dependent on the views of other government officials. 3 Tables, 1 Figure, 1 Appendix. L. A. Hoffman