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Gatekeeping Issue Coverage of Africa in the Evening News of U.S. Television Networks, 1977-2008

Schnier, Ellen R.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1250526395

Abstract Details

2009, Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Journalism (Communication).
This study examined how three major U.S. network television channels, ABC, CBS, and NBC covered news topics about Africa. It assessed three main propositions that were guided by the gatekeeping theoretical perspective: whether coverage of the five regions of Africa connected the events featured in stories with a specific U.S. interest; whether coverage was connected with how important an African region or country was to the United States’ strategic interests; and finally, whether coverage changed over time in lieu of other international news events in which the U.S. government was involved. A content analysis of network evening news stories about Africa between 1977 and 2008 indicated that ABC, CBS, and NBC disproportionately covered a few countries in Africa and focused primarily on the southern and northern regions. One key finding was that coverage of Africa’s natural disasters tended to feature stories about the aftermath and reaction to the event more often than the event itself. Coverage declined considerably in the 1980s and 1990s and during the U.S. wars with Iraq and Afghanistan. The significance of these findings and their implications are discussed in detail.
Yusuf Kalyango, PhD (Committee Chair)
Joseph Bernt, PhD (Committee Member)
Robert Stewart, PhD (Committee Member)
147 p.
Communication
Africa; Network Television; Gatekeeping

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Schnier, E. R. (2009). Gatekeeping Issue Coverage of Africa in the Evening News of U.S. Television Networks, 1977-2008 [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1250526395

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Schnier, Ellen. Gatekeeping Issue Coverage of Africa in the Evening News of U.S. Television Networks, 1977-2008. 2009. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1250526395.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Schnier, Ellen. "Gatekeeping Issue Coverage of Africa in the Evening News of U.S. Television Networks, 1977-2008." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1250526395

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.