Degree Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2010
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication
First Advisor
Raluca Cozma
Abstract
Communication researchers largely condemned news coverage of the 1993-1996 health care reform debate, producing empirical proof that the American media offered citizens little useful information about the issues involved, the substance of proposed legislation, or the potential consequences of passing or not passing legislation. This study seeks to determine whether the "elite press" followed suit in its coverage of the 2009-2010 health care reform debate, or if it fared better. It applies paragraph-by-paragraph content analysis to investigate the framing and sourcing of fourteen months' worth of articles in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Results show that the game frame was dominant, yet was not significantly more prominent than the issue/economic consequences frame, and the conflict frame was rare; both framing and sourcing change significantly over the course of the debate; and many significant relationships exist between specific sources and frames.
Copyright Owner
Steven James Adams
Copyright Date
2010
Language
en
Date Available
2012-04-30
File Format
application/pdf
File Size
88 pages
Recommended Citation
Adams, Steven James, "The elite American press coverage of the 2009-2010 health care reform debate" (2010). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 11523.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/11523
