News coverage of abortion between Roe and Webster: Public opinion and real-world events
Titel:
News coverage of abortion between Roe and Webster: Public opinion and real-world events
Auteur:
Perse, Elizabeth M. McLeod, Douglas M. Signorielli, Nancy Dee, Juliet
Verschenen in:
Communication research reports
Paginering:
Jaargang 14 (1997) nr. 1 pagina's 97-105
Jaar:
1997
Inhoud:
Based on agenda-setting research, this study focused on the links between media coverage, real-world indicators, and public opinion about abortion. We conducted a content analysis of coverage of the abortion issue in two prestige newspapers, The New York Times and the Washington Post, between two key Supreme Court rulings. We hypothesized that amount of coverage would (a) increase during election years, (b) be related to number of abortions performed, and (c) be related to public opinion about abortion rights. We found mixed support for our hypotheses. Abortion coverage did peak during election years but was not related to the number of abortions performed, and was related negatively to public acceptance of abortion rights.