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Publication Date

Summer 2010

Degree Type

Thesis - Campus Access Only

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Journalism and Mass Communications

Advisor

Diana Stover

Keywords

Blogs, Framing, Mass Communication, Obama

Subject Areas

Mass Communications; Web Studies; Political Science, General

Abstract

The 2009 economic crisis put the United States and the world into turmoil. This study analyzed blog posts on the White House website to determine how the crisis was framed during President Barack Obama's first 300 days in office. It also examined how political communication was affected and driven by new technologies and how news influencers, such as President Obama, used the technologies to share and shape their messages.

The framing analysis indicated that the blog entries discussed the crisis in the present tense, primarily from a societal point of view, and were optimistic in their message about how the United States would recover from the economic crisis. This study also revealed that the majority of posts were episodic, yet the discussions of job loss, infrastructure, and renewable energy had a majority of thematic frames. A major concern of the administration was the increase in unemployment numbers. Renewable energy jobs and products were often discussed as a way for the United States to help stimulate the economy, and the financial industry was criticized for its part in the economic collapse.

Analysis of how news influencers are using blogs as a framing device is an area of study that is growing rapidly, and this study adds to this small body of academic, non-partisan literature.

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