Publication Date

Spring 2010

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Journalism and Mass Communications

Advisor

Dr. William Tillinghast

Subject Areas

Mass Communications

Abstract

World newspapers, The New York Times, The London Times, The Australian, and The Toronto Star, have the power to enlighten countries and shape public opinion domestically and abroad. However, at times, newspapers tend to be biased and reflect ideologies or values, which tend to be slanted towards home cultures and personal politics. Consequently, the public often suffers because what it learns about the world may be distorted. As a result, newspapers have witnessed a steady decline in readership following the end of the Cold-War and continuing throughout post-9/11. Irrespectively, studies have reported “spikes“ in international news coverage following 9/11 that were either sustained or increased because of this event. Thus, this paper explores to what extent the amount of foreign news coverage increased or decreased as a direct response to 9/11 throughout a pre and post-9/11 period. The study concluded with mixed results.

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