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Dissertation Information for William Rosenberg

NAME:
- William Rosenberg
- (Alias) William Lawrence Rosenberg

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Political Science

SCHOOL:
- Temple University (USA) (1984)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Inspected

Title: THE POLITICAL MESSAGES IN THE NEWS

Abstract: "The media have a central role in providing a political system with a vehicle for maintaining and promoting system legitimacy. This study is designed to investigate the messages of television network news which influence a political system's ability to regulate stress.

This analysis seeks to establish that television network news contains a picture of government and society which serves to maintain and promote system legitimacy. Furthermore, by conducting a content analysis of the news, it becomes possible to find a structure which is present in the content of news coverage.

A content analysis of television network news for the period 1968 to 1976 was undertaken to address a number of aspects of news coverage. The story frame was evaluated with regard to whether the story dealt with the political community, the regime, or authority figures. The rhetorical traditions of news presentations were investigated. News stories were classified as being informative, feature, sensationalistic, or didactic. Portrayals presented by the network news organizations of both government and nation were analyzed. In addition, a variety of mythical themes were coded to determine the mythical content within news stories. Other variables, such as the date, story position within a broadcast, story length, and the location of the story (domestic or foreign), were coded.

The content analysis found that news stories usually deal with the regime. The media tend to rely most heavily on feature stories which present a problem, provide some background information, and then present a resolution. Public officials are generally portrayed as competent, legitimate leaders who recognize problems, propose policies, negotiate agreements, and solve problems. Foreign stories tended to be more sensationalistic than domestic stories. The myths which were examined in this study serve to reinforce the notion of the ideal, democratic society. The media use myths to direct the public into perceiving the world in such a way as to maintain and promote system legitimacy. This permits leaders to structure the reality of the mass public by presenting images which they want portrayed in the media, and which the public readily understands."

MPACT Scores for William Rosenberg

A = 0
C = 1
A+C = 1
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:03:12

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