1. The 'New York Times' and Foreign Policy: Press Coverage and U.S.-India Relations, 1973-1980.
- Author
-
Ramaprasad, Jyotika and Riffe, Daniel
- Abstract
A study was conducted to determine whether the "New York Times" news coverage given India between 1973 and 1980 was consistent with trends in United States foreign policy toward India during those years. The period under study was characterized by four alternating periods of tense and relaxed relations between India and the United States. All items on India from 672 issues were coded in terms of slant or tone, topic, and prominence. The results indicated that changes in length and prominence scores of items on India over the four foreign policy periods were not significant and did not parallel U.S. foreign policy toward India during that time. However, the data exhibited a pattern that sets the first four years (roughly corresponding to the relatively troublesome first three periods) apart from the last four years. In the last four years the percentage of unfavorable coverage decreased, the percentage of neutral coverage increased, the mean length and prominence of all items increased (greater attention was being paid India), and the mean length of favorably slanted items tended to be higher. And, with the unanticipated exception of unfavorably slanted items, all mean lengths indicated a shift consistent with expectations. The study defined the last four years of the period as the only period of improved relations since the 1971 low point. (HTH)
- Published
- 1985