News Coverage

Report Summary A new study suggests that the way the media covers international news may be doing little to change the American public’s indifference to concerns about world events and foreign policy. A four-month analysis of over 7,000 international news stories now finds that newspapers and network television focus most often on world news that […]

Introduction and Summary Support for a third party candidate in 1996 has increased for the third consecutive time in eight months, as opposition to Republican policies in Congress continues, and Bill Clinton’s approval rating sags. The latest Time Mirror Center for The People & The Press survey found as many as 26% saying they would […]

Report Summary More Americans are paying attention to Bosnia these days than at anytime since the bloody war in former Yugoslavia broke out. But Bosnia, Bob Dole’s attack on Hollywood, and even O.J. Simpson take a back seat to public attentiveness to news about proposals to scale back spending on Medicare. And the attention to […]

Report Summary Fewer people are reading newspapers and watching network television news these days. It is unclear whether this is a continuation of the long-term decline in audiences of both media, or whether it is a result of the O.J. Simpson trial, which has gripped the attention of a significant percentage of core news consumers.

Summary of Findings This joint project of the Times Mirror Center for the People & the Press, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Columbia Journalism Review tracked the volume and tone of press coverage of the health care debate from September of 1993 through November of 1994. This final report summarizes the broadest findings of the […]

Report Summary A majority of Americans say they are inclined to vote for a Republican congressional candidate this fall. If they act on their intentions, it will be the first time in modern political history that the GOP carries the popular vote.

Report Summary The American public has not absorbed the basic facts of many major news stories of recent months. While most Americans know that Nelson Mandela was elected in South Africa, and that Richard Nixon was the President forced to resign over Watergate, a new nationwide survey by the Times Mirror Center found the public […]

Report Summary In a comparative media survey across eight countries, the publics of North America and Western Europe credit the news media for its positive overall impact on their countries. Large majorities said the press helps their democracies and has a good influence on their societies — usually better than the influence of other institutions, […]

Report Summary Melodramatic court trials carried on television recently have enjoyed huge audiences in the United States, a new nationwide Times Mirror survey found. Fully 43% of the American public have watched at least four of five of the most sensational trials aired on TV within the past few years. The survey also suggests that […]

Report Summary While very few Americans followed news of Bobby Ray Inman’s abrupt withdrawal as nominee for secretary of defense, many agree with the criticisms he made of the press in explaining his departure from public life.