A new study by the Center for American Progress titled “Journalists Give Workers the Business: How the Mainstream Media Ignores Ordinary People in Economic News Coverage,” finds that the nation’s leading television news programs and newspapers consistently emphasize business perspectives over worker perspectives when reporting on economic issues. The study found that:
- Overall, representatives of business were quoted or cited nearly two-and-a-half times as frequently as were workers or their union representatives.
- In coverage of both the minimum wage and trade, the views of businesses were sourced more than one-and-a-half times as frequently as those of workers.
- In coverage about employment, businesses were quoted or cited over six times as frequently as were workers.
- On only one issue that we examined, credit card debt, was coverage more balanced, presenting the perspectives of ordinary citizens in the same pro- portion as those of business.
Related posts:
- Study Shows Grand Rapids Press Iraq Coverage Over-Emphasizes Government Perspectives
- New Study Finds Local Coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan Lacking
- Pro-Union Workers Fired in 26% of Union Election Campaigns
- Study Finds Average of 30 Seconds of Election Coverage in Detroit and Lansing News Broadcasts
- Don’t be fooled–EFCA benefits workers
