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Television News Philosophy and the Life Cycle of a Social Movement

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UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-1995 Win the lead! Television news philosophy and the life cycle of a social movement Marie Curkan-Flanagan University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Curkan-Flanagan, Marie, "Win the lead! Television news philosophy and the life cycle of a social movement" (1995). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 577. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/4x97-ck3u This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. 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UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 WIN THE LEAD!: TELEVISION NEWS PHILOSOPHY AND THE LIFE CYCLE OF A SOCIAL MOVEMENT by Marie Curkan-Flanagan A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communications Greenspun School of Communication University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 1996 UMI Number: 1380501 Copyright 1996 by Curkan-Flanagan, Marie All rights reserved. UMI Microform 1380501 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Copyright: 1996 Marie Curkan-Flanagan All Rights Reserved The Thesis of Marie Curkan-Flanagan for the degree of Master of Arts in Communications is approved. - - "(c vV V- -■ i X ’- Chairperson, Dr. Richard^ensen, Ph.D. Examining Committee Member, Dr. ©age Chapel, Ph.D. /7 7~7, / y "^^mini^g Committee Member, t)r Stephen Nielsen, Ph.D. Graduate Faculty Representative, Dr. Hal Rothman, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate College, Ronald W. Smith, Ph.D. University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 1996 ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate what effect the evolution of a social movement has on the depth of broadcast news coverage. By focusing on the American Indian take-over of Alcatraz Island 1969-71, this study examines whether a television news story has a life cycle of its own which contributes and/or detracts from the life cycle of a social movement. The Alcatraz occupation was selected because it was the first aggressive and prolonged act of Indian protest in the United States. The foundation for this thesis rests upon the idea that the "lead story" to a television newscast revolves around the philosophy "Win the Lead!". This premise is then balanced against Stewart, Smith and Denton's (1989) definition for the life cycle of a social movement which asserts that a social movement has a life cycle which consists of 5 stages: genesis, social unrest, mobilization, maintenance and termination. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................... v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................. 1 News Philosophy: Win the Lead!.................................................... 3 Literature Review............................................................................... 18 Methodology....................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER 2..................................................................................................... 31 The Taking of Alcatraz...................................................................... 31 CHAPTER 3...................................................................................................... 41 Discussion............................................................................................ 41 CHAPTER 4...................................................................................................... 67 Implication and Conclusion................................................................. 67 NOTES............................................................................................................... 72 APPENDIX I NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS.............................................. 73 Las Angeles Times................................................................................ 73 New York Times.................................................................................. 77 Washington Post................................................................................... 80 APPENDIX II LOCAL NEWSPAPERS....................................................... 83 San Francisco Chronical...................................................................... 83 San Francisco Examiner......................................................................... 100 APPENDIX III NETWORK TELEVISION................................................... 113 ABC NEWS............................................................................................ 113 CBS NEWS............................................................................................. 113 NBC NEWS............................................................................................ 114 BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................. 115 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study would not have been possible without the help and cooperation of many people. I wish to thank Dr. Richard Jensen for his continued patience and assistance throughout this project. Dr. Gage Chapel deserves particular thanks for his advice, moral support, motivation and encouragement. Special thanks go to the students, staff and administration of the Vanderbilt University Television News Archives whose help and guidance were immeasurable. Finally, a deep expression o f gratitude is extended to my husband Michael for his endless hours o f help in the research process, his support, his understanding and love which made this entire effort attainable. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Television occupies a large role in American society; no one is immune to its effects. Without question, "Television is the medium with the greatest potential for transmitting information and beliefs from one group to another"(Dominick,1994,p.512). Those of us who grew up during the 1960's can most certainly recall the vivid imagery of television news. Inthel960's and 1970's, television news covered protests and demonstrations. "With success, the demonstration grew, the coverage increased, and the Revolution spun on with frenzied momentum"(Small, 1970p.42) and the momentum included Black Power, student unrest, political upheaval and dissent against the Vietnam War. It was television news that gave Americans a view of the American soldier which excluded insight into their horror. It was television news which graphically showed Americans the horror of the murder of four college students at Kent State University. It was also television news which forced Americans to re-evaluate their relationships, conceptions and images of ethnic and minority groups, and it was television news which visually, for the first time, dramatized the plight of American Indians and their struggle to keep their culture alive and change the mythical image and squalid living conditions in which most were forced to live. In the last 20 years, numerous diverse, and often contradictory, studies have been conducted regarding social movements; however, there is very little information regarding television news and its role in the life cycle of a social movement. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to investigate what effect the evolution of a social movement has on the depth of
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