SEXUAL SCANDAL REPORTAGE 1960s THROUGH 2000s: PROPER PERSPECTIVE OR A RETURN TO YELLOW JOURNALISM By MICHELLE LEE HARRIS A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS MASS COMMUNICATIONS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2012 1 © 2012 Michelle Lee Harris 2 To my mother, Marty Stearns, grandmother, Florence Patoski, and Ms. Fran Testa, the strongest women I have ever known, and who, through their tireless love and support, helped me to become the woman that I am today 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following were influential and instrumental in the research and writing of this thesis: Dr. Johanna Cleary, Dr. Bernell, Tripp and Mike Foley. I gratefully thank them for their expertise, energy, and tireless patience. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ 7 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... 8 ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 11 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................... 17 Image Repair Theory .............................................................................................. 17 Scandalization by the Media ................................................................................... 19 Political Fallout ........................................................................................................ 21 Historical World View Change ................................................................................ 22 3 METHOD ................................................................................................................ 27 Analyzing for Latent Content Using T-Lab v. 8.0 Software ..................................... 28 Participants / Scandals ........................................................................................... 30 1969: Ted Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne .................................................... 30 1987: Gary Hart and Donna Rice ..................................................................... 31 2008: John Edwards and Rielle Hunter ............................................................ 31 Sampling Frame ..................................................................................................... 32 Timeframe ............................................................................................................... 35 Operational Definitions............................................................................................ 35 Other Definitions ..................................................................................................... 37 Procedure ............................................................................................................... 37 4 RESULTS ............................................................................................................... 40 Findings and Thematic Analysis ............................................................................. 40 Word Counts and Article Population ....................................................................... 41 Contextual Key Terms and Themes ....................................................................... 42 Edward Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne; Coverage July 19 – Aug. 3, 1969. 43 The New York Times ................................................................................. 43 The Washington Post ................................................................................. 49 Chicago Tribune ......................................................................................... 57 Gary Hart and Donna Rice; Coverage May 4 - 18, 1987. ................................. 64 The New York Times ................................................................................. 64 Washington Post ........................................................................................ 69 5 Chicago Tribune ......................................................................................... 75 John Edwards and Rielle Hunter; Aug. 9 – 23, 2008 ........................................ 80 The New York Times ................................................................................. 80 Washington Post ........................................................................................ 83 Chicago Tribune ......................................................................................... 88 5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ........................................................................ 91 What Was The Editorial Approach The News Publications Under Consideration Took In Reporting On Each Of The Three Political Sexual Scandals? ................ 91 The New York Times ........................................................................................ 91 The Washington Post ....................................................................................... 93 The Chicago Tribune ........................................................................................ 95 Did That Approach Change Between 1969 And 2008, With Regard To Tone Or Emphasis? ........................................................................................................... 96 Benoit’s Image Restoration Theory ......................................................................... 97 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 98 Limitations ............................................................................................................. 104 Suggestions for Future Research ......................................................................... 105 APPENDIX A KEY WORD LISING FOR CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS.......................................... 107 B INQUIRY AUDIT QUESTIONS ............................................................................. 108 LIST OF REFERENCES ............................................................................................. 109 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .......................................................................................... 114 6 LIST OF TABLES Table page 3-1 Average Daily Circulation Figures Through March 31, 2012 .............................. 33 4-1 Published word counts for each of the three case studies under consideration. ..................................................................................................... 41 4-2 Totals of published stories for each newspaper within the population. ............... 42 4-3 Total key term word counts for The New York Times coverage of Edward Kennedy July 19 – Aug. 3, 1969. (Excludes wire service articles) ...................... 47 4-4 Total key term word counts for wire service articles of Edward Kennedy published by The New York Times July 19 – Aug. 3, 1969. ............................... 48 4-5 Total key term word counts for Washington Post coverage of Edward Kennedy July 19 – Aug. 3, 1969. (Excludes wire service articles) ...................... 55 4-6 Total key term word counts for wire service articles of Edward Kennedy published by the Washington Post July 19 – Aug. 3, 1969. ................................ 57 4-7 Total key term word counts for Chicago Tribune coverage of Edward Kennedy July 19 – Aug. 3, 1969. (Excludes wire service articles) ...................... 62 4-8 Total key term word counts for wire service articles of Edward Kennedy published by the Chicago Tribune July 19 – Aug. 3, 1969. ................................. 63 4-9 Total key term word counts for The New York Times coverage of Gary Hart May 4 – 18, 1987. ............................................................................................... 69 4-10 Total key term word counts for Washington Post coverage of Gary Hart May 4 – 18, 1987........................................................................................................ 75 4-11 Total key term word counts for Chicago Tribune coverage of Gary Hart May 4 – 18, 1987........................................................................................................... 79 4-12 Total key term word counts for The New York Times coverage of John Edwards Aug. 9 – 23, 2008. ............................................................................... 83 4-13 Total key term word counts for Washington Post coverage of John Edwards Aug. 9 – 23, 2008. .............................................................................................. 88 4-14 Total key term word counts for Chicago Tribune coverage of John Edwards Aug. 9 – 23, 2008. .............................................................................................. 90 7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure page 4-1 The New York Times .......................................................................................... 47 4-2 Wire service articles published by The New York Times. ................................... 48 4-3 Washington Post ................................................................................................ 55 4-4 Wire service articles