INFORMATION to USERS the Most Advanced Technology Has Been

INFORMATION TO USERS The most advanced technology has been used to photo- graph and reproduce this manuscript 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 ofcomputer 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. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. These are also available as one exposure on a standard 35mm slide or as a 17" x 23" black and white photographic print for an additional charge. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copyfor an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information C om pany 3 0 0 Nortfi Z eeb Road, Ann Arbor, Mi 4 8 1 0 6-1346 USA <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">3 1 3 /7 6 1 -4 700 </li><li style="flex:1">8 0 0 /5 2 1 -0 6 0 0 </li></ul>R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. O rder N um ber 8827782 Front page from the White House: A quantitative study of personal news coverage from Teddy Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan Streitmatter, Rodger Allan, Ph.D. The American University, 1988 Copyright ©1988 by Streitmatter, Rodger Allan. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Reproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. </li><li style="flex:1">R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. </li></ul>FRONT PAGE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF PERSONAL NEWS COVERAGE FROM TEDDY ROOSEVELT TO RONALD REAGAN by Rodger Streitmatter submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of The American University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Signatures of Committee: Chairman: CUi£a^ Athe College April 26, 1988 Date 1988 The American University <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Washington, D.C., 20016 </li><li style="flex:1">U?o)' </li></ul>UHIVEHSITY LIBRARY R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. © COPYRIGHT BY RODGER STREITMATTER 1988 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. FRONT PAGE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE; A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF PERSONAL NEWS COVERAGE FROM TEDDY ROOSEVELT TO RONALD REAGAN BY RODGER STREITMATTER ABSTRACT Historians, political scientists, journalists, politicians, and presidents have criticized today's press for placing too much emphasis on personal news about the president. Critics say presidential news coverage increasingly centers on the man's personality and personal trivia. This quantitative study challenges the criticism by exploring personal news coverage of the twentieth century's fifteen presidents. The study was designed to deterime if personal news about recent presidents has accounted for a larger portion of presidential news coverage. Secondary purposes were to determine which presidents have received the most and the least personal coverage and to identify factors that have influenced the amount of personal news coverage presidents receive. Data were collected from a two-year sample period of each man's presidency. The four major newspapers ii R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. studied— New York Times. Los Angeles Times. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. and Atlanta Constitution— give the study a national perspective while representing different political leanings. Results show that, contrary to general impressions, early twentieth-century presidents received a higher percentage of personal news than have recent presidents. Data show personal stories represented the following percentages of news coverage: T. Roosevelt, 51; Wilson, 24; Harding, 22; F. Roosevelt, 16; Coolidge, 15; Kennedy, 14; Truman and Johnson, 12; Reagan and Taft, 11; Carter, 10; Ford, 9; Hoover, 8 ; Eisenhower, 7; and Nixon, 5. Regression analysis procedures used the aggregate data for all the presidents to define a trend toward less personal coverage of presidents. The regression coefficient was found to be -.26. Factors identified as influencing the magnitude of a president's personal news coverage are: how early in the century he serves, how newsworthy his personality and personal life are, and how willing he is to provide the press with liberal access to the White House and to him. The study concludes that newspapers are wrongly perceived as being preoccupied with personal coverage from the White House because television news constantly airs 111 R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. footage depicting trivial activities of the president. Another conclusion is that today's major newspapers are created, with regard to personal coverage from the White House, with a higher degree of professionalism than those of the past; they place very few personal stories about the president on their front page. The study suggests that its findings generally support the previous scholarly research on the press-president relationship. It also discusses the study's repercussions on American newspapers, the American presidency, and the country itself. IV R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. CONTENTS page vi LIST OF TABLES ......................... LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ............................................. ix INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1CHAPTER I : HISTOGIOGRAPHY .................................. PARAMETERS AND METHODOLOGY 9CHAPTER I I : CHAPTER I I I : CHAPTER IV : CHAPTER V: 35 DATA ANALYSIS ............................ 64 EARLY-PERIOD PRESIDENTS MIDDLE-PERIOD PRESIDENTS RECENT-PERIOD PRESIDENTS .. ...108 180 228 306 324 347 355 CHAPTER V I: CHAPTER V I I : CHAPTER V I I I : TELEVISION NEWS ...................... CONCLUSIONS ................................. APPENDIX ................................................................................... BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................ Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Table </li><li style="flex:1">Page </li></ul>1. Presidential Endorsements of Newspapers Studied . 63 2. Presidents Listed Chronologically with Percent of Personal Coverage ............................. 65 3. Presidents Ranked by Percent of Personal Coverage 4. New York Times Coverage........................ 5. Percentage of General News Devoted to Personal 66 70 N e w s ............... <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">.</li><li style="flex:1">74 </li></ul>78 81 6 . Percentage of General News Devoted to Personal News (for Presidents Other Than Teddy Roosevelt) 7. Ranking of Presidents by Variation between "Expected" and Actual Personal Coverage ......... 8 . Regression Analysis Data for General News Coverage........................................ 85 9. Regression Analysis Data for Personal News Coverage........... 87 10. Regression Analysis Data for General News Coverage Other Than Personal .................... 91 11. Teddy Roosevelt's Newspaper Coverage ............ 112 12. Categories of Teddy Roosevelt's Personal Coverage 121 13. William Howard Taft's Newspaper Coverage . . . . 14. Categories of William Howard Taft's Personal 127 Coverage.............................................. 15. Woodrow Wilson's Newspaper Coverage .............. 140 VI R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Table </li><li style="flex:1">Page </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">150 </li><li style="flex:1">16. Categories of Woodrow Wilson's Personal Coverage </li></ul>17. Warren G. Harding's Newspaper Coverage .......... 157 18. Categories of Warren G. Harding's Personal Coverage.........................................165 19. Calvin Coolidge's Newspaper Coverage ............ 170 20. Categories of Calvin Coolidge's Personal Coverage 176 21. Herbert Hoover's Newspaper Coverage .............. 22. Categories of Herbert Hoover's Personal Coverage 183 190 <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">23. Franklin Roosevelt's Newspaper Coverage </li><li style="flex:1">. . = . 194 </li></ul>24. Categories of Franklin Roosevelt's Personal Coverage.........................................203 25. Harry Truman's Newspaper Coverage .............. 26. Categories of Harry Truman's Personal Coverage . 215 27. Dwight Eisenhower's Newspaper Coverage .......... 219 208 28. Categories of Dwight Eisenhower's Personal Coverage ........................................... 225 <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">29. John Kennedy's Newspaper Coverage ................ </li><li style="flex:1">232 </li></ul>30. Categories of John Kennedy's Personal Coverage . 240 31. Lyndon Johnson's Newspaper Coverage .............. 32. Categories of Lyndon Johnson's Personal Coverage 245 254 <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">258 </li><li style="flex:1">33. Richard Nixon's Newspaper Coverage </li></ul>.............. 34. Categories of Richard Nixon's Personal Coverage . 264 35. Gerald Ford's Newspaper Coverage ................ 36. Categories of Gerald Ford's Personal Coverage . . 275 268 Vll R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Table </li><li style="flex:1">Page </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">112 </li><li style="flex:1">11. Teddy Roosevelt's Newspaper Coverage ........... </li></ul>37. Jimmy Carter's Newspaper coverage ............... 279 38. Categories of Jimmy Carter's Personal Coverage . 288 39. Ronald Reagan's Newspaper Coverage ............. 292 40. Categories of Ronald Reagan's Personal Coverage . 301 41. Television News Coverage from tne White House . . 315 42. Television News Coverage of the Presidential

INFORMATION to USERS the Most Advanced Technology Has Been

Details

Download

Copyright

We respect the copyrights and intellectual property rights of all users. All uploaded documents are either original works of the uploader or authorized works of the rightful owners.

Support