SHORT-CIRCUITING DEMOCRACY? THE PARADOX OF COMPETITION IN NEWSPAPERING AND WHY WE CAN'T GET 'THERE' FROM 'HERE' Gina J. Bailey B.A., The Evergreen State College, 1983 M.A., The New School For Social Research-Graduate Faculty, 1987 M.A., University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1994 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in the School of Communication OGina J. Bailey 2004 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY June, 2004 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. Approval NAME Gina J. Bailey DEGREE PhD TITLE Short-circuiting Democracy? The Paradox of Competition in Newspapering and Why We Can't Get 'There' from 'Here' EXAMINING COMMITTEE: CHAIR Prof. Alison Beale Prof. Robert Hackett Senior Supervisor, School of Communication, SFU Prof. Andrew Arno Supervisor, Department of Anthropology University of Hawaii at Manoa Donald Gutstein Senior Lecturer Supervisor, School of Communication, SFU Prof. Richard Gruneau Internal Examiner, School of Communication, SFU Prof. Peter Phillips External Examiner, Department of Sociology Sonoma State University Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author's written permission. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Bennett Library Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada Abstract There are conflicting hypotheses about the role of market competition in creating a diverse press within Western democratic societies. Popular wisdom often assumes that the greater the number of commercial presses engaged in market competition, the more diverse the range of topics and perspectives. More empirical evidence, however, suggests that this may not be the case, and that market competition may in fact short-circuit the dissemination of information needed in a political democracy. This dissertation tests these hypotheses using a case study research strategy in the city of Honolulu, Hawaii, where two daily newspapers went from a semi-competitive joint operating agreement (JOA) to head-to-head market competition. Three normative Western traditions regarding the role of the press, how it 'should' be organized and operated in democratic societies, and the role of markets and market competition toward those ends are identified. These traditions are as follows: liberal and/or market-liberal tradition; reformist liberal andlor social responsibility tradition; and democratic socialist and/or economic democracy tradition. The underlying assumptions of each tradition are evaluated against the results of the content and discourse analyses using a pre-post competitive arrangement design. These results are furthermore compared to surveys and interviews conducted with journalists and SOS activists, regarding their views on the press and their predictions of the effects of market competition. This case study found that market competition not only did not broaden the range of topics and perspectives within and between the two papers, but it was also catalytic in one of the two papers moving in the direction of becoming more of a tabloid press. The results of this study suggest that the consequences of organizing the newspaper industry around market logics in general and, market competition in specific, may be more detrimental than beneficial in the creation of an informed citizenry necessary for democratic self-governance and support the democratic socialist tradition in its assertion that a public sphere model of the press cannot be achieved by basing the newspaper industry upon market principles alone. Implications and directions for further research are discussed. Dedication To Simplicio Paragas, without whom this entire (ad)venture would have been improbable if not impossible, much like "the pot calling the kettle black." And, to my great aunt Louise, who taught me that there are consequences to not pointing out that the emperor has no clothes. Also, to my mother, Rosetta, who has always been my 'audience.' Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge colleagues, friends and family who have contributed throughout the years their time, efforts and insights, which, in combination, have enabled me to complete this project. Table of Contents Approval ........................................................................................................................11.. ... Abstract ........................................................................................................................111 Dedication ......................................................................................................................v Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................vi Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ vll.. List of Tables .................................................................................................................x Introduction Hawaii As A Living Laboratory ............................................................. 1 1 'There' and the Disagreements Over Getting 'There': Expectations of a 'Free Press' According to Three Normative Democratic Traditions .................. 14 Democracy. Freedom of the Press and Diversity of Perspectives ...............................16 Liberal and/or Market-Liberal Tradition ...................................................................21 Reformist Liberal and/or Social Responsibility Tradition ..........................................28 Democratic Socialist and/or Economic Democracy Tradition ...................................34 Summary ..................................................................................................................43 2 'Here': Factors That Have Been Found to Influence and Not Influence Patterns of News Content and Diversity of Ideas Within the Press ...................... 45 The Liberal Pluralist and Critical Paradigms .............................................................47 Individual Newsworkers ..........................................................................................51 Media Routines : Efficiency. Sources and News Values ........................................54 Efficiency and Sources .........................................................................................55 News Values .......................................................................................................57 Organizational: Ownership Structures .......................................................................59 Monopoly Vs Competitive Newspapers ...............................................................60 Chain Vs Independent Newspapers ......................................................................63 Joint Operating Agreement Vs Monopoly and Competitive Newspapers ..............64 Ownership Shifts and Trends ...............................................................................66 Extramedia: Market Logic(s), The Courts and The FCC ...........................................71 Consequences of Market Logic(s) Upon Newspapers and the Roles of Advertisers and Audiences ...................................................................................72 The Courts ...........................................................................................................78 The Federal Communications Commission ..........................................................80 Ideology ...................................................................................................................84 Hegemony ...........................................................................................................86 Censorship: Structural, Direct and Self .................................................................90 Summary .................................................................................................................-97 3 The Case Study: Coup d'Etat of the SOS Vs . Confessions of an S.O.B. ............... 99 Islands with Continental Aspirations: Historical Background ..................................100 SOS and the Courts: Arguments and Premises ........................................................106 Survey and Interview Demographics ......................................................................113 vii Survey Results ........................................................................................................1 15 Journalists' Perceptions of the Press' Role In Society .........................................115 Journalists' Perceptions of Under-Reported News and Blind Spots ....................116 Journalists'