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September 09, 2010 3:42 PM
How Journalists Talk About Higher Education
The relationship between journalists and American colleges and universities has changed a great deal in the last 60 years, according to a recent paper by Kalev Leetaru, the coordinator of information technology and research at the Cline Center for Democracy at the University of Illinois.
According to Leetaru’s research
More than 18 million documents comprising the entire run of the New York Times from 1945 to 2005 were examined for all references to United States research universities… to examine how coverage has changed over this period and the characteristics most commonly associated with elevated national press visibility. One of the most surprising findings is the transition of the research university from a newsmaker to a news commentator.
In 1946, 53% of articles mentioning a research university were about that university, focusing on its research or activities. Today, just 15% of articles mentioning a university are about that university: the remaining 85% simply cite high-stature faculty for soundbite commentary on current events.
It’s a little unclear if this transition is a reflection of the changing university or the changing news media but it’s an interesting shift either way.
Newspaper coverage today no longer maintains a regular section about university news; newspapers appear to mostly use university expertise simply to comment on other news.
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Crissa on September 09, 2010 6:30 PM:
It's amazing how much less news gets printed these days than in years' past.
knowledgenotebook on September 09, 2010 7:24 PM:
A dangerous thought. Were people back then more quality-focused vs. today's flashy stuff? That is a sea of culture change?
Bernard Schuster on September 09, 2010 10:37 PM:
In the 1946 maybe people weren't as aware of exactly what universities were, so they needed info about that ... especially as WWII veterans may have been evaluating where to use their GI Bill benefits. Probably the advance of TV, with TV coverage of college sports and educational TV (during the 1940s and 1950s and beyond) broadened the public's recognition of what colleges and universities are. Therefore demand for information on 'what universities are' is not as strong as it was. Since people are more aware of what universities are, 'professors' have more credibility and their comments are of interest to the public.