Proximity and Power Factors in Western Coverage of the Sub-Saharan AIDS Crisis

Abstract

This content analysis explores the relationship between proximity/power status factors and news coverage of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa in the elite press of the United States and Britain. Coverage from six publications— Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, The Economist, New York Times, and London Times—was compared with reported AIDS incidence in the hardest-hit African countries over two decades. AIDS coverage was related to year of publication, country of origin, and former colony status. Strongest predictors of coverage included military spending, scientific research, GDP, GNP, population, government type, and number of highways. Proximity and power status factors may mediate the flow of capital (information, money, and goods) between dominant and dependent nations.

Telling “Our” Story Through News of Terrorism

“…Thus, as cultural and geographic distances become greater, journalistic representation becomes more and more symbolic and audience understanding becomes more subjective. Galtung and Ruge (1965) provided the foundation for this conception of foreign news coverage, which has been applied (i.e., Swain, 2003;Zaharopoulos, 1990) and refined (i.e., Cohen et al, 1990) many times since. The distance dimension of events shapes the way that events are covered, so that journalists ''domesticate'' foreign news (Cohen et al, 1995) in an attempt to create links of meaning between actual events and the lived experiences of the audience.…”

Framing of AIDS in Africa: Press-state relations, HIV/AIDS news, and journalistic advocacy in four sub-Saharan Anglophone newspapers

“…Schudson has noted, journalists "add something to every story they run"; a journalist "has the professional obligation to frame the message" (pp. [19][20]. 77 Thus, outcomes can also be shaped when news stories contextualize source frames.…”

Diffusion through Democracy

“…First, and most importantly, both measures reflect country‐specific understandings of newsworthiness. Culturally proximate countries pay far more attention to each other's developments and exchange far more newspapers than culturally distant countries (Buckman 1993; Swain 2003). However, these exchanges are asymmetrical, with richer countries receiving much greater prominence in domestic news, and exporting far more newspapers, than poorer countries (Ramos, Ron, and Thoms 2007).…”

“…In turn, media coverage focuses disproportionately on certain countries. Diverse studies indicate that news coverage tends to focus on proximate countries, where proximity is understood in geographic, linguistic, and cultural terms (e.g., Buckman 1993; Swain 2003). However, not all proximate countries benefit from equal coverage; large economies get disproportionate coverage (e.g., Ramos, Ron, and Thoms 2007).…”