Kathleen A. Hansen

Source Diversity and Newspaper Enterprise Journalism

Newspaper stories that win or are submitted to win Pulitzer or other enterprise journalism awards are less likely to use official or government sources than are regular stories. This content analysis of 60 enterprise stories finds only about four of ten sources are government officials, compared with Sigals finding of up to nearly eight of ten in regular news coverage in major newspapers. Instead, enterprise stories use more ordinary people—with or without an official affiliation—as well as individuals representing labor or other special interest groups. Even so, the study speculates that the press could meet the model of using diverse sources in a pluralistic society even better.

Newsroom Topic Teams: Journalists' Assessments of Effects on News Routines and Newspaper Quality

This study examines the effects of newsroom topic teams on news routines and newspaper quality. It is based on a census survey of journalists at the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, which both instituted topic teams within six months of each other. Survey results are supplemented by focus group and written comments from journalists in these two Newspaper Guild newsrooms. The study finds that the effects of the team system on the news process and news quality have been mixed, but predominantly negative, in the assessment of these journalists.

Local Breaking News: Sources, Technology, and News Routines

The contribution of electronic information technologies to breaking general assignment and routine beat news stories in large metropolitan newspapers is examined through a content analysis and in-depth interviews with reporters. Reporters working on breaking news stories make heavy use of their own papers electronic backfiles and of fax technology, but do not use other information technologies available to them. Reporters use multiple sources for their stories and claim that electronic information technologies make it easier and faster to identify sources. However, the content analysis reveals reporters rely on the same types of sources representing the same institutional and social power structures as in the classic newsmaking studies.

Communication managers in the dominant coalition : Power attributes and communication practices

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine formal and informal types of power, and identify the characteristics of corporate communications managers who are in the dominant coalition.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports on results of a survey sent to a representative sample of S&P 500 corporate communications managers and CEOs in the USA Data about industry sector, company size, annual revenue and profitability were collected for the responding companies and a random sample of 100 non‐responding companies. The responding companies (n=161) did not significantly differ from the non‐responding companiesFindings – The paper finds that four attributes of informal power differentiate communications managers who are in the dominant coalition from those who are not: reciprocal trust, strategic business decision‐making, social inclusion and communication expertise.Research limitations/implications – Future research should explore whether any of the 37 percent of communications managers in the dom...

Presidential Endorsement Patterns by Chain-Owned Papers, 1976-84

This study of some 1,500 newspapers in presidential election years 1976, 1980, and 1984 finds that newspapers supported the Republicans about 80% of the time, yet group-owned newspapers did not do so more often than other newspapers. Chain-owned newspapers demonstrated more autonomy than has been found in some earlier studies.

Competition, Ownership, Newsroom and Library Resources in Large Newspapers

This is a comparison of competitive, monopoly joint operating, chain and independent newspapers on these major variables: size of news and library staffs, number of wire services, number of databases taken and monthly search costs. A census of daily newspapers over 100,000 in circulation found the various competitive conditions and chain ownership had no significant impact on the resource measures. This finding is consistent with most previous research on the relationship between newspaper competition, ownership and content performance.

Information Richness and Newspaper Pulitzer Prizes

A comparison of 30 stories that won or were nominated for newspaper Pulitzer Prizes with 30 matched newspaper enterprise stories from the 1985–1989 period suggests that, as hypothesized, the Pulitzer winners used more sources—reflecting more source diversity—and made greater use of such enterprise research techniques as use of library, document, and statistical sources. Winners used simple journalistic interviews proportionally less than did nonwinners. Entries from five Pulitzer Prize categories were examined, including the public service and investigative reporting categories.

Journalist and Librarian Roles, Information Technologies and Newsmaking

Information retrieval technologies and databases are causing the work of newspaper reporters and librarians to merge and blend, this survey of 105 larger daily newspapers reveals. Among newspapers studied, 90% subscribed to at least one database, with a median number of four taken. In 60% of newsrooms equipped with personal computers, reporters searched public records electronically. This study also discovered that at least four of ten newspapers that sell information from their own electronic databases are making money.

Newspaper archives reveal major gaps in digital age

In-depth interviews about the archiving practices at nine legacy newspapers and one born-digital publication reveal that legacy newspapers maintain archives of their print editions in paper, microfilm and PDF versions. Archiving of Web-only content and multimedia elements, however, is spotty or nonexistent. The public has limited or no access to digital photo and graphic archives at most newspapers.

Survey of large newspapers studies information practices

A survey of daily newspapers with more than 100,000 circulation provides general markers for six areas of information practice: access, training, quality control, archiving, revenue and alerts.