A Comparison of a Local Newspaper and Television Coverage of a Murder Investigation Using Content Analysis

This dataset is designed to teach how to determine differences in presentation of the same news event by different media by using content analysis. The dataset is provided by Professor Mary E. Beadle from John Carroll University, The Tim Russert Department of Communication and Theater in Cleveland, Ohio. The data are drawn from publicly available Cleveland Plain Dealer articles through the Cleveland Public Library system and WEWS-TV television reports available through the Northeast Ohio Broadcast Archives. The researcher for this project was interested in comparing local media sources for a high-profile crime story to determine differences in coverage. The example focuses on how content differences between print and television news coverage of a local murder can be qualitatively examined. Although the news reports included were early in the investigation of the murder, these stories demonstrate how local news can present different viewpoints to the audience. These differences are important to understand since such research provides insight into how news is covered by a traditional newspaper and television station. This gives a basis for analyzing Internet news coverage that combines elements of both newspaper and television, but often in a shorter written style with photos and links to videos. Differences are also important to understand to consider how decisions are made by reporters, editors, and others that result in variations in content among media. The dataset files are accompanied by a Teaching Guide and a Student Guid