Media Images of Sub-Saharan African Countries on the Three U.S. Television News Networks (Abc, Cbs, and Nbc) From January 1980 to September 1988: a Content Analysis

This study was undertaken to provide an understanding of how the networks gave news coverage of Sub-saharan African countries from January 1980 to September 1988. The research questions were: what sort of news coverage do these countries get, and more specifically, what salient events are more likely to appear on American television networks? A content analysis of the networks\u27 evening newscasts was conducted using the Television News Index and Abstracts. The findings support the research hypotheses that: (1) Networks coverage of Sub-saharan Africa is likely to focus on crises; and (2) the coverage is likely to parallel concerns of American foreign policy