Content patterns of editorials in selected Indiana college newspapers

This thesis involved an analysis of editorials in selected Indiana college newspapers. This analysis attempted to find out what college editors were saying. A major concern of this study was t o determine whether college editors were commenting primarily on campus topics or whether they were writing mostly about off-campus subjects.There are approximately forty-two college newspapers in Indiana. The numbers vary with economic conditions and other factors unique to a particular college. Newspapers were categorized according to frequency of distribution--newspapers published more than once a week, weekly, and less than once a week. Then they were rank ordered by enrollment figures within each distribution group.Four schools, representing various enrollment figures and geographic locations, were chosen from each of the three frequency categories. Four issues representing a two-month Period were obtained from each of the twelve schools. These forty-eight issues yielded a total of fifty-five editorials to be surveyed.Editorials were classified according to geographic emphasis and subject category. Demographic factors such as frequency of distribution, financial support of newspaper, campus enrollment, financial support of college, and editorial percentage of newshole were also included in this analysis.The findings of this study indicate college editors published most of their editorials about campus affairs. Of the fifty-five editorials surveyed, comment about the administration accounted for the largest percentage of editorial content, although the largest number of editorials were written about campus life.Newspapers published less than once a week devoted all of their editorial space to campus topics. However, college weeklies published more column inches about campus topics and used a bigger portion of their newshole for editorials than the other two newspaper groups.Private school newspapers reserved all their editorial comment for campus affairs while public school newspapers reserved some editorial comment for non-campus topics.Newspapers supported primarily by subsidy devoted the greatest percentage of editorials to campus life. Newspapers supported primarily by subscription devoted the largest Percentage of their editorial content to the administration. Newspapers supported primarily by advertising devoted the largest percentage of their editorial content to non-campus news while newspapers supported by a variety of methods devoted the largest percentage of their editorial content to campus life.Thesis (M.A.