Explaining news : national politics and journalistic cultures in global context

Is globalization leading to a worldwide homogenization of news? Is news shaped by political spin? Or is news controlled by the professionals who produce it? By systematically testing a range of theories, this book demonstrates the inability of current communication research to explain the nature of news. By comparing the coverage of two defining crises of our time—9/11 and the War in Afghanistan—across the US, Italy, France, and Pakistan, the study develops a new theoretical framework. The model brings together previously distinct levels of analysis: the organizational environment of the single news organization, national social and political contexts, the macro level of international relations. Translated excerpts of political statements and news stories from around the world offer a rich and colorful insight into the least-known aspects of the political and public reactions in the aftermath of 9/11