Covering Chavez in u. S. Media: how elite reports a controversial international figure
Keywords:
Objectivity, public sphere model, press coverageAbstract
To what degree are voices that conflict with hegemonic views heard in mainstream world news coverage, and how do those patterns of public discourse change as breaking events unfold? This paper examines articles published in U.S. elite media of Venezuelan President Chavez during 2001-2002. Sixty five articles from the New York Times were content analyzed in three time periods (pre-coup, coup, and post-coup). We find that anti-Chavez voices slightly dominated public sphere discourse until an illegal coup removed him from power, and subsequently pro-Chavista voices gained more entry.
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