Editorial and Opinion

The Dwindling Marketplace of Ideas in Today's News

Steven M. Hallock

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2006
• Print ISBN:
  9780275993306
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780313087783
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

In 1930 there were 288 competitive major newspaper markets in the United States. Today, there are fewer than 30. The diminishing diversity of opinion and voices in newspapers editorials is taking place even as technological advances seemingly provide more sources of (the same) information. As Hallock shows, the concentration of media ownership in fewer and fewer hands allows those individuals and entities an inordinate amount of influence. In this intriguing book, he examines 18 newspaper markets to show us exactly how and where this troubling trend is occurring, what it means for the political landscape, and, ultimately, how it can affect us all.

Newspaper editorials say a lot about the society in which we live. They are not just an indication and reflection of the issues of the day and of which way the political wind is blowing. They are also a part of the political climate that sets the agenda for politicians, and helps them discern which are the hot-button issues and which side people are on. Journalists and politicians enjoy a level of symbiosis in their relationships-they influence each other indirectly. It therefore follows that when fewer ideas, and a narrower range of opinions, are expressed in the nation's newspapers, there is a real danger that our thinking can become more simplistic as well.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Tables
• Series Foreword by Jeffrey Scheuer
• Foreword by John Downing
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• (1) Of Slavery and Sunsets
• (2) Dueling Editorial Pens
• (3) Wars Hot and Cold: The Seeds of JOA
• (4) The New Deal and World War
• (5) 2004 Presidential Campaign: A Split Editorial Decision
• (6) The Good Fight: Editorialists Enjoy Competition
• (7) The Depleted Shelves of the Ideas Marketplace
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• Table I.1: U.S. Cities with Competing Daily Newspapers
• Table 2.1: Geographic Concentration of Editorials in the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 2.2: Editorials by Topic Category in the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 2.3: Editorials of Common Topics and Their Agreement and Disagreement in the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 2.4: Editorials of Common Topic Ideological Disagreement in the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 2.5: Editorials of Support and Opposition to Policies and Decisions of the Administration of President George W. Bush in the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 2.6: Geographic Concentration of Editorials in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader and Citizens’ Voice for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 2.7: Editorials by Topic Category in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader and Citizens’ Voice for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 2.8: Editorials of Common Topics and Their Agreement and Disagreement in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader and Citizens’ Voice for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 2.9: Editorials of Common Topic Ideological Disagreement in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader and Citizens’ Voice for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 3.1: Geographic Concentration of Editorials in the Cincinnati Enquirer and Post for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 3.2: Editorials by Topic Category in the Cincinnati Enquirer and Post for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 3.3: Editorials of Common Topics and Their Agreement and Disagreement in the Cincinnati Enquirer and Post for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 3.4: Editorials of Common Topic Ideological Disagreement in the Cincinnati Enquirer and Post for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 3.5: Editorials of Support and Opposition to Policies and Decisions of the Administration of President George W. Bush in the Cincinnati Enquirer and Post for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 3.6: Geographic Concentration of Editorials in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and News-Sentinel for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 3.7: Editorials by Topic Category in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and News-Sentinel for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 3.8: Editorials of Common Topics and Their Agreement and Disagreement in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and News-Sentinel for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 3.9: Editorials of Common Topic Ideological Disagreement in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and News-Sentinel for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 3.10: Editorials of Support and Opposition to Policies and Decisions of the Administration of President George W. Bush in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and News-Sentinel for January 2001 andJanuary 2003
• Table 4.1: Geographic Concentration of Editorials in the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 4.2: Editorials by Topic Category in the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 4.3: Editorials of Common Topics and Their Agreement and Disagreement in the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 4.4: Editorials of Common Topic Ideological Disagreement in the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 4.5: Editorials of Support and Opposition to Policies and Decisions of the Administration of President George W. Bush in the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 4.6: Geographic Concentration of Editorials in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Greensburg Tribune-Review for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 4.7: Editorials by Topic Category in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Greensburg Tribune-Review for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 4.8: Editorials of Common Topics and Their Agreement and Disagreement in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Greensburg Tribune-Review for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 4.9: Editorials of Common Topic Ideological Disagreement in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Greensburg Tribune-Review for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 4.10: Editorials of Support and Opposition to Policies and Decisions of the Administration of President George W. Bush in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Greensburg Tribune-Review for January 2001 and January 2003
• Table 5.1: Direct Competition Markets
• Table 5.2: JOA Competition Markets
• Table 5.3: Metroplex Competition Markets
• Table 6.1: Editorial Editors’ Attitudes on Editorial Issues