Portrayal of Journalists on Prime Time Television

Abstract

Journalists appear frequently in prime time, with television journalists more often playing an ethical role than do newspaper journalists. This content analysis of 1987 programs from three networks finds that 19 of 20 journalists portrayed are white and that they are mostly between the ages of 30 and 50. There are more male than female newspaper journalists portrayed; as television journalists portrayed, however, males and females appear about equally as often. A semantic differential measure, using students as evaluators, finds journalists to be articulate, brave, and competent, among other traits. In general, those portrayed as television journalists came off better than did those portrayed as newspaper journalists.