This paper compares two June 2012 news broadcasts — NBC's mainstream Meet the Press and the independent Democracy Now — analyzing differences in story selection, framing, and expert contributors. The paper examines how each outlet approached topics including immigration, the Affordable Care Act, bank credit downgrades, criminal justice reform, and campaign politics. It also considers why the two programs diverged in their coverage, exploring how commercial pressures, audience expectations, and editorial independence shape what stories get told and how they are presented.
The mainstream news program Meet the Press (NBC, June 24, 2012) focused primarily on differing views between Republicans and Democrats about the most important needs of the nation. More specifically, the moderator raised issues of racial profiling laws in various states, immigration policy reform, and the potential consequences of a pending Supreme Court decision on President Obama's Affordable Care Act — a source of significant political conflict since the early months of his administration.
Other topics of discussion included the national budget and the need to generate revenue, the ongoing controversy surrounding the "Fast and Furious" debacle and the allegations leveled against the U.S. Attorney General, and predictions about the challenges faced by the respective presidential campaigns of President Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
The independent, non-commercial newscast Democracy Now (June 22, 2012) covered the announcement by Moody's that several of the nation's largest banks had been downgraded by the credit rating agency due to their vulnerabilities to global economic conditions. The broadcast also covered the controversy surrounding a speech by Bolivia's president at the United Nations regarding regional ecological responsibility, as well as the status of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
The feature story of the newscast centered on Anthony Graves, interviewed following his release from death row in Texas after 18 years of incarceration — including 10 years in solitary confinement. That story was presented both as a criminal justice reform issue, detailing the tragedy of an erroneous conviction and imprisonment, and as a human interest issue, highlighting the inhumane conditions in which death row inmates are routinely held. Graves testified emotionally before Congress about the degradation and loss of individual identity experienced on death row in Texas.
Other stories covered by the non-commercial newscast included the ongoing conflict in Egypt surrounding national election results, President Obama's speech urging American college students to engage in the political debate over the imminent expiration of federal tuition funding, and a recent Supreme Court decision invalidating the sentencing disparity between criminal penalties for crack cocaine and powdered cocaine.
The broadcast also presented newly released police recordings of George Zimmerman regarding the killing of Trayvon Martin, and a report on the resumption of offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Finally, the broadcast examined the relevance of Mitt Romney's former firm, Bain Capital, and its reliance on outsourcing practices to reduce operating costs in the companies it acquired — and whether those practices conflicted with the concept of responsible capitalism.
"Politicians and journalists versus advocacy-oriented commentators"
"Commercial pressures and editorial independence shape story selection"
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