Abstract

Nationwide Newspaper Coverage of Embryonic Stem Cell Research:
A Community Structure Approach

This study uses a "community structure approach" to explore the connection between city characteristics and nationwide newspaper coverage of embryonic stem cell research.

A sample of 350 articles, chosen from 21 newspapers across the nation, were coded for "prominence" and article "direction" (favorable, unfavorable, or neutral). The results were combined to calculate a single-score "Media Vector" for each newspaper. Pearson and regression analysis revealed that three variables accounted for 85% of the variance: "health care access" (number of physicians per 100,000 residents); "stakeholders" (% Catholic and % Republican); and "media access" (% cable-subscribers). Healthcare and media access are linked to favorable coverage of stem cell research.