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A content analysis of the science, medical, and environmental news reported in the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post in biennial periods from 1989 to 1995 explored seven hypotheses about science reporting, news selection, and writing that were derived from the qualitatively based literature. Outcome variables were the percentage of news stories that are generated by events or are episodically generated, of news stories that are generated by science issues, of news stories with an embedded human interest component, of news stories with an embedded educational/informative component, of conflicts between scientists embedded as a writing motif, of news stories with a focus on pioneer science, and of news stories with a focus on textbook science. Five of the seven hypotheses with regard to the overall frequencies of science-reporting motifs within both newspapers were rejected. Expected qualitative patterns received only partial and equivocal support within the time periods surveyed. The findings suggest that science journalism performance, if assessed over longer periods of time, may vary from some qualitative case-study presumptions. Case studies of science news may not reflect a news organization's overall reporting, editing, and news selection trends, which appear to be more broadly prudent and responsible within the newspapers surveyed than some previous scholarship suggests.

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This study examines, distinguishes and discusses as grounded theory the changes of the past 20 years in the Chinese media system as a result of the economic reforms. While the new media market challenges the current Chinese Party orthodoxy by initiating a redistribution of power and interests, this study argues that the western model of a libertarian press system is hardly a possibility. With a convolution of the Party line and the bottom line, a Chinese media system is moving from totalitarianism to market authoritarianism. Building on the premise that previous western press systems based on the Four Theories and their updates have failed to fit the unique case of China, the authors propose new theoretical perspectives in studying media systems in transition.

/ This study compared newspaper coverage of anti-war protests in three countries based on the theoretical framework of framing. News stories in The New York Times, The Times and the People's Daily over a period of six months were analyzed in terms of news selection, prominence, sourcing pattern, frames, themes and overall favorability toward the protestors. Results show significant differences not only in coverage between contrasting media systems (US and Britain vs China), but also between comparable media systems (US vs Britain). Reasons for these differences and theoretical implications are explored.