The Decline of Local Media and its Impacts on Business News Coverage in Oregon
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Date
2019
Authors
Pitcher, Jack Harrison
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This thesis seeks to answer whether local media layoffs have impacted the amount of business news coverage of Oregon’s largest companies. Business journalism is an important way for both the public and investors to get information about companies. It can also act as an independent check on the information companies put out about themselves. At the same time, the number of professional news reporters is rapidly shrinking, especially at the local level, as traditional newspapers struggle to remain profitable. This paper uses a database of news articles to determine if the decreasing number of journalists is having an effect on the number of articles written about some of Oregon’s largest companies, and if changes are consistent between local and national news sources. The paper also examines changes in the type and tone of articles. The resulting analyses found that the number of local business articles has dropped off significantly since 2014, while the number of national news articles about large Oregon companies has remained steady or risen. The drop off in number of articles written coincides with a period where The Oregonian, the state’s largest news organization, conducted significant layoffs of news staff.
Description
35 pages
Keywords
Accounting, Finance, Media, News, Business, Accounting, Newspaper, Oregon