DO LOCAL NEWSPAPERS REFLECT THE LOCALS? A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON LOCAL AND NATIONAL NEWS COVERAGE IN KHULNA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53808/KUS.2024.21.01.961-ssKeywords:
News Coverage, Local Newspaper, Proximity, News Theme, KhulnaAbstract
Local newspapers reflect the voices of the periphery as they have direct and close connections with the local community. This study aims to examine the coverage policy of local newspapers in Khulna, with a particular focus on a comparative analysis of local and national news. This study followed a sequential research design, employing content analysis and in-depth interview methods. The content analysis method was used to assess the several aspects of news coverage and six in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the explanation of content analysis. A total of 2,278 news articles from three local newspapers were scanned and manually inputted into a coding sheet. These codes were analyzed with Microsoft Excell-16 and news-theme was visualized with NVivo-11. The analysis was divided into three phases (i.e., Comparative coverage, news theme, and geographical proximity). The major findings indicate that the ratio of local and national news coverage demonstrates minimal variance in terms of both frequency and column-inch metrics. It has been revealed, however, that the majority of advertisements (96.02%) come from local sources but coverage of local news is comparatively lower, accounting for 53.90%. The most covered local news theme is crime (41.77%), while political news gets highest coverage in the national news category which is 29.81%. Additionally, Jessore district, one of the nearest districts of Khulna receives the highest coverage which is 13.74% while Meherpur district, geographically remotest district of Khulna, received the lowest coverage. The majority of local news is capital-centric, with the Dhaka division receiving the maximum coverage at 93.02%. It indicates that local news was not sufficiently prioritized in local newspapers. Even while geographical proximity acted as a significant factor in news coverage, the news is predominantly urban-oriented.
Downloads
References
Abedin, M. J. (2020). Monajat Uddin: A Journalist, A Torchbearer, An Inspiration. Daily Sun. https://www.daily-sun.com/post/454529/Monajat-Uddin-:-A-Journalist-A-Torchbearer-An-Inspiration
Ahsan, N. (2015). Mofossal Sangbadikota: Notun Diner Sondhane (Local Journalism: In search of New Days). In Alamgir, M, S (Eds.), Trinomul Sanhbadikota. Press Institute of Bangladesh
Akther, S. (2015). Mafasshal Sangbadpottre Grameen Sangbader cahida (The Demand of Local News in Local newspaper). In Alamgir, M, S (Eds.), Trinomul Sanhbadikota. Press Institute of Bangladesh.
Alam, M. (2012). Snagbadikotay Ponchas Bochor, Bangabandgu Ow Kichu Ekanto Kotha (Fifty Years in Journalism, Bangabandhu: Some Earnest Words). Anupom Prokashony, Dhaka
Altheide, D. (1996). The Geography of News Coverage. Communication Research, 23(4),
Bagchi, T. (1999). Trinmul Sangbadikotar Unmesh Ow Bikash (The Origin and Development of Local Journalism). Mass Line Media Center, Dhaka
Baker, M. (1994). Media coverage of education. British Journal of Educational Studies, 42(3), 286. https://doi.org/10.2307/3121887 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3121887
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (2022). Population & Housing Census 2022 Preliminary Report. Ministry of Planning, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. http://www.bbs.gov.bd/site/page/b588b454-0f88-4679-bf20-90e06dc1d10b/
Besova, A. A., & Cooley, S. C. (2009). Foreign News and public opinion: Attribute agenda-setting theory revisited. Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies, 30(2), 219–242. https://doi.org/10.1080/02560054.2009.9653403 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/ajs.30.2.219
Blood, W. (1982). Agenda setting: A review of the theory. Media Information Australia, 26(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878x8202600101 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X8202600101
Bourgeois, D., Rappaz, J., & Aberer, K. (2018). Selection Bias in News Coverage. In The Web Conference 2018 - Companion of the World Wide Web Conference, WWW 2018. Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1145/3184558.3188724 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3184558.3188724
Brodie, M., Hamel, E. C., Altman, D., Blendon, R. J., & Benson, J. M. (2003). Health News and the American Public, 1996–2002. Journal of Health Politics Policy and Law, 28(5), 927–950. https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-28-5-927 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-28-5-927
Campbell, C., Smith, E., Siesmaa, E. (2011). The educative role of a regional newspaper: Learning to be drier. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 51(2), 269-301. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ951997.pdf
Chang, C. (2011). News coverage of Health-Related Issues and its impacts on perceptions: Taiwan as an example. Health Communication, 27(2), 111–123. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2011.569004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2011.569004
Chattapaddhay, P. (2011). Bangla Songbadpotro Ow Bangalir Nobojagoron (1818-1878). (Bengali Newspapers and The Bengali Renaissance 1818-1878). Dey’s Publishing, India.
Chernov, G., & McCombs, M. (2019). Philosophical orientations and theoretical frameworks in media effects | John benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/asj.18016.che DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/asj.18016.che
Chock, S.C. & Mazon, P.R (2016). PageOneX: New Approaches to Newspaper Front Page Analysis. International Journal of Communication. Vol. 10. P, 2318–2345.
Dailey, R., & Wenger, D. H. (2016). Source Variety, event frequency, and context in newspaper crime reporting. International Journal of Communication, 10, 21. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/4431
Daily Star (2017, Feb 03). Star honours 25 editors of local newspapers. https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/star-honours-25-editors-local-newspapers-1365652
Department of Film and Publications (2023). Newspaper circulation number and advertisement rates. Dhaka, Bangladesh. Retrieved from: http://www.dfp.gov.bd/site/page/6469f3ce-a47b-453f-84e6-c60e3732bae5/
Dubied, A., & Hanitzsch, T. (2014). Studying celebrity news. Journalism, 15(2), 137-143. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884913488717 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884913488717
Erbring, L., Goldenberg, E. N., & Miller, A. H. (1980). Front-Page News and Real-World cues: A new look at Agenda-Setting by the media. American Journal of Political Science, 24(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.2307/2110923 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2110923
Fainbarg, S. L. (2002). The Influence of Local Newspaper Coverage on Municipal Police Size. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 26 (2), 249-268. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02887830 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02887830
Feng, D., & Chen, H. (2021). A small samples training framework for deep Learning-based automatic information extraction: Case study of construction accident news reports analysis. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 47, 101256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aei.2021.101256 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aei.2021.101256
Ferdsous, F (2015). Bijoyer Chuyallish Bochor: Ancholik Sangbadikotra Shorup o Shomvobona. bdnews24.com. https://bangla.bdnews24.com/blog/178380
Fong, Y. L., & Chia, T. Y. (2017). Framing Diplomatic Relations: A Comparative Analysis of Malaysian and Chinese Newspaper Coverage on Premier Li Keqiang’s Visit to Malaysia1. China Report, 53(4), 467-489. https://doi.org/10.1177/0009445517727925 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0009445517727925
Goddard, T., Ralph, K., Thigpen, C., & Iacobucci, E. (2019). Does news coverage of traffic crashes affect perceived blame and preferred solutions? Evidence from an experiment. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 3, 100073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2019.100073 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2019.100073
Gradner, V., E., M (2015). Eighteen-Century Newspapers and Public Opinion. In Martin Conboy, John Steel (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to British Media History (pp. 195-205). Routledge.
Greenberg, B. S., Heeter, C., Burgoon, J. K., Burgoon, M., & Korzenny, F. (1983). Local Newspaper Coverage of Mexican Americans. Journalism Quarterly, 60(4), 671–676. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769908306000413 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/107769908306000413
Gulyas, A., & Baines, D. (2020). Demarcating the field of local media and journalism. In Agnes Gulyas, David Baines (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Local Media and Journalism (pp.1-21). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351239943-1
Hannan, M. (2015). Purba Banglay Prothom Juger Grameen Sangabadikata (First Era Local Journalism in East Bengal). In Alamgir, M, S (Eds.), Trinomul Sanhbadikota. Press Institute of Bangladesh.
Harris, A. (2015). Forecast communication through the newspaper Part 1: Framing the forecaster. Bulletin of Volcanology, 77(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-015-0899-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-015-0899-x
Hase, V., Mahl, D., Schäfer, M. S., & Keller, T. (2021). Climate change in news media across the globe: An automated analysis of issue attention and themes in climate change coverage in 10 countries (2006–2018). Global Environmental Change, 70, 102353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102353 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102353
Heese, J., Pérez-Cavazos, G., Peter, C. D. (2022). When the local newspaper leaves town: The effects of local newspaper closures on corporate misconduct. Journal of Financial Economics, 145(2), 445-463, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2021.08.015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2021.08.015
Holder, H. & Treno, A. (1997). Media advocacy in community prevention: News as a means to advance policy change, Addiction, 92(2), 189–199. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9231444/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.1997.tb02991.x
Hong, S. C., & Oh, K.-S. (2020). Determinants of sports coverage: Newsworthiness in US media coverage of foreign athletes during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Journalism, 21(7), 933-949. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884917699034 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884917699034
Huda, S. (2020, January 13). Rangpur: History within easy grasp. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/lifestyle/travelogue/news/rangpur-history-within-easy-grasp-1853566
Khanadaker, M. (2015). Ancholik Sangbadikota: Upekkha ow Somvobona(Local Journalism: Negligence and Prospect). In Alamgir, M, S (Eds.), Trinomul Sanhbadikota. Press Institute of Bangladesh.
Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research methodology: Methods and techniques. New Age International.
Mahmud, M., A. (2015). Ancholik Sangbadikota (Local Journalism). In Alamgir, M, S (Eds.), Trinomul Sanhbadikota. Press Institute of Bangladesh.
Mamun, M. (2018). Unish Shotoke Purbobong Songbad-Samoyikpotrer Songe Romance (Romance with Newspapers- Magazines of East Bengal in Ninetieth Century). Anonya Publication, Dhaka
Manju, K., H. (2015). Gram-Nagar Sangbad Probhae Boishmmo: Somossha ow Shomvobona (Discrimination of local and national news flow: problem and possibility). In Alamgir, M, S (Eds.), Trinomul Sanhbadikota. Press Institute of Bangladesh.
Marsh, H. L. (1991). A comparative analysis of crime coverage in newspapers in the United States and other countries from 1960–1989: A review of the literature. Journal of Criminal Justice, 19(1), 67–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/0047-2352(91)90083-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0047-2352(91)90083-8
Matthews, R. (2020). Historicising the afterlife: local newspapers in the United Kingdom and the ‘art of prognosis’. In Agnes Gulyas, David Baines (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Local Media and Journalism (pp.25-33). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351239943-3
McCombs, M. (2005). A Look at Agenda-setting: past, present and future. Journalism Studies, 6(4), 543–557. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616700500250438 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616700500250438
Meijer, M.-M., & Kleinnijenhuis, J. (2006, August 3). Issue news and corporate reputation: Applying the theories of agenda setting and issue ownership in the field of business communication. OUP Academic. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006.00300.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006.00300.x
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (2021). Daily Newspaper's Online News Portal List for Registration. https://moi.gov.bd/site/notices/4892244e-eaa7-4f46-991f-868a83daa6af/
Mohr, S., & Höhler, J. (2023). Media coverage of digitalization in agriculture - an analysis of media content. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 187, 122238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122238 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122238
Morton, L. P., & Warren, J. (1992). Proximity: Localization vs. Distance in PR News Releases. Journalism Quarterly, 69(4), 1023–1028. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769909206900420 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/107769909206900420
Moslem, S. (1992). Local news in the newspaper: flow and nature analysis. Nirikkha, (58). Press Institute of Bangladesh
Ogan, C. (1987). Coverage of Development News in Developed and Developing Countries. Journalism Quarterly, 64(1), 80-87. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769908706400110 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/107769908706400110
Olien, C. N., Donohue, G. A. & Tichenor, P. J (1995). Conflict, consensus and public opinion, in Glaser, T.L. & Salmon, C. T. (eds.), Public opinion and the communication of consent, (pp. 301–322). Guilford
Oliver, P. E., Maney, G. M. (2000). Political Processes and Local Newspaper Coverage of Protest Events: From Selection Bias to Triadic Interactions. American Journal of Sociology, 106 (2), pp.463-505. https://doi.org/10.1086/316964 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/316964
Oppegaard, B., & Rabby, M. K. (2015). Proximity: Revealing new mobile meanings of a traditional news concept. Digital Journalism, 3(5), https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2015.1063075 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2015.1063075
Otis, A. (2022). Hicky's Bengal Gazette: the untold story of India's first newspaper. Penguin Random House India Private Limited.
Pal, T. (1972). Bharater sangbadpatra o sangbadikatar itihas, 1780-1947(History of Newspapers and Journalism in India, 1780-1947) (1st ed.). Patra Parakash. Retrieve from: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.266545/page/n3/mode/2up?view=theater
Parthib, S. (2017, April 18). The legacy of Kangal Harinath. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/country/the-legacy-kangal-harinath-1391845
Patino, M.P. & Ferreira, J.C (2018). Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria in Research Studies: Definitions and Why They Matters. Continuing Education: Scientific Methodology. 44 (2), pp.84. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1806-37562018000000088 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/s1806-37562018000000088
Paul. D (2004). Hindoo Patriot and Hurish Chunder Mookherjea: A Study in Colonial Resistance. Victorian Periodicals Review. Vol. 37. P 161-175
Perse, E. (1990). Media involvement and local news Effects. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 34(1), 17-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838159009386723 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08838159009386723
Pitts, B. J. (1987). The news selection process of student and professional journalists. Newspaper Research Journal, 9(1), 41–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/073953298700900104 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/073953298700900104
Rahman, M. G. (1999). Communication Issues in Bangladesh, Har- Anand Publication Pvt, New Delhi
Rausch, S., A. (2012). Japan's Local Newspapers: Chihōshi and Revitalization Journalism. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203116982
Rausch, S., A. (2020). A History of the Local Newspaper in Japan. In Agnes Gulyas, David Baines (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Local Media and Journalism (pp.34-43). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351239943-4
Ray, M. R. (1999). Technological change and associational life. In T. Skocpol & M. P. Fiorina (Eds.), Civic engagement in American democracy (pp. 297-329). Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press
Ray, S. S. (2015). Mafossol Songbadpotre Tottho Ahoron Ow Bikiron Prkokriya (The process of information collection and distribution of local newspaper). In Alamgir, M, S (Eds.), Trinomul Sanhbadikota. Press Institute of Bangladesh.
Reese, S. D. (2001). Framing public life: Perspectives on media and our understanding of the social world (Lea’s communication series). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410605689
Reisner, A. E. (1992). The News Conference: How Daily Newspaper Editors Construct the Front Page. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 69(4), 971–986. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769909206900416 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/107769909206900416
Roberts, M., B. Stewart, D. Tingley, and E. Airoldi. (2013). The structural topic model and applied social science. Neural Information Processing Society. http://www.tinyurl.com/y67skpul
Rose, S. H. (2014). “Local news counts: a focus upon local news and its effects on community attachment”. Lowa State University
Salam, A. Y. a. U. (2015, April 23). STORY OF THE BANGLA PRESS. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/the-star/cover-story/story-the-bangla-press-3161
Sardar, S. (2023, Jan 18). Local newspapers are now in dire straits. The Daily Samakal, Dhaka, Bangladesh. https://samakal.com/whole-country/article/2301151891(Retrieved on 21 January, 2023)
Sarker, J. I., Islam, T., Islam, M. N. (2022). Mapping 20 Years of Research Using Bangladeshi Newspapers: A Bibliometric Analysis. Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 21(4) DOI: https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.1087152
Seema, M. (2015). Songbadpotre Ancholik Khobor: Dhara o Prokriti Bisleshon. In Md. Shah Alamgir (Edis.), Trinomul Sangbadikata (Journalism at Grass Root Lavel) (pp. 481-487). Press Institute of Bangladesh
Shoemaker, P. J., (2007) Proximity and Scope as News Values, In E. Devereux (Eds.), Media Studies, Key Issues and Debates, (p. 229-247), Sage Publication
Siddiki, A., & Hossain, Z. (2002) Ancholik Songbadpotro Bikasher Dhara Onusondhan: Poriprekkhit Upokulio Noy Zelar Songbadpotro (An Investigation into the Development of Local Newspapers: in Context of Nine Coastal Districts’ Newspapers). Mass Line Media Center, Dhaka.
Sjøvaag, H. (2014). Homogenisation or Differentiation? Journalism Studies, 15(5), 511-521. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2014.885275 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2014.885275
Stevenson, R.L. and R. Cole (1984). Issues in foreign news. In R.L. Stevenson and D.L. Shaw (Eds.), Foreign News and the News World Information Order (pp. 5-20), Iowa: Iowa State University Press
Tuchman, G. (1978). The Geography of News. The American Journal of Sociology, 84(5)
Vliegenthart, R., Boomgaarden, H. G., & Boumans, J. W. (2011). Changes in political news coverage: personalization, conflict and negativity in British and Dutch newspapers. In Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks (pp. 92–110). https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230294783_6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230294783_6
Waldman, S. (2011). The information needs of communities, Federal Communications Commission
Wiener, J., H. (2015). The Nineteenth Century and the Emergence of a Mass Circulation Press. In Martin Conboy, John Steel (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to British Media History (pp. 206-214). Routledge
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Khulna University Studies
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.