Framing the world news: TheTimes of Indiain changing times

Abstract

How did the dramatic transformation in the international political environment that occurred in 1990–1991 affect the selection of the international news by the Times of India? This article reports a content analysis of every 10th front page of the newspaper between 1985 and 1993 and supplements the data with an analysis of editorial commentary. A fairly even pattern of distribution between domestic and international events was found over the period. Geographical proximity and cultural/historical ties were important determinants of the amount of news coverage; that is, South Asia as a region consistently received more attention than any other region. The United States received far more attention than any other single country, more than twice that of the Soviet Union/ Russia. The content analysis revealed only a modest change in the international news coverage after 1991. Economic issues were discussed a bit more often, but there was little change in the geographical priorities. News attention did not become more dispersed among a broader range of countries, as would be expected in a more multipolar world. There was no decrease in attention to Russia and only a small increase for the United States. A qualitative analysis of editorial themes helps to explain the continuity in the news coverage after the end of the Cold War. This study demonstrates the importance of news frames in determining the selection of international news and the resistance of these frames to change.

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