Degree Name

MA (Master of Arts)

Program

Communication, Professional

Date of Award

5-2013

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

John King

Committee Members

Andrew Herrmann, Kelly Price

Abstract

Newspaper coverage can have a positive or negative impact on the image of an individual. This study examined the framing of Amanda Knox in newspapers published worldwide during the 4 years Knox was imprisoned in Italy. An American foreign exchange student, Knox was studying in Italy when her roommate was murdered. A content analysis of 500 major world newspapers was conducted. The study’s purpose was to determine the tone, story placement, and page placement of each mention of Amanda Knox. Newspaper articles associated with the topic were retrieved from the LexisNexis database and analyzed. The results showed that mentions of Amanda Knox were more negative in the United Kingdom and Ireland (25.9%). Story placement of Amanda Knox was more prominent in newspapers of Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, and China. Page placement of Amanda Knox mentions was more prominent in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, and China (14%).

Document Type

Thesis - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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