The Influence of Chain Ownership on News Play: A Case Study of Knight-Ridder Newspapers

Abstract

A truly diverse press not only takes seriously its political role of fostering robust debate but stands committed to its cultural role of providing a distinctively local context for the issues and discussions it reports. However, what contributes to the diminution of press diversity remains a controversial question that continues to attract considerable study and debate. The more particular question of the influence of ownership on the uniformity of news has led to inconclusive research. To take a closer look at this question, a study examined and compared the accounts of Gary Hart's involvement with Donna Rice in: (1) 29 newspapers owned by the Knight-Ridder chain; (2) a matched sample of 29 newspapers that were not owned by Knight-Ridder but that subscribed to the Knight-Ridder news service; and (3) a matched sample of 27 newspapers that were neither owned by Knight-Ridder nor subscribers to the Knight-Ridder news service. Results showed that Knight-Ridder (owners of the "Miami-Herald" which first broke the story) newspapers as a group gave more and better play to the Gary Hart story, which points to the subtle influence that chains can exert on their member newspapers. The evidence also calls into question a chain's ability to meet the commitment to press diversity and a distinctly local agenda. (Thirty notes, one figure, and two tables of data are included.) (MS)