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What’s a Dog Story Worth?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2014

Matthew D. Atkinson ,
Maria Deam  and
Joseph E. Uscinski
Matthew D. Atkinson
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
Maria Deam
Affiliation:
University of Miami
Joseph E. Uscinski
Affiliation:
University of Miami
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Abstract

Journalists consider the importance of events and the audience’s interest in them when deciding on which events to report. Events most likely to be reported are those that are both important and can capture the audience’s interest. In turn, the public is most likely to become aware of important news when some aspect of the story piques their interest. We suggest an efficacious means of drawing public attention to important news stories: dogs. Examining the national news agenda of 10 regional newspapers relative to that of the New York Times, we evaluated the effect of having a dog in a news event on the likelihood that the event is reported in regional newspapers. The “dog effect” is approximately equivalent to the effect of whether a story warrants front- or back-page national news coverage in the New York Times. Thus, we conclude that dogs are an important factor in news decisions.

Type
Features
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 47 , Issue 4 , October 2014 , pp. 819 - 823
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2014 

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