Understanding Discrepancies in International News Coverage of the KAL 007 Airline Incident.

ABSTRACT A study examined the influence of nation states' self-interests on their media's coverage of a major news event, in this instance, the Soviet shooting down of a Korean airliner. It was hypothesized (1) that there would be discrepancies between different accounts of the KAL 007 incident, a complex news event with international political significance, and (2) that the international alignment of a news organization's nation of origin with respect to the United States and the Soviet Union would be reflected in the way that organization characterizes the discrepant issues of the KAL 007 incident. Drawn from the media of 73 nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union, 705 articles, broadcasts and telecasts, appearing between September 1 and December 31, 1983, were coded. Countries were further subdivided into groups based on their relationships to the two superpowers. Results indicated that divergent interpretations of the KAL incident were abundant in the news media, supporting the first hypothesis. The second hypothesis was also strongly supported: every reference to discrepant issues in the Soviet media supported the Soviet version of the incident, and the U. S. media also reflected the U. S. government's position, but to a lesser extent. Findings also showed that the media of nations aligned with the Soviet Union or the United States portrayed events commensurate with their political affiliation, and that the coverage produced in neutral countries fell between the relatively polarized interpretations of the aligned nations. (Tables of data are included, and footnotes are appended.) (NKA)