Douglas McLeod

University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, Faculty Member

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Papers by Douglas McLeod

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

A study examined the influence of nation states' self-interests on their media's coverage of a ma... more 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)

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Anarchists Wreak Havoc in Downtown Minneapolis: A Case Study of Media Coverage of Radical Protest

Media in democratic societies are generally assumed to have a responsibility to provide a forum f... more Media in democratic societies are generally assumed to have a responsibility to provide a forum for the articulation of diverse ideas, including radical discourse. Research on media coverage of groups which challenge the status quo, however, shows the limitations of the media in the democratic exchange of ideas. To evaluate the coverage of one of these "deviant" groups, an analysis focused on news coverage of two recent anarchist marches in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Articles and television coverage from local newspapers and television stations were analyzed to determine the rhetoric used to describe the marches, the sources of information cited by the media, and the ideological frames of reference used to structure elements of the story. Results showed that the media (1) covered the anarchist marches in Minneapolis with a pro-establishment orientation; (2) tended to "marginalize" the group by focusing on the group's violence and appearance, as opposed to the issues being raised; and (3) framed the marchers as being in opposition to law enforcement instead of to government and big business. In addition, research on other newspapers shows that to gain exposure to a diversity of viewpoints on social protest, which includes thorough discussion of the issues being raised, it is necessary to go outside mainstream media accounts of social movements. (Sixteen notes are included.) (MS)

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A Multiperspectival Approach to Framing Analysis: A Field Guide

... before. Page 171. 154 FRAMING PUBLIC LIFE One shortcoming of quantitative text analysis metho... more

Exploring Numerical Framing Effects: The Interaction Effects of Gain/Loss Frames and Numerical Presentation Formats on Message Comprehension, Emotion, and Perceived Issue Seriousness

Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 2020

Statistical information permeates media messages, but little is known about how the use of differ... more Statistical information permeates media messages, but little is known about how the use of different presentation formats influences message processing. Thus, we explore numerical framing effects by examining how presentation formats interact with gain/loss frames to alter message processing and issue perceptions. We found that logically equivalent information embedded in gain/loss frames generated different levels of comprehension when it was presented in a frequency format. The gap, however, disappeared when it was displayed in a percentage format. Different comprehension levels then shaped negative emotions differently, which in turn affected perceived issue seriousness. Mediational analyses tentatively suggest that numerical framing occurred through cognitive and emotional responses. The implications are discussed.

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Don’t Quote me: Effects of Named, Quoted, and Partisan News Sources

Journalism Practice, 2019

Many news organizations have developed policies on the use of named and unnamed sources, includin... more Many news organizations have developed policies on the use of named and unnamed sources, including whether the latter can be directly quoted or paraphrased in news stories. In this experiment, we test how audience members respond to these policy dictates by measuring news credibility in a political story that manipulated whether the source was named, whether that source was directly quoted, and the source's political connection to the story. We found that while each of these manipulations had little or no main effects, they combined to trigger a discernible change in credibility in the eyes of the audience.

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Framing Obesity: Effects of Obesity Labeling and Prevalence Statistics on Public Perceptions

Health Education & Behavior, 2018

The rising prevalence rate of obesity in the United States has accentuated concerns about obesity... more The rising prevalence rate of obesity in the United States has accentuated concerns about obesity-related problems as a major public health issue, which has motivated widespread efforts to increase public knowledge and to motivate individuals to change their relevant behaviors. Although health campaign messages commonly include information about prevalence rates for obesity, the impact of obesity labeling and prevalence rate descriptions in such messages has been overlooked by researchers. This online framing experiment fills the research gap by investigating the effects of obesity labeling (disease vs. body type) and prevalence statistics (prevalence rates of obesity, extreme obesity, combined overweight–obesity, or no prevalence information). Our findings suggest that obesity perceptions deviate from reality and that participants use framed cues in the health message as reference points when making judgments related to the nature and prevalence of obesity. Moreover, this study sho...

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News Coverage and Social Protest: How the Media's Protect Paradigm Exacerbates Social Conflict

Journal of Dispute Resolution, 2007

Past research on media coverage of social protests has yielded evidence of a protest paradigm: a ... more Past research on media coverage of social protests has yielded evidence of a protest paradigm: a set of news coverage patterns that typifies mainstream media coverage. This coverage generally disparages protesters and hinders their role as vital actors on the political stage. The lack of respect for the value of social protest inherent in such coverage has created frustration among the protesters, which has in turn contributed to dysfunctional confrontations. However, under certain conditions, journalists will deviate from the protest paradigm. Such aberrations were found in the Los Angeles Times' coverage of the May 1, 2006, "Day without Immigrants" demonstrations. An analysis of this coverage reveals that the reporters relaxed the conventions of the protest paradigm in favor of more constructive forms of news coverage, permitting a more functional discourse to emerge from the conflict. Based on insights gleaned from this analysis, this paper argues that society would reap enormous benefits if journalists would abandon the traditional protest paradigm in favor of multi-perspective approaches. Following a summary of this analysis, specific suggestions for improving protest coverage are made, which will ultimately enhance the dynamics and outcomes of social conflicts. Most protest groups operate with limited resources and have a difficult time securing public visibility, disseminating information, and exerting influence. Though the Internet has certainly compensated somewhat for the lack of resources in achieving such goals, most protest groups still attempt to engage mass media. However, getting media attention puts many protest groups in a precarious situation. A peaceful protest that focuses on articulating issue positions is not likely to fit established news conventions for what makes a good news story. As such, protest groups often engage in activities that provide the kind of drama that garners media attention. For example, the media largely ignored the Minneapolis anti-pornography movement until demonstrators ransacked an adult bookstore.' Anarchist protests in Minneapolis got the attention of local media when they impaled a Pillsbury doughboq, demolished a TV set, and smashed the windows of a Marine recruiting station. Protests against the World Trade Organization got

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News Frames and National Security

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Measurement Details for Arab Study

Opinion on Stem Cell Research Measure

PsycTESTS Dataset, 2008

French Abstract

Journal of Communication, Mar 1, 2007

Antecedents to Support for Content Restrictions

Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Jun 1, 2008

Spanish Abstract

Journal of Communication, Mar 1, 2007

Applying a Cognitive-Processing Model to Presidential Debate Effects: Postdebate News Analysis and Primed Reflection

Journal of Communication, Mar 1, 2007

This article integrates priming and framing into a cognitive-processing model that illustrates ho... more This article integrates priming and framing into a cognitive-processing model that illustrates how the effects of watching a presidential debate might be influenced by a priming message as it interacts with an individual's schema. We examine how the frame of postdebate news analysis primes audience reflection on a previously viewed segment from the 2004 presidential debates (a process we identify as ''primed reflection''). Results show that the influence of postdebate news analysis is a function of the interaction between the news-analysis frame (policy vs. performance) and the individual-level factors, namely, political knowledge and propensity to reflect on media content.

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Korean Abstract

Journal of Communication, Mar 1, 2007

Framing Effects of News Coverage of the Embryonic Stem Cell Controversy: Issue Involvement as an Effects Moderator

Communication Research Reports, Nov 5, 2008

This study examines reactions to ethical and strategic framing in the news coverage of the embryo... more This study examines reactions to ethical and strategic framing in the news coverage of the embryonic stem cell research controversy, depending on the level of issue involvement. In order to test hypotheses regarding the effects of strategic vs. ethical frames and the moderating role played by issue involvement, an online experiment was conducted. Results indicated that these two frames interacted

Understanding Third-Person Perception Processes: Predicting Perceived Impact on Self and Others for Multiple Expressive Contexts

Journal of Communication, Jun 1, 2005

... Jennifer L. Lambe (PhD, 2000, University of Minnesota) is an assistant professor at the Unive... more

Another Point of View: Scholarly Responses to the State of Third-Person Research

Mass Communication and Society, May 1, 2023

Navigating a Diverse Paradigm: A Conceptual Framework for Experimental Framing Effects Research

Review of Communication Research, 2022

This review introduces a conceptual framework with three elements to highlight the richness of th... more This review introduces a conceptual framework with three elements to highlight the richness of the framing effects literature, while providing structure to address its fragmented nature. Our first element identifies and discusses the Enduring Issues that confront framing effects researchers. Second, we introduce the Semantic Architecture Model (SAM), which builds on the premise that meaning can be framed at different textual units within a text, which can form the basis of frame manipulations in framing effects experiments. Third, we provide an Inventory of Framing Effects Research Components used in framing effects research illustrated with salient examples from the framing effects literature. By offering this conceptual framework, we make the case for revitalizing framing effects research.

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Staying silent and speaking out in online comment sections: The influence of spiral of silence and corrective action in reaction to news

Computers in Human Behavior, 2020

Through the lenses of Spiral of Silence Theory, the Corrective Action Hypothesis, and peer influe... more Through the lenses of Spiral of Silence Theory, the Corrective Action Hypothesis, and peer influence research, we conducted an online experiment to identify the influence of varying opinion climates on opinion expression about a news controversy. This study expands the corrective action literature by manipulating the perceived opinion climate and measuring opinion change and subsequent expression. After all participants (N=415) read the same news story, they were randomly assigned to one of five opinion climate conditions (supportive, oppositional, mixed, uncertain or polarized) operationalized through user comments following the story. The experiment allowed participants to reply, comment, do both, or not further engage in an attempt to mirror real-world expression behavior. The results suggest that the opinion climate formed by news comments influenced the opinions and comments of participants, providing evidence that those who hold strong opinions are more likely to comment when they perceive the opinion climate to be oppositional rather than supportive to their worldview.

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