The Jeremiad Over Journalism

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Table 8 – Percentage of issue news coverage for The New York Times between 1968 and 2008
An example of the above-mentioned issue coverage concerning immigration during the 2001
election campaign can be found in Politiken on November 2. Rikke Egelund‘s article-lead quoted
below exemplifies the three ensuing weeks of political campaign coverage based on the issue of
immigration.
Issue news New York Times
1968 1980 1988 2000 2008
―In less than 20 years the number of decendants of foreigners from ‘lesser-developed
countries‘ in the marriageable age in this country will have increased seven-fold. If the young
people continue to bring spouses from their homeland at the same rate as today it will mean a
multiplication in the number of family reunifications.‖ 541
541 Rikke Egelund, "Eksplosiv Stigning I Indvandring [Explosive Increase in Immigration]," Politiken, November 2,
2001. Page 1. My translation. Original text reads. ―Om mindre end 20 år vil antallet af efterkommere af udlændinge fra
'mindreudviklede lande' i den giftefærdige alder her i landet være syvdoblet. Hvis de unge fortsætter med at hente
ægtefællerne fra hjemlandet i samme takt som i dag, vil det betyde en mangedobling i antallet af
familiesammenføringer.‖
176
N (1968) = 77
N (1980) = 55
N (1988) = 44
N (2000) = 54
N (2008) = 45
New York Times
Linear tendency (New
York Times)