Journalists' Perceptions of How Newspaper and Broadcast News Competition Affects Newspaper Content

In 1993, 423 journalists who had worked in both competitive- and single-daily cities were asked their perceptions of how newspaper competition affects content. A majority of journalists said competing dailies provide higher quality local news, a greater diversity of news, and a greater diversity of editorial opinions than noncompetitive dailies. A majority also said that competing dailies are less likely to become complacent but more likely to sensationalize news. In the same survey, one-third of 1,667 journalists in single-daily cities said broadcast news offers an acceptable local news alternative to the daily newspaper.