| Description |
This paper looks at ageism in America and how the media, specifically print journalism, contributes to or fights this prejudice. To study the local media's coverage of the 65 plus population, I did a quantitative analysis of a month's worth of The Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News. With each paper I counted the total number of photos and the number of 65 plus photos, the number of profiles and the number of 65 plus profiles. I also counted the number of aged in the news articles, those in which a 65 plus person plays a central role, i.e. Bob Dole promises a tax cut. In addition I counted and evaluated all aging stories. I then compared these numbers to the percentage of the 65 plus population in Utah and the United States. I found in most categories that both papers do not adequately represent the 65 plus population. One shining exception was the number of 65 plus profiles. However, in most other categories both papers fell well below the national and local percentage of the 65 plus population. During my analysis I noticed few stories and photos with women over 65. Thus, I began another count of 65 plus women. I found that indeed older women are even more underrepresented than older men. Overall I found both papers could improve their coverage of the 65 plus population. |
