Unprecedented study examines political coverage on Spanish TV

The first comprehensive analysis of Spanish-language TV network coverage of US politics was unveiled during a webcast news briefing on Thursday, February 17. Researchers from the Lear Center Local News Archive, a project of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the University of Wisconsin, studied network and local news coverage by Univision and Telemundo stations in Los Angeles, Miami and New York in the weeks leading up to the 2004 local and national U.S. elections. ?This study provides important baseline data on how U.S. politics is covered by the Spanish-language broadcast media,? said Roberto Suro, director of the Pew Hispanic Center, which funded the study. ?Getting a handle on the extent and quality of political coverage on Spanish TV is important,? he added, ?not only because these broadcasts reach a number of voters, but also because a great many immigrants are learning about our political culture and getting to know our political leaders through these news shows.?
Media advisory