No News Is Bad News

o quote a line from the 1987 movie Broadcast News, "If the network doesn't cover it, it must not be important, so why worry?"

Well, there may be plenty of reasons to worry, given the results of a recent study released by the Council for

Excellence in Government called "Government: In and Out of the News." The study-conducted by the Center for Media and Public Affairs and funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts-examined news coverage of the federal government over the past 20 years. Researchers analyzed more than 400 hours of air time on the three network TV evening news programs and more than 13,000 front page stories from The Washington Post, The New York Times and four regional newspapers (Austin American Statesman, St. Petersburg Times, The Des Moines Register and San Jose Mercury News) in 1981, 1993 and 2001-the first years of the Reagan, Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.

The research produced some surprising headlines about news coverage of the federal government. In a nutshell, there has been less of it, even since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and it is more negative and judgmental-and less inclined to stick to the facts. Highlights of the study include:

• Since 1981, the number of stories touching on the federal government has dropped by 31 percent on television, 12 percent in the national print press, and 39 percent in the four regional newspapers.
• News media coverage of the federal government has focused heavily on the executive branch, comprising more than 70 percent of government-related stories in the national and local newspapers, and more than 80 percent on network news.
• Executive agencies and departments drew the most news coverage, while Congress garnered less than one in four discussions of government in the print press, and one in six on television.
• The proportion of unnamed sources dropped from one in four in 1981 to one in six in 2001. Journalists are relying more on independent experts outside government as sources. Also, they are paying little attention to foreign sources and even less attention to state and local government officials.
• Overall, evaluations of the federal government were negative by a 2-to-1 margin, and evaluations of institutions (the government or the White House) were more negative than those directed at individual officials.
• Government coverage has become more judgmental,with an overall increase of 20 percent in the number of evaluations per story. Evaluations on TV news increased by a whopping 138 percent. They were up 14 percent in the regional newspapers, but dropped by 42 percent in the national newspapers.

The study begs important questions: Are news consumers-government's customers and owners-getting the full picture? Are readers and viewers getting a variety of perspectives? Are reporters striking the right balance of facts, analysis and opinion in coverage of the government? Can the reader or viewer tell the difference? And how does this snapshot of information affect their participation, understanding and trust in their government?

The good news is that the report has been well-received by journalists. News reporters, editors and producers are using the report's findings as part of an ongoing examination of their values, principles and future. But that is only half the story.

Government leaders must ask themselves some serious questions when it comes to communicating their message, and that conversation should not be limited to just the press secretary or an agency's public affairs shop. In fact, the report makes a strong case for introspection among the entire federal government. People at all levels of government need to ask themselves: What is their role-and their responsibility-in better telling government's story? How can they work more effectively with journalists to foster excellent and understandable reporting of complex government issues? How can they better use their expertise and credibility as news sources to achieve results for reporters, their agencies, and ultimately for the people they serve?

After all, an intelligent and informed free press is vital to an intelligent and informed free democracy. We cannot have one without the other.