Nationwide Newspaper Coverage of Genetically Modified Foods
11
11
that are genetically altered. Since availability of medical care is one index of city support
for medical efforts to reduce suffering, it is reasonable to assume that coverage would be
more favorable in cities with a higher percentage of healthcare access. If a city is
spending a substantial portion of its revenue on healthcare it is presumably interested in
new technologies that can improve health and living conditions, a hypothesis confirmed
in a study of coverage of Dr. Kevorkian (Pollock, Coughlin, Thomas, Connaughton,
1996). Accordingly:
H6 The larger the number of physicians per 100,000, the more favorable the
coverage of genetically modified foods.
H7 The higher the percent of municipal budget devoted to healthcare, the more favorable
coverage of modified foods.
Stakeholders
Nationwide city newspaper samples using the community structure approach
have confirmed links between stakeholder size and relatively favorable coverage of
stakeholder concerns. While eating genetically modified foods is available to American
citizens, the amount produced is a more important issue for some stakeholders than
others. Previous community structure studies have found that the larger the size of groups
in a given city, the more likely newspaper are to report favorably on issues pertinent to
these groups (McLeod & Hertog, 1992, 1999). This “stakeholder” finding was also
confirmed in studies of same sex marriages (Pollock & Dantas, 1998) and physician
assisted suicide (Pollock & Yulis, 1999), in which the number of organizations marketing
to gays and percent population 75+ were linked to reporting perspectives favoring the
concerns of these groups. Those who frequently participate in related activities are more
Convention