International Media Coverage of North Korea: A Study of Journalists and News Reports on the Six-party Nuclear Talks

Abstract

This study examines what factors influence journalists’ perceived importance of different attributes of North Korea. In particular, this study analyzes the degree to which journalists’ perceived credibility of their sources influences their perceptions of different attributes of North Korea, even after controlling for individual, organizational, and social-system factors. To examine these issues, this study conducts a survey of South Korean and Western journalists who covered North Korea and a content analysis of media reports on North Korea. The results show that the influence of factors at different levels can vary depending on the issues or aspects of issues that journalists deal with. In the case of North Korea issues, sources at the institutional level had significant influence on journalists’ perceived importance of the rogue state dimension of North Korea. In comparison, journalists’ nationality at the social system level best predicted journalists’ perceived importance of the dialogue partner dimension of North Korea.