José Joaquín Brunner
IV. Efectos de las políticas TIC
referred to, code as Government above.
G. Foreign Relations: Refers to the interaction of U.S. government with other countries; or any purely international stories.
H. Health: Any story primarily dealing with health or medicine.
I. Science and Technology: Refers to scientific research and its applications in machines, etc. Scientific research is carried out by institutions such as hospitals, universities, large corporations, and government.
J. Military: Stories dealing primarily with matters related to the military.
K. Entertainment: Stories referring to people involved in motion picture, television, stage, or other entertainment venues.
L. Lifestyle: Stories referring to the activities and concerns of ordinary people NOT applicable to topics above. Such topics may include values,
entertainment, spiritual beliefs, recreation, etc.
M. Other: Topics not described above, including consumer news, humorous events, sports, etc.
V5―ANONYMOUS SOURCING YES OR NO
DEFINITION: The variable measures only the presence or absence of sources who are not named by name. A source is any person or organization (through a spokesperson or published report) that has been quoted directly or indirectly (paraphrase) in the story. Anonymous applies even if a description is applied, such as “a source close to the president.”
Examples of unnamed sources:
A spokesman for an organization/agency/person who is not named
◦ For example, “people in the Senator’s office said”
“Congressional sources say...”
“A state department spokesperson...”
“Lawyers involved in the case say...”
Examples that DO NOT count as unnamed sources:
Sometimes a reporter will speak generally about a group of people, but is not revealing information that is anonymous. The reporter’s motive is simply to save space. In those cases, the information should not be coded as anonymous.
Some mes reporters overhear a person speaking in a crowd―at a rally or a campaign event―at those mes, it may not be possible for the reporter to get the person’s name and identifying indication. However, these instances should not be coded as anonymous sourcing.
Examples:
Many Republicans would like to see the budget cut...
Many Democrats would like to see an increase in health care spending...
“Advocates for the poor say...”
“Conservatives would like to see...”
“Stock analysts were expecting the company to report a profit...”
“A woman on the
A real‐world example:
“White House officials say the initiatives would all be paid for, with a proposed cigarette tax increase and other offsetting revenue. But GOP leaders suspect that the president’s spending wish list―totaling roughly $45 billion annually―could well end up breaching the spending caps if Congress refuses to go along with his proposed tax increases.” While this information is not attributed to a specific individual, it easily could be. Therefore, this is not an example of anonymous sourcing.
ANOTHER TYPE OF ANONYMOUS SOURCING: Sometimes reporters offer information anonymously without citing a source. Instead the information will be presented thusly:
“It has been learned...”
“The four men were identified as...”
“It has been suggested...”
“It is understood...”
These are cases of anonymous sourcing as well. Count each example as an anonymous source.
V6 – ATTEMPT AT IDENTIFICATION YES OR NO
Did the reporter explain why the source has the information? The reference must give more than just basic information.
Examples
“A source close to the president...”
“An official in the State Department...”
“A staffer for the congressman...”
Examples without enough identification
“A source said...”
“Informed sources said...”
“A reliable source said...”
“A U.S. source said...”
“A government source said...”
Code as “yes” if any of the sources receive an attempt at identification.
V7 – INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION YES OR NO
Did the reporter attempt to verify the information with someone else—including another unnamed source? Information attributed to two or more sources counts as independent verification. As long as the information is coming from more than one person, then answer “yes” on independent verification.
Examples
◦ “Congressional staffers say”
◦ “Staffers in the State Department”
◦ “Two sources close to the president confirmed...”
If it is impossible to verify information from a single source (e.g., it is just a statement of opinion from one person) then code as “yes.”
Code as “yes” if any of the sources receive independent verification.
V8 – EXPLANATION FOR ANONYMITY YES OR NO
Did the reporter explain why the source/sources received anonymity? Any context counts as explanation:
Examples
“The source, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the case, said ...”
“The source, who requested anonymity for fear of losing his job, said...”
“The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized to speak to the press, said.”
Code as “yes” if any of the sources receive an explanation for anonymity.
V9 – NUMBER OF SOURCES 1, 2, 3, or 4 or more
How many anonymous sources are in the article. If sources are used in more than one place in the article, discern if they are different and, if so, add to cumulative total. Any reference to “sources” plural should be coded as two sources.