Rena Adler- Outline

I. Introduction
a. Following an event, different newspapers elect to convey or omit certain facts or details so as to effectively cater to the diverse needs and desires of their respective readers.

b. Although newspapers such as The New York Times argue that their portrayal of news is accurate, “in a world of second opinions, get the facts first”, in reality newspapers are politically slanted and display differing points of view to meet their readers needs. As illustrated in Where Trouble Comes, even when regarding a news story, “the report of the morning’s story becomes distorted, not only by height but by distance…”

c. The above argument can clearly be seen through the tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
i. For instance, The Guardian, a British newspaper, overtly states problems found in American infrastructure, “77,000 Bridges in Need of Urgent Repair.” Conversely, American newspapers such as The New York Times and New York Post work to tone down the severity of the matter, “States across the Country Race to Inspect Bridges.” The use of diction such as “urgent” which strongly connotes a sense that the bridges are in dire need of immediate repair, do not appear in American headlines.

II. Body
a. While American newspapers or films work to display nationalism and a sense of control rather than urgency and lack of proper attention, non- American newspapers are written for readers who do not have nationalistic feelings toward America.
i. For instance, The Guardian, a British newspaper, in direct contrast to American newspapers, states, “the collapse highlights again the lack of investment by the world’s superpower in much of its infrastructure…” The above statement is surely not one which Americans wish to hear. Indeed, The New York Post claims, “even after billions of tax dollars were spent to repair the city’s bridges over the past decade…”
ii. American newspapers such as The New York Times are sure to reiterate that necessary measures had been taken to prevent the collapse, “Governor Pawlenty said the bridge…was inspected in 2005 and 2006. No structural deficiencies were detected, he said. “
In addition, The New York Post states, “City Needs a Dr.; 84% of Crossings are Rated ‘Poor’ or ‘Fair’” thereby subtly causes readers to feel less worry toward the situation of bridges all over New York through comically relaying the city’s need to call upon a “doctor”.
iii. As Susan Sontag writes in Regarding the Pain of Others, "criticism of America does not sit well with the founding…powerful belief in American exceptionalism.”
iv. Additionally, in Where Trouble Comes, its author states that when making a film on Vietnam, John Wayne in The Green Berets worked to represent an ongoing message that is entrenched in Americans, the idea of “the American melting pot”, and that “Americans…protect innocents and promote democracy.”

b. Furthermore, newspapers which relay information that is outside their realm of readers, do not tend to give the news large amounts of prominence.
i. The Guardian does not choose to elaborate on the reasons for the disaster in Minnesota or what must be done in the future for other American bridges in need of repair. As The Guardian is written for non- American readers, their interest in an American bridge collapse is limited. Rather, it focuses upon the emotional aspects involving individual stories of escape, “cars started flying and I was falling and saw the water.” In contrast, The New York Times analyzes and intellectually examines the cause of the bridge collapse as well as what to do about similar problems found in bridges all over the United States. As The New York Times headline states, “Hundreds of Inspectors Check Nation’s Old Steel Bridges”
ii. As Richard Porter of BBC News relates, “in such a competitive market, you need to be clear about what you stand for, what your strengths are.”

c. Amongst newspapers, a simple news story contains many political facets and clear Democratic or Republican leanings.
i. The New York Times, a Democratic newspaper targeted toward Democratic readers, chose to portray Republican President George W. Bush from a strongly negative standpoint. Prior to the disaster in Minneapolis, President Bush had chosen to veto a bill which would increase taxes on gas in order to provide additional funds for bridge protection. As the title of a New York Times article states, “Bush Rejects Gas Tax as a Way to Shore up Bridges”. However, dislike toward President Bush then proceeds to a larger magnitude; The New York Times uses the opportunity of the bridge collapse as a way to augment past issues they had with the President. The article states, “Mr. Bush…using earmarks to pay for transportation projects like the one supposed to pay for “the bridge to nowhere” in Alaska…” and “America has had just about enough of President Bush’s misguided opportunities.” The ability of the New York Times to make a general statement about the opinion of all Americans, “America has just about had enough…”, shows they are targeted toward a fraction of American readers, namely, Democrats.
ii. Furthermore, The New York Times showed their negative, strongly Democratic position, on the War in Iraq through linking it to the devastation in Minnesota. In an article entitled, “Dad’s in Iraq and the Family’s on Edge”, New York Times journalist, Michael Winerip, writes, “The mother saw a look of fear and noticed her daughter’s eyes well up…That bridge collapsed in Minnesota of course, and Jay- Dee’s daddy is in Iraq”.
iii. In contrast, The New York Post articles are produced mainly for Republican readers. The writers of New York Post articles show President Bush in a positive manner: “President Bush said he would visit the disaster scene tomorrow…federal government would give aid to Minneapolis”. On the issue of the President vetoing a bill to increase gas taxes so as to provide funds for transportation projects, The New York Post writes, “President Bush should call off his plan to veto a bill that would provide much- needed funding…” By use of the word “should” The New York Post tones down the enormity of President Bush’s decision.

d. Aspects of a story that a newspaper article may choose to omit or relay often depends upon the size of the audience.
i. For instance, the New York Times articles are not aimed exclusively toward New Yorkers, but rather toward readers from all over the United States. This can be deduced from the fact that after the collapse of Minnesota’s bridge, The New York Times did not only focus on the dire state of New York bridges, “more than 2,000 bridges in New York State meet the federal government’s definition of ‘structurally deficient’”, but on bridges all over the country, “Missouri has only 11 bridges with a design similar to the one in Minneapolis, but Pennsylvania has about 55”.
ii. However, The New York Post is clearly targeted toward New York readers. This can be seen by the fact that after the catastrophe in Minnesota, The New York Post focused on bridges across New York that are in need of repair, “state inspectors have determined that 84 percent of the city’s 19 largest spans remain in poor or fair condition...” and “in New York we do not have any bridges that are structurally deficient”. The New York Post scarcely mentions the problems found in bridges all over the United States; something which is a prevalent topic in The New York Times.

e. Additionally, whether an audience is lower or upper class is a huge factor as to what the news stories will choose to relay.
i. For example, The New York Times relates the general story of the disaster that struck Minnesota, “at least 7 people were killed and more than 60 were injured”, as well as tell of the heroism of people such as Jeremy Hernandez who saved an entire bus load of children, in an article entitled, “Stunned Victim Turns Hero”, that is not their focal point. Rather, as they are written for well educated, upper class readers, the majority of articles analyze and intellectually examine the cause of the bridge collapse as well as what to do about similar problems found in bridges all over the United States. As The New York Times headline states, “Hundreds of Inspectors Check Nation’s Old Steel Bridges”.
ii. Unlike The New York Times, The New York Post is uninterested in the logistics of why the bridge collapsed, “it is clearly much too early in the initial stages of this investigation to have any idea what happened”. Instead, The New York Post’s articles tell countless personal anecdotes involving individual stories of escape from the collapsing bridge, “I slammed on my brakes and saw something in front of me disappear…” The New York Post provides for its lower and middle class readers by giving them the emotional aspects of the story.

III. Conclusion
a. Through news coverage of The New York Times, New York Post and The Guardian regarding the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one can clearly see that different newspapers choose to exclude or express information in order to effectively cater to the diverse needs of their readers. In addition, Where Trouble Comes and Susan Sontag’s Regarding the Pain of Others as well as BBC News work to further prove the argument’s validity.

b. Whether due to nationalism, political leanings, audience size, class or a desire to relay information that is most relevant to their readers, news coverage remains biased.