A content analysis technique for newspaper articles related to police : an exploratory study

Abstract

Police image created through the media has a powerful influence on the public. This study utilized a unique content analysis technique to detect the image of police developed by a local newspaper. The research question was: "Can a content analysis technique for newspaper articles related to police reveal an overall image of the police?" It was hypothesized that "There are more newspaper articles portraying police negatively than positively." Police related articles were analyzed to discover how many positive articles there were as opposed to negative ones. The content analysis technique was designed to detect an image creating patter for police if indeed there was one. Results identified that although positive articles were greater in number, negative articles were considerably more prevalent in front page and repeated newspaper coverage. This study recognized the importance of police agencies understanding how they are perceived in printed media so they can more effectively relate to the public. The research provided a tool that can be utilized by police departments concerned with how their image is presented to the people they serve and protect.