American International Journal of Social Science

Newsworthiness of Prison Escapes: Content Analysis of Factors Influencing Print Media Coverage, 2006-2010
Bryce Elling Peterson

Abstract
This article extends the study of newsworthiness to prison escapes by developing and testing a theoretical framework of the factors that affect coverage of prison escapes in print news media. This article employs content analysis on articles printed in the New York Times between 2006 and 2010 (n=68) to identify newsworthiness factors, and negative binomial regression to examine the ability of these factors to influence coverage. Factors identified from the content analysis include: location of escape (domestic v. international incident), number of escapees, the presence of violence, criminal histories of the escapees, and methods of escape. Findings demonstrate a trend to disproportionately report sensational stories of escapes, focusing on the escape plan, as well as the seriousness of the escape and the escapees. To obtain these stories, the Times turned to correctional incidents occurring outside of the U.S. since escapes occurring within the U.S. are rare and mundane by comparison.

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